Maintenance Manager

Job Overview

The Maintenance Manager is responsible for ensuring high availability, safety, and reliability of all production equipment and facility systems in a high-mix / low-volume custom fabrication environment. This role leads maintenance strategy, supervises technicians, and works closely with production to minimize downtime while protecting equipment integrity, facility readiness and operator safety.

The ideal candidate combines strong electrical/controls literacy, solid mechanical judgment, and production-aware decision making, with the ability to move seamlessly between planning, troubleshooting, and hands-on leadership when required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Equipment & Systems Reliability

• Ensure uptime and safe operation of:
  • CNC plasma cutting tables (THC, motion systems, grounding)
  • CNC laser / Python X-type cutters (servo systems, rails, optics/chillers where applicable)
  • Press brakes (hydraulic/electric systems, encoders, back-gauges)
  • Saws, weld power supplies, wire feeders, fume extraction
  • Air compressors, dryers, dust collection, and facility power systems
• Help lead the diagnosis of mechanical, electrical, and control-related failures efficiently and accurately
• Interface intelligently with OEM service providers and vendors without over-reliance

Preventive & Predictive Maintenance

• Develop and manage PM programs based on actual failure modes, not calendar-only schedules
• Implement condition-based maintenance where practical (consumables, hydraulics, air systems)
• Track repeat failures and lead root-cause analysis
• Continuously improve PM effectiveness based on downtime history

Controls & Electrical Systems

• Oversee troubleshooting of:
  • PLC-controlled equipment
  • VFDs, servo drives, sensors, encoders, and safety circuits
• Maintain backups of machine parameters and control systems
• Read and interpret electrical and control schematics
• Support troubleshooting with OEM technical support as needed

Spare Parts & Vendor Management

• Identify and manage critical spare parts to reduce downtime
• Standardize components where feasible
• Maintain vendor relationships and service escalation paths
• Balance OEM vs aftermarket solutions based on risk and cost

Safety & Compliance

• Enforce Lockout/Tagout and machine safety standards
• Ensure compliance with OSHA and internal safety policies
• Investigate equipment-related incidents as system failures and drive corrective actions
• Support safe machine modifications and guarding improvements
• Manage the safety and security of the facility
• Manage the availability and security of the tool crib

Planning, Data & Continuous Improvement

• Utilize work-order systems to track maintenance activities
• Analyze downtime trends and maintenance costs
• Support capital planning with equipment reliability data
• Partner with production and engineering to improve maintainability of new equipment

Preferred Skills

• 7+ years of industrial maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment
• 3+ years in a supervisory or management role preferred
• Strong working knowledge of:
  • Electrical troubleshooting (industrial power, controls, drives)
  • Mechanical systems (hydraulics, pneumatics, motion systems)
• Experience supporting CNC fabrication equipment (plasma, laser, press brakes)
• Ability to read electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical schematics
• Solid understanding of industrial safety and LOTO procedures

Education and/or Equivalent Experience

High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED) and ten years of experience with mechanical and electrical systems preferred.

Preferred Training, Certifications, Licenses, Registrations

Training: Basic Hydraulic, Basic Electrical, CMMS Experience, Lock Out Tag Out, 5S Experience, Welding, Forklift, Crane Operation.

Critical Skills

• PLC troubleshooting experience (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or equivalent)
• Experience in custom fabrication or engineered-to-order manufacturing
• CMMS implementation or optimization experience
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or reliability-focused training
• Hands-on background prior to leadership role

Physical Demands

Occasionally: Sit, climb, work at heights up to 60 feet, and lift up to 50 pounds

Regularly: Stand, walk, talk or hear, and lift up to 25 pounds

Vision Requirements: Close, distance, color, peripheral, depth, perception and ability to adjust and focus

Work Environment

Shop environment