Ice Cream Associate Director, Site Maintenance
About The Position
Lead the maintenance and reliability strategy for one of the company's largest ice cream manufacturing operations. The Associate Director, Site Maintenance has end-to-end accountability for production and facility maintenance across the site, setting the direction for asset reliability, engineering capability and maintenance performance so equipment, utilities and infrastructure operate safely, reliably and efficiently. The position reports to the Site Director and serves as a senior maintenance and reliability partner to site leadership, connecting technical priorities to safety, quality, service, cost and growth objectives. The role leads Engineering Supervisors and experienced maintenance professionals in a complex, continuous 24/7 manufacturing environment. It requires a leader who can establish clarity, accountability and engagement, modernize working practices, influence executive stakeholders and deliver lasting performance improvement. The position also owns maintenance budgets, resource planning, spare-parts strategy, and business cases for capital and asset-improvement investments, while developing future leadership and technical capability.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a closely related technical discipline.
- Significant maintenance, reliability or engineering leadership experience within a complex manufacturing environment, ideally supporting 24/7 operations.
- Ability to lead experienced engineering and maintenance professionals, navigate resistance, challenge established thinking and build commitment to new ways of working.
- Strong business acumen, including experience managing budgets, evaluating investment choices and connecting technical decisions to operational and financial outcomes.
- Demonstrated success influencing executive stakeholders and communicating complex engineering matters concisely and commercially.
- Broad knowledge of mechanical, electrical, industrial maintenance and facility systems.
- Experience applying structured manufacturing and continuous-improvement systems such as TPM, Lean, WCM, UMS or comparable methodologies.
- Working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, OSHA and manufacturing compliance requirements.
- Calm, visible and accountable leadership style, with sound judgment balancing people, performance, risk and operational urgency.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States full-time without current or future employer sponsorship.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with industrial refrigeration systems.
Responsibilities
- Own and deliver the site-wide maintenance and reliability strategy across production equipment, facilities, utilities and critical infrastructure.
- Serve as the senior maintenance and reliability partner to the Site Director and wider leadership team, translating technical risks and investment needs into clear business recommendations.
- Lead maintenance across critical systems, including ammonia refrigeration, steam, electrical distribution and high-hazard manufacturing assets.
- Establish a disciplined reliability culture using preventive and predictive maintenance, asset-management strategies and data-led performance improvement.
- Lead, coach and develop Engineering Supervisors and skilled maintenance teams supporting continuous 24/7 operations.
- Set clear expectations and accountability across the technical workforce, building trust and constructively challenging established practices.
- Partner with Production, Quality, Safety and Engineering leaders to improve safety, quality, output, reliability and cost.
- Own maintenance budgets, resource planning, spare-parts strategy and business cases for capital and asset-improvement investments.
- Balance immediate operational priorities with longer-term equipment lifecycle, reliability and site-capability requirements.
- Champion compliance with safety, environmental, GMP and regulatory standards, embedding risk management throughout the function.
- Lead site transformation through the Ice Cream Manufacturing System, continuous improvement practices and The Ice Cream Way behaviors.
- Build leadership capability, succession pipelines and technical skills for the future of the operation.
Benefits
- Competitive salary and performance-based incentives.
- Long-term incentive eligibility.
- Health insurance, including prescription drug, dental and vision coverage.
- Retirement savings benefits.
- Life insurance and disability benefits.
- Parental leave and sick leave.
- Paid vacation and holidays.
- Learning, development and career-growth opportunities within a global organization.
- Access to voluntary benefits.
- The position is bonus eligible and long-term incentive eligible.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
