Job Description
The Director of Maintenance & Engineering is responsible for leading all maintenance, engineering, reliability, utilities, and capital project functions across meat processing and protein manufacturing operations. This executive leadership role drives plant reliability, operational efficiency, food safety compliance, asset management, and continuous improvement initiatives in a USDA-regulated environment.
The position oversees strategic maintenance programs, engineering standards, capital planning, automation initiatives, refrigeration systems, and multi-site technical operations while ensuring compliance with USDA, OSHA, FDA, EPA, HACCP, GMP, and corporate safety standards.
The Director partners closely with Operations, Food Safety & Quality, Supply Chain, and Corporate Leadership to optimize production performance, reduce downtime, improve asset reliability, and support long-term business growth.
Key Responsibilities
Maintenance & Reliability Leadership
- Lead all maintenance and engineering functions across processing and packaging operations.
- Develop and execute enterprise-wide maintenance and asset reliability strategies.
- Establish preventive, predictive, and reliability-centered maintenance programs.
- Drive equipment uptime, asset longevity, and operational efficiency.
- Standardize maintenance practices, KPIs, and engineering procedures across facilities.
- Oversee maintenance planning and scheduling systems.
- Ensure rapid response to critical equipment failures and operational disruptions.
Engineering & Capital Projects
- Lead plant engineering initiatives including:
- Equipment upgrades
- Automation projects
- Facility expansions
- Process optimization
- New line installations
- Manage capital expenditure (CAPEX) planning and execution.
- Develop project scopes, budgets, timelines, and ROI analyses.
- Coordinate contractors, vendors, OEMs, and engineering firms.
- Ensure all projects meet safety, sanitary, operational, and regulatory standards.
- Support digital transformation and smart manufacturing initiatives.
Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance
- Ensure compliance with:
- USDA regulations
- FDA requirements
- OSHA standards
- EPA regulations
- HACCP programs
- GMPs
- SQF/BRC standards
- PSM/RMP requirements
- Ensure hygienic equipment design and sanitary maintenance practices.
- Support internal, customer, and third-party audits.
- Lead safety initiatives related to maintenance and engineering operations.
- Maintain compliance for ammonia refrigeration systems and utility operations.
Utilities & Refrigeration Oversight
- Direct management of:
- Ammonia refrigeration systems
- Boilers and steam systems
- HVAC systems
- Electrical infrastructure
- Water and wastewater systems
- Compressed air systems
- Ensure reliability and regulatory compliance of all utility systems.
- Manage energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives.
- Oversee PSM (Process Safety Management) programs.
Financial & Budget Management
- Develop and manage maintenance and engineering operating budgets.
- Control maintenance spending, labor costs, and contractor expenses.
- Lead capital budget forecasting and investment planning.
- Drive cost reduction initiatives without compromising reliability or safety.
- Monitor inventory controls and spare parts optimization.
Leadership & Talent Development
- Lead and mentor plant maintenance managers, engineering managers, reliability engineers, and technical teams.
- Build succession planning and technical training programs.
- Foster a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
- Partner with HR on workforce planning and talent acquisition.
- Support union and non-union workforce environments where applicable.
Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
- Drive Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Analyze downtime data and implement root cause corrective actions.
- ImproveKPIs including:
- OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)
- MTBF
- MTTR
- PM compliance
- Labor utilization
- Energy efficiency
- Support operational scalability and plant modernization efforts.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree in:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Engineering Technology
- Or related technical discipline required
- Master's degree (MBA or Engineering Management) preferred.
Experience
- 10-15+ years of progressive maintenance and engineering leadership experience within:
- Meat processing
- Poultry processing
- Protein manufacturing
- Food manufacturing
- USDA-regulated processing environments
- Multi-site leadership experience strongly preferred.
- Proven success leading large technical teams and capital projects.
- Experience with high-speed automated manufacturing environments.
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