About the role
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.