Maintenance Manager – Food & Beverage Packaging

Salary: $100,000–$120,000 | First Shift | Full-Time | Onsite

We are hiring a Maintenance Manager for a well‑established, high‑volume food and beverage distribution facility. This first‑shift leadership role is ideal for a hands‑on coach who excels at building strong teams, elevating preventive maintenance programs, and reducing reactive “firefighting.”

Candidates must have proven management experience in food and beverage packaging environments—specifically with vertical form‑fill‑seal equipment.

About the Role

This position focuses heavily on team leadership, preventive maintenance maturity, and CMMS optimization, with a long‑term expectation of spending no more than 25% of the time on the production floor once the team is fully trained.

Early on, you’ll be hands‑on as needed—but the long‑term value lies in developing technicians, improving planning accuracy, and driving continuous improvement across the facility.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead first‑shift maintenance operations in a food and beverage distribution facility
• Oversee preventive and predictive maintenance programs
• Manage CMMS scheduling, work order accuracy, reporting, and compliance
• Coach and develop a multi‑skill maintenance team
• Reduce reactive troubleshooting through improved planning and team capability
• Support continuous improvement efforts across equipment reliability and uptime
• Provide occasional hands‑on support during the initial training period

Facility Overview

• 182,000 sq. ft. facility opened in 2016
• Strong operational stability
• Sister location in Joliet
• Previous Maintenance Manager was promoted internally to another site

Position Scope

The Maintenance Manager oversees maintenance for food and beverage packaging equipment, material handling equipment, conveyance systems, electrical systems, HVAC, and overall facility infrastructure within a fast‑paced supply chain environment.

You’ll ensure equipment reliability, safety, and uptime while leading a team that supports daily operations through preventive maintenance, rapid response, and process improvement initiatives.

Success requires strong technical understanding, high accountability, and the ability to mentor technicians while collaborating cross‑functionally.

Required Background

• Proven experience as a Maintenance Manager within food and beverage manufacturing or co‑packing
• Experience supporting environments producing consumable goods for retail/grocery distribution
• Hands‑on foundation with packaging technologies, including:
• Vertical form‑fill‑seal
• Horizontal flow‑wrap
• Case erecting
• Stretch wrapping
• Automated case packing
• Experience managing multi‑shift maintenance teams
• Strong CMMS proficiency, especially in preventive maintenance planning
• Solid mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills in regulated food environments
• Knowledge of GMPs, OSHA standards, and audit‑driven operations