Maintenance Manager

Drax Group • Gloster, MS

63d • Onsite

About The Position

The Maintenance Manager leads the Maintenance Department at Drax’s wood pellet facility in Gloster, Mississippi. This visible, hands-on leadership role is responsible for the plant’s maintenance strategy, team performance, budget and continuous-improvement priorities. Reporting to the Plant Manager, the manager leads a team of up to 20 employees and works closely with Operations and the site Reliability Engineer to minimize downtime, improve equipment performance, monitor maintenance KPIs, and implement Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) practices. The role champions Drax’s Safety Culture by maintaining a safe and healthy workplace, managing operational risks, and ensuring work follows established procedures, standards and regulations.

Requirements

• Five to ten years of maintenance or related industrial experience, including responsibility for plant assets.
• Previous supervisory or people-leadership experience.
• Experience planning and managing maintenance work in an industrial, manufacturing or similarly complex operating environment.
• Strong commitment to workplace safety, risk management and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to coach employees, manage competing priorities and collaborate effectively across departments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Basic computer proficiency.
• High school diploma or equivalent.

Nice To Haves

• Experience using a CMMS.
• Knowledge of TPM, RCM, preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance.
• Familiarity with Lean or Six Sigma methods, including SMED, Kaizen or Kanban.
• Experience managing maintenance budgets, small projects or P&L responsibilities.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field.
• Relevant maintenance, reliability, technical or leadership certifications.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop maintenance employees, setting clear expectations for safety, performance and accountability.
• Manage preventive, predictive and corrective maintenance activities across the facility.
• Coordinate with Operations to plan maintenance and repair work while minimizing disruption to production.
• Partner with the Reliability Engineer to improve equipment reliability, plant availability and maintenance performance.
• Develop and implement maintenance policies and strategies aligned with plant priorities and manufacturers’ recommendations.
• Use the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to manage work orders, spare-parts requirements and equipment maintenance history.
• Monitor maintenance KPIs and use performance information to identify risks, priorities and improvement opportunities.
• Manage the plant maintenance budget and oversee small projects and related expenditures.
• Support TPM and RCM programs to reduce downtime and improve long-term plant reliability.
• Apply continuous-improvement methods, including SMED, Kaizen and Kanban, where appropriate.
• Monitor the condition and performance of plant equipment and systems.
• Ensure technicians are trained on current procedures, safe working practices and Standard Maintenance Procedures.
• Identify foreseeable hazards, assess risk and ensure effective control measures are in place before work begins.
• Support the development of maintenance procedures, training materials and technical documentation.
• Improve plant productivity and efficiency without compromising safety, environmental standards or product quality.
• Communicate plant priorities, company expectations and business goals across all levels of the organization.

Benefits

• Competitive pay.
• Comprehensive benefits.
• Participation in an eligible company bonus plan.
• Opportunities to grow leadership and technical capabilities.
• Supportive culture that values collaboration, continuous learning and informed decision-making.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: High school or GED