The Director of Food Plant Maintenance & Reliability is a senior operational leader responsible for developing and executing maintenance strategies that ensure the reliability, safety, and performance of all plant assets across multiple food and beverage manufacturing facilities. This role leads predictive, preventive, and corrective maintenance programs while driving continuous improvement in equipment uptime, spare parts optimization, and maintenance cost control. The director ensures alignment with food safety, regulatory compliance, and production efficiency goals through cross-functional collaboration and technical leadership.
Key Responsibilities:
Maintenance Strategy & Execution
Develop and implement comprehensive maintenance and reliability programs, including preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance.
Establish KPIs and reliability metrics (MTBF, MTTR, OEE) to evaluate asset performance and guide decision-making.
Standardize maintenance practices, CMMS utilization, and work order management across all facilities.
Reliability Engineering & Asset Management
Lead root cause analysis (RCA), failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), and reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) initiatives.
Optimize equipment lifecycle through proactive maintenance planning and capital replacement forecasting.
Introduce reliability engineering best practices to minimize unplanned downtime and increase system resilience.
Team Leadership & Development
Lead a team of maintenance managers, reliability engineers, planners, and technicians across multiple plants.
Build and maintain a culture of ownership, technical excellence, safety, and continuous improvement.
Provide training and professional development to enhance maintenance capabilities and team performance.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Quality Assurance, and EHS to support production goals, food safety, and compliance.
Ensure maintenance activities align with regulatory standards (FDA, USDA, FSMA, OSHA) and internal GMP protocols.
Partner with Engineering on capital project planning, equipment selection, and design for maintainability.
Technology & System Optimization
Drive adoption of digital tools (CMMS, IoT sensors, analytics dashboards) to improve maintenance performance visibility.
Implement spare parts standardization, inventory optimization, and vendor-managed inventory programs.
Evaluate and apply emerging technologies in condition monitoring, asset tracking, and automation.
Budgeting & Cost Control
Develop and manage maintenance budgets, including labor, spare parts, and contracted services.
Analyze cost drivers and implement strategies to reduce maintenance costs while improving asset performance.
Negotiate service agreements and manage contractor performance for outsourced maintenance services.
Key Focus Areas:
Maintenance & reliability strategy across food manufacturing plants
Equipment uptime, availability, and asset lifecycle management
Regulatory compliance (GMP, FSMA, OSHA, etc.)
CMMS optimization and data-driven maintenance
Leadership and development of multi-site maintenance teams
Spare parts management and vendor performance
Qualifications & Skills:
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering or related technical field required
Master’s degree or MBA is a plus
Certifications:
Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) or equivalent strongly preferred
Lean Six Sigma, PMP, or CMMS/Asset Management certifications a plus
Experience:
12+ years of maintenance and reliability experience in food & beverage, pharmaceutical, or CPG manufacturing
5+ years in a leadership role managing multi-site or large-scale plant maintenance operations
Demonstrated success in implementing reliability strategies and improving plant uptime
Technical Skills:
Expertise in predictive maintenance technologies (vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis)
Proficiency with CMMS platforms (SAP, Maximo, Infor, etc.)
Strong understanding of food plant utilities, sanitary equipment, and compliance requirements
Experience with reliability tools like FMEA, RCA, TPM, and OEE
Leadership & Soft Skills:
Strategic thinker and effective communicator with strong leadership presence
Able to influence across departments and manage change in dynamic environments
Results-driven with a passion for operational excellence and continuous improvement
Strong organizational, analytical, and decision-making skills