Maintenance Manager (Meat)

Position Summary

The Maintenance Manager is responsible for leading all maintenance activities within a meat harvest facility to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operation of equipment and infrastructure. This role supports continuous production by minimizing downtime, maintaining regulatory compliance, and driving preventive and predictive maintenance programs in a USDA-regulated environment.

Key Responsibilities

Maintenance & Reliability

• Lead and manage all plant maintenance activities, including mechanical, electrical, refrigeration, and utilities systems

• Ensure high equipment uptime for harvest, fabrication, chilling, and support operations

• Develop, implement, and continuously improve preventive and predictive maintenance programs

• Oversee troubleshooting and repair of production equipment, conveyors, harvest systems, and facility infrastructure

• Manage spare parts inventory and maintenance budgets

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure maintenance practices comply with USDA/FSIS, HACCP, GMP, and plant food safety programs

• Partner with Quality and Sanitation teams to support food safety, biosecurity, and sanitation requirements

• Ensure maintenance activities do not compromise product safety or regulatory compliance

• Support internal and external audits and regulatory inspections

Safety & Environmental Compliance

• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with OSHA and company safety standards

• Ensure safe operation and maintenance of utilities and high-risk systems (e.g., refrigeration, boilers, compressed air)

• Lead safety training and incident investigations within the maintenance team

Leadership & People Management

• Recruit, train, coach, and develop maintenance supervisors and technicians

• Set performance expectations and conduct regular performance reviews

• Coordinate maintenance coverage to support 24/7 or multi-shift harvest operations

• Manage contractors and vendors as needed

Planning & Continuous Improvement

• Use CMMS to plan, schedule, and track maintenance work orders and performance metrics

• Analyze downtime and reliability data to drive continuous improvement initiatives

• Support capital projects, equipment installations, and line upgrades

• Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, and Corporate teams to improve plant performance

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Maintenance, or related field or equivalent experience

• 5+ years of maintenance leadership experience in a food or protein manufacturing environment

• Experience in a USDA-regulated meat or poultry harvest facility strongly preferred

• Strong knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and industrial maintenance systems

• Experience managing preventive maintenance programs and CMMS platforms

• Working knowledge of OSHA, USDA/FSIS, HACCP, and GMP requirements

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with refrigeration and utility systems common to protein processing facilities

• Lean Manufacturing, TPM, or Reliability-Centered Maintenance experience

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus

• Professional certifications (CMRP, PMP, or similar) preferred