Facilities Manager

Bradford Soap Works Inc•West Warwick, RI

20d•Onsite

About The Position

The Facilities Manager is responsible for the safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of Bradford’s West Warwick, Rhode Island manufacturing facility, including production equipment, building systems, utilities, and grounds. Reporting to the COO and EVP of Operations, the role leads the in-house maintenance team and outside contractors to keep the plant running, protect employees, and meet regulatory, quality, and customer requirements. It calls for strong technical and mechanical knowledge, hands-on leadership of a skilled maintenance workforce in a unionized environment, and the ability to balance day-to-day reliability with longer-term planning for capital projects, energy use, and facility improvements. The position oversees maintenance staffing, preventive maintenance and work-order programs, equipment and building systems, safety and regulatory compliance, vendors, facility projects, and budgets. It works closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, EHS, and Human Resources. The role includes responding to after-hours facility and equipment emergencies and requires availability outside normal business hours for emergencies, shutdowns, and project work. The work environment includes an active manufacturing facility, production floors, mechanical rooms, rooftops, and outdoor grounds, with exposure to noise, heat, moving machinery, and production chemicals. Personal protective equipment is required in accordance with site safety protocols. Work involves frequent standing, walking, bending, and ladder climbing, and the ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds. Reasonable accommodation will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.

Requirements

5–10 years of facilities or maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment, including experience supervising maintenance or facilities personnel.
Strong mechanical aptitude and ability to multitask and troubleshoot manufacturing machinery and support systems.
Intermediate to advanced knowledge of building trades, including electrical, plumbing, welding, steam distribution, and mechanical systems and equipment repair.
Working knowledge of OSHA standards, basic construction, and building and fire-code requirements.
Experience managing contractors, vendors, budgets, and capital projects.
Experience with a CMMS or work-order system and proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, and Outlook.
Excellent problem-solving and diagnostic skills and a high degree of attention to detail.
Strong supervisory and communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly with hourly maintenance and production employees and professionally with leadership, auditors, and vendors.
Availability outside normal business hours for emergencies, shutdowns, and project work.
Frequent standing, walking, bending, and ladder climbing; ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
Use personal protective equipment in accordance with site safety protocols.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, or a related field; equivalent education, trade credentials, and directly relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Experience in a regulated manufacturing environment, such as personal care, consumer products, food, or pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Experience leading employees in a unionized environment.

Responsibilities

Lead, schedule, and supervise the maintenance team, assigning work, setting priorities, and ensuring appropriate coverage across shifts.
Recruit, train, and develop maintenance staff with Human Resources; identify skill gaps and support mechanical cross-training.
Administer the collective bargaining agreement for maintenance employees, including work assignments, scheduling, and overtime, and partner with the VP of Human Resources on attendance, discipline, and grievances.
Set performance expectations and provide maintenance staff with feedback, coaching, and recognition.
Ensure proper maintenance, repair, and appearance of production and filling equipment, material handling and transfer systems, boilers and steam distribution, compressed air, water, plumbing, and the facility.
Own the preventive maintenance and work-order program, including scheduling, completion tracking, and maintenance-history records in the site CMMS or work-order system.
Analyze recurring breakdowns, lead root-cause investigations, and implement corrective actions to reduce unplanned downtime.
Manage spare-parts and maintenance-supply inventory, balancing availability and cost.
Support new equipment installations, line changes, and production start-ups with Operations, Engineering, and Quality.
Promote safe maintenance practices and ensure work follows OSHA requirements and site programs, including lockout/tagout, confined space, hot work, working at heights, and electrical safety.
Ensure emergency and life-safety systems are inspected, tested, and maintained through in-house inspections and vendor contracts.
Maintain systems and records to meet permit conditions and applicable environmental, fire, and building-code requirements, and support regulatory inspections.
Maintain facility conditions that support cGMP, sanitation, pest control, and customer and third-party audit requirements; partner with Quality to resolve audit findings and corrective actions.
Ensure on-site contractors meet Bradford’s safety, insurance, and site-orientation requirements.
Manage facility-service vendors and contractors, including scopes of work, proposals, bids, contracts, deliverables, and performance evaluations.
Plan and manage facility projects and capital improvements, including scope, budget, schedule, and coordination with Production to minimize disruption.
Develop and manage facilities and maintenance budgets and track spending against plan.
Prepare cost analyses and capital requests, and develop energy-management strategies to reduce utility costs and improve efficiency.
Track and report maintenance and facility metrics, such as preventive-maintenance completion, downtime, work-order backlog, and spending against budget, to the COO and EVP of Operations.
Anticipate, identify, prioritize, and resolve problems through effective planning and scheduling.
Respond to after-hours facility and equipment emergencies, including on-call availability as needed.
Partner with department managers and Operations, Quality, and Human Resources personnel to support site goals.
Perform other duties as assigned.