USA Plant Maintenance Manager

Company Background: Farmina is nature and science in perfect harmony. Our mission is to develop the best all-natural, nutritious, and scientifically validated food that dogs and cats will love. Farmina is an innovative Pet Nutrition Company focusing on servicing dog and cat pet parents to make the best personalized nutritional decisions for their pet's well-being while providing life changing solutions along the way.

We at Farmina firmly believe in our company motto: Happy pet. Happy you.

Position Purpose

The Maintenance Manager is responsible for leading, developing, and executing all aspects of the maintenance strategy for Farmina’s state-of-the-art, three-shift production facility in Reidsville, NC. This role ensures the continuous, safe, and efficient operation of all equipment and infrastructure while supporting production excellence in manufacturing premium dry kibble pet food. The Maintenance Manager plays a critical role in maximizing equipment uptime, implementing preventive and predictive maintenance programs, and fostering a culture of safety, teamwork, and operational excellence.

Requirements

Required:

Experience in Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering or equivalent technical discipline.

7+ years of progressive maintenance experience in a food manufacturing or CPG environment, with 3+ years in a leadership role.

Demonstrated experience leading maintenance teams in a 24/7 production environment.

Strong knowledge of automated systems, packaging lines, boilers, HVAC, pneumatics, and hydraulics.

Proficiency with CMMS, root cause analysis tools, and maintenance KPIs.

Ability to climb a large number of stairs on a regular basis

Ability to work in heat and cold conditions.

Preferred:

Experience in pet food, dry kibble, or extrusion-based manufacturing.

Understanding of food safety systems such as HACCP and GMP.

Key Responsibilities

As a critical leader in our facility operations, you will be responsible for ensuring reliable, efficient, and safe operation of all mechanical, electrical, and production systems. You will oversee maintenance, project execution, compliance, and team performance across all shifts to support Farmina's manufacturing excellence. Maintenance 

Operations & Facility Management

Lead all mechanical, electrical, utility, and facility maintenance across three shifts to ensure optimal equipment performance and minimal downtime.

Develop, implement, and manage comprehensive preventive and predictive maintenance programs using CMMS, aligned with manufacturer specifications and Farmina Italian technical directives.

Coordinate equipment commissioning, installation, and startup to support production scale-up and efficiency improvements.

Monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve issues across production systems, ensuring all utility services (air, steam, HVAC, water, power) reliably support operational goals.

Maintain documentation and secure required permits for compliant operation under all applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Ensure production and maintenance operations are aligned with pet food regulatory requirements and food safety standards (e.g., FDA, FSMA, FSIS).

Compliance, Safety & Housekeeping

Enforce compliance with OSHA regulations and company safety policies to provide a safe, clean, and well-maintained workplace.

Lead safety audits, risk assessments, and corrective actions to proactively mitigate hazards.

Ensure all maintenance practices comply with environmental, health, safety, and quality standards.

Team Leadership & Human Resources

Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing technical and maintenance team across all shifts.

Establish effective shift coverage and on-call procedures to ensure 24/7 technical support.

Provide coaching, feedback, training, and career development opportunities to maintenance staff.

Promote a workplace culture centered on accountability, safety, continuous improvement, and employee retention.

Performance Metrics & Cost Control

Track and analyze key maintenance KPIs, including OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), downtime, and cost per repair.

Optimize labor, materials, spare parts, and supplies usage to minimize operational costs.

Maintain and monitor utility contracts and monthly charges for accuracy and efficiency trends.

Identify cost-saving opportunities and propose data-driven solutions.

Project & Contractor Management

Lead and coordinate capital projects and facility improvement initiatives in partnership with production and engineering teams.

Manage maintenance budgets, vendor relationships, and contractor performance.

Oversee facility layout planning, utility infrastructure upgrades, and ensure contractor compliance with company and OSHA policies.

Continuous Improvement & Reliability

Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) and implement corrective actions for chronic equipment failures.

Drive lean maintenance strategies, including 5S, TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), and Kaizen.

Integrate maintenance initiatives with broader plant performance goals for quality, throughput, and reliability.

Note: Responsibilities may be adjusted as necessary to meet evolving business needs at the discretion of the Company.

Benefits:

Empower 401k

Hartford Company Paid AD&D

Hartford Voluntary AD&D

Hartford Voluntary Long-term Disability Insurance

Harford Voluntary Child Life

Hartford Short-term Disability Insurance

Colonial Life Critical Illness

Colonial Life Term Life

Colonial Life Whole Life

Health FSA

Dependent Care FSA

Colonial Medical Bridge

Colonial Accident

Harford Voluntary Life Dependents

Hartford Voluntary AD&D Dependents

Hospital Indemnity

NYC Commuter Benefits

Employee Pet Food Discounts

Paid Maternity Time Off

Paid Paternity Time Off

Paid Adoption Time Off

Pet Wellness Insurance

Pet Accident and Illness Insurance

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described, and may be amended at any time at the sole discretion of the Employer.

Farmina is An Equal Opportunity Employer