Distillery Maintenance Manager
About The Position
This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role at the heart of Buffalo Trace Distillery — a National Historic Landmark that has been crafting award-winning bourbon since 1773. As Maintenance Manager, you'll own the reliability, safety, and continuous improvement of all distillery, barrel warehousing, and distribution maintenance operations. You'll lead a team of up to 10 skilled technicians, drive toward 95%+ equipment uptime, and partner across production, safety, and engineering to solve problems before they become shutdowns. This role requires strong technical instincts, managerial courage, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Requirements
- 5–10 years of maintenance management experience
- Distillery, brewing, or CPG manufacturing experience
- Bachelor's Degree
- Experience in an alcohol beverage environment
- Proven record of 95%+ equipment uptime
- Union environment management
- Experience leading skilled trades teams (union a plus)
- CMMS/work order systems proficiency
- Project management from concept through commissioning
- 5S / Lean manufacturing experience
- Strong MS Office skills (Word, Excel, Outlook)
- Ability to communicate across all organizational levels
- Physical ability to work on-site: standing, climbing, bending
Nice To Haves
- MBA or advanced degree
- Organizational development background
Responsibilities
- Own maintenance operations across the distillery, barrel warehousing, and distribution — planning, scheduling, budgeting, and execution
- Lead and develop a team of up to 10 skilled maintenance technicians; evaluate performance, identify skill gaps, and build improvement plans
- Drive 95%+ equipment uptime through a disciplined mix of preventive, predictive, and reactive maintenance
- Manage CMMS utilization and work order systems; reduce MTTR and increase MTBF across critical equipment
- Ensure safety is engineered into every project — review safety work orders, partner with the Safety Department, and maintain contractor compliance
- Oversee capital projects and new installations from design through commissioning; write and cost-justify CARs
- Develop and maintain SOPs for MRO inventory and PM scheduling; ensure GMP and quality standard adherence
- Champion the 5S initiative and build a culture of continuous improvement within the maintenance team
- Support a positive, self-directed team culture consistent with Sazerac's values and Collective Bargaining Agreements
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
