Maintenance & Engineering Manager

Maintenance & Engineering Manager

Ruston, LA (On-site)

$130,000 – $160,000 + Full Benefits + Relocation Assistance

As the Maintenance & Engineering Manager, you are the primary architect of the plant’s operational reliability. You will lead a department of 15+ technical professionals (mechanics and electricians) and one salaried supervisor. This is a high-impact role where you will transition the site from reactive maintenance to a world-class predictive model, while directly managing a multi-million dollar capital investment roadmap.

Strategic Leadership & Key Responsibilities

1. Asset Reliability & Technical Strategy

Predictive Transformation: Develop and implement data-driven reliability programs (Vibration Analysis, Thermography, Oil Analysis) to reduce unplanned downtime and extend asset life.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Lead formal investigations into chronic equipment failures, implementing permanent engineering solutions rather than temporary fixes.

Uptime Accountability: Deliver measurable year-over-year improvements in Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) for high-temperature industrial processing equipment.

2. Capital Project Management (Capex)

2026 Roadmap: Take full ownership of the upcoming $1M+ Capital Expenditure budget. You will oversee projects from initial justification and engineering design through to contractor management and final commissioning.

Modernization: Identify and pitch infrastructure upgrades to corporate leadership that improve energy efficiency, safety, and throughput.

3. People & Culture Development

Workforce Management: Directly manage a salaried Maintenance Supervisor and a team of 15 maintenance technicians in a high-performance, non-union environment.

Skill Advancement: Identify skill gaps within the maintenance team and implement training programs for PLC troubleshooting, advanced mechanical repair, and electrical safety.

Contractor Oversight: Act as the primary point of contact for external engineering firms and specialized contractors for major site projects.

4. Operational Integration & Finance

Budgetary Control: Manage the Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) budget, ensuring spend is optimized between discretionary maintenance and long-term investment.

SAP Integration: Leverage SAP (Plant Maintenance & Project Systems) to track work orders, manage spare parts inventory, and provide performance insights to the Plant Manager.

Shutdown Leadership: Strategize and execute semi-annual plant shutdowns, ensuring 24-hour maintenance windows are utilized with 100% safety and zero schedule overrun.

The Profile: What You Bring

The Foundation: A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial).

Proven Leadership: 2+ years of experience managing direct reports in a manufacturing setting. You know how to motivate a crew on a 20/4 operational schedule.

Project Expertise: 6+ years of Project Engineering experience, specifically managing $500k+ budgets in heavy industrial environments (e.g., steam-activated chemistry, high-heat processing).

Technical Breadth: Strong command of mechanical systems, AC&R, and electrical/PLC interfaces.

Systems Fluency: High proficiency in ERP environments; SAP experience is a major competitive advantage.