Maintenance Manager
Position Summary
The Maintenance Manager leads the plant's maintenance and equipment reliability function, with an emphasis on engineering-driven problem solving rather than reactive repair. This role is intended for a candidate with a formal engineering background who can move fluidly between hands-on troubleshooting, root cause failure analysis, and the design/specification work needed to permanently eliminate recurring equipment problems — particularly on Hydromat rotary transfer machines, CNC equipment, and supporting plant infrastructure. The Maintenance Manager builds and owns a preventive/predictive maintenance program, leads the maintenance team, and partners with Process Engineering and Operations to keep equipment capable, safe, and available.
Key Responsibilities
Lead and develop the maintenance technician team, setting priorities, standards, and accountability for both reactive repairs and planned work.
Apply engineering analysis (root cause failure analysis, FMEA, reliability data) to recurring equipment failures rather than treating repairs as one-off events.
Design or specify engineering fixes — modified components, guarding, controls changes, upgraded work-holding or tooling interfaces — to eliminate chronic failure modes on Hydromat and CNC equipment.
Build and continuously improve a preventive and predictive maintenance program (vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, PLC/controls diagnostics) rather than running on a purely calendar-based PM schedule.
Own equipment uptime, MTBF/MTTR, and maintenance cost metrics; report performance and improvement plans to plant leadership.
Partner with Process Engineering and Operations on machine rebuilds, retrofits, and capital equipment specification, bringing a maintenance/reliability perspective into equipment purchase decisions.
Manage the maintenance parts inventory, critical spares strategy, and vendor relationships for outside repair and controls support.
Develop and maintain maintenance documentation, equipment history, and procedures within the CMMS/ERP system.
Ensure maintenance activities comply with applicable safety (OSHA, lockout/tagout) and quality/regulatory requirements, including ISO 9001/AS9100 and, where applicable, ITAR and CMMC.
Manage the maintenance budget, including labor, parts, contracted services, and capital repair/replacement planning.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering — this role is intended for a candidate with a formal engineering background, not a traditional maintenance-trades career path.
3+ years of experience in industrial maintenance, reliability engineering, or equipment engineering in a manufacturing environment.
Working knowledge of electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and PLC/controls systems on CNC or rotary transfer machine tools; Hydromat experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience applying root cause analysis (FMEA, 8D, 5-why) to eliminate recurring equipment failures, not just resolve individual breakdowns.
Experience building or managing a preventive/predictive maintenance program and associated CMMS.
Working knowledge of applicable safety regulations (OSHA, lockout/tagout, machine guarding).
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with rotary transfer machine rebuilds or major retrofits.
Experience in a defense or aerospace manufacturing environment (ITAR, AS9100, CMMC).
Familiarity with Lean/TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) principles.
Work Environment & Physical Requirements
Primarily a plant-floor environment with exposure to machining coolant, noise, and moving equipment; safety glasses and required PPE must be worn.
Ability to stand or walk for extended periods, work in confined equipment spaces, and occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
Availability to respond to off-hours equipment issues as needed.