Paper Mill Project Manager

Position Summary

The Papermill project Manager is responsible for overseeing all daily maintenance operations at the site, ensuring equipment reliability, workforce efficiency, and compliance with safety and quality standards. This role manages a team of maintenance technicians, contractors, and support staff while coordinating with operations to minimize downtime and optimize plant performance.

Key Responsibilities

Maintenance Planning & Leadership

• Lead and supervise the maintenance team, including technicians, planners, and contractors.

• Develop and execute preventive and predictive maintenance programs.

• Prioritize and schedule maintenance work orders to support production goals.

• Ensure high equipment reliability and rapid response to unplanned downtime.

Safety & Compliance

• Enforce all safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.

• Conduct job audits, safety meetings, and hazard assessments.

• Ensure contractors follow site safety protocols.

• Maintain compliance with OSHA, environmental, and company guidelines.

Budget & Resource Management

• Manage maintenance budget, labor hours, and cost controls.

• Approve purchase orders, materials, tools, and equipment.

• Oversee inventory and ensure parts availability for critical equipment.

Process Improvement

• Analyze equipment failures to identify root causes and develop corrective actions.

• Improve maintenance processes, documentation, and best practices.

• Use CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) to track work, KPIs, and performance metrics.

• Support reliability initiatives like RCM, TPM, and predictive technologies.

Team Development

• Recruit, train, and mentor maintenance staff.

• Conduct performance evaluations and lead employee development plans.

• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture.

Communication & Coordination

• Coordinate with operations, engineering, and production teams to align maintenance needs.

• Communicate maintenance schedules, downtime expectations, and work priorities.

• Provide regular reports on maintenance performance, costs, and reliability metrics.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• High school diploma required; technical degree or engineering training preferred.

• 5-10+ years of maintenance experience in industrial, refinery, manufacturing, or plant environment.

• 3-5 years of leadership or supervisory experience.

• Strong understanding of mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation systems.

Skills & Competencies

• Excellent leadership and team-building abilities.

• Strong CMMS experience (SAP, Maximo, eMaint, etc.).

• Knowledge of preventive, predictive, and reliability-centered maintenance.

• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.

• Ability to manage budgets, vendors, and contractors.

• Strong communication and organizational skills.

• Commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to walk, stand, and climb as needed in an industrial environment.

• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.

• Comfortable working in outdoor or facility conditions.

Work Environment

• Industrial, plant, refinery, or manufacturing site.

• Some weekend, on-call, or extended hours may be required depending on operational needs.