Director, Maintenance and Asset Reliability

Title: Director, Maintenance and Asset Reliability

Location: Richmond, VA | Chicago, IL | Portland, OR

Job Type: FTE/Permanent

Role Overview

The Maintenance & Asset Reliability Director will provide technical leadership for Progressive Maintenance (PM) in a unionized environment across multiple manufacturing plants. This role will drive overall asset reliability strategy and implement improvements that contribute to operational excellence. The director will play a key role in increasing the technical skill level of the maintenance organization, impacting safety, quality, efficiency, cost management, and customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Coach maintenance teams on identifying and resolving equipment abnormalities and build a culture where maintenance resources proactively address potential issues before they result in breakdowns.
• Institutionalize a culture of planned maintenance across the plants, ensuring strong governance is in place to support its execution.
• Implement and leverage CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) to track maintenance activities, including work orders, planned/predictive maintenance, spare parts inventory, and MRO management.
• Optimize the spare parts management system to support both planned and unplanned maintenance activities.
• Develop and execute strategies to enhance current maintenance practices and processes, improving equipment performance, reliability, and reducing overall maintenance costs.
• Lead corporate maintenance programs based on industry best practices, focusing on equipment criticality, time-based and condition-based maintenance, effective planning and scheduling, high-quality maintenance repairs, and safety standards.
• Analyze operational data and equipment performance history to drive improvements in key maintenance metrics, including unplanned downtime, PM compliance, schedule compliance, Mean-Time-Between-Failures (MTBF), and maintenance-related costs.
• Collaborate with HR to develop criteria and protocols for identifying and hiring skilled maintenance personnel.
• Identify technical training and development opportunities for mechanical/electrical talent, and work with plant management to recommend relevant training programs.
• Develop and deliver comprehensive maintenance and reliability training to maintenance teams, including workshops and benchmarking trips.
• Facilitate enhanced communication and best practice sharing by leveraging subject matter expertise within the company.
  
  

What You Will Bring

• In-depth technical expertise in maintenance within the manufacturing industry, with a strong understanding of equipment components and their conditions.
• Proven experience leading asset reliability and manufacturing performance in a fast-paced environment, with a background in maintenance management roles.
• Expertise in good manufacturing practices, process improvement, optimization, and embedding new or enhanced technologies.
• Knowledge of TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), 5S, Lean, and Six Sigma tools and concepts.
• Strong communication, coaching, and leadership skills, with a demonstrated ability to solve problems, analyze data, and build effective teams.
• Financial acumen and experience in managing maintenance-related costs.
• Experience working with supply chain functions and effectively managing relationships to achieve desired outcomes.
  
  

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 10 years of experience in Maintenance and Engineering management roles.
• Proven expertise in implementing TPM and Progressive Maintenance (PM) systems.
• Experience leading a maintenance organization within a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated success in continuous improvement environments.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to influence and motivate individuals at all levels of the organization.
• Proficiency in using CMMS platforms (e.g., SAP PM, SAP MM).
• Familiarity with industry regulations and safety standards.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field.
• Specialization courses or advanced qualifications in Maintenance Engineering, Project Management, or TPM/Lean.
• Experience in a regulated labor environment and conflict management.
  
  

Additional Requirements

• Ability to manage and lead in a diverse, multicultural environment.
• Proven leadership in setting and enforcing flexible yet strong standards.
• Success in leading within a unionized environment.
  
  

Travel Requirements

• Occasional travel to various manufacturing sites as needed.
  
  

Key Skills And Certifications

• TPM Implementation
• Maintenance Leadership and Management
• Turnaround Experience