Maintenance Supervisor (Food and Beverage Manufacturing)

The Fremont Company•Rockford, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Maintenance Supervisor is a working floor leader and the primary technical resource for a three-line food manufacturing operation. This role involves troubleshooting alongside technicians, solving complex equipment problems in real time, and building systems, skills, and culture for long-term reliability. The supervisor is expected to be present and active on the production floor, serving as the go-to technical expert for mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems. Responsibilities include developing and executing the plant's PM program, escalation framework, changeover improvement initiatives, and technician training and development program. Previous experience in food and beverage manufacturing is required, including reliability/maintenance, installation, and repair/troubleshooting on specific machinery like homogenizers, rotary fillers and cappers, pick and place cappers, rotary labelers, continuous case packing equipment, and PLCs (Allen-Bradley).

Requirements

5+ years of hands-on industrial maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment — must be technically strong, not just managerially experienced.
2+ years of supervisory or lead experience directly overseeing maintenance technicians.
Proven troubleshooting expertise across mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems.
Experience building or owning a Preventive Maintenance program — from task development to compliance tracking.
Familiarity with food safety standards: GMP, HACCP, SQF or equivalent.
CMMS experience (UpKeep, Fiix, MP2, or similar).
Working knowledge of LOTO and OSHA safety requirements.
Ability to read blueprints, wiring diagrams, P&IDs, and equipment schematics.
Strong floor presence and communication skills — able to lead, teach, and hold people accountable while maintaining trust and respect.
Previous experience in food and beverage manufacturing is required.
Experience with installation, repair/troubleshooting on the following types of machinery: homogenizers, rotary fillers and cappers, pick and place cappers, rotary labelers, continuous case packing equipment, and PLC’s (Allen-Bradley).

Nice To Haves

PLC troubleshooting experience, Allen Bradley preferred.
Exposure to SMED, TPM, or reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) methodologies.
Experience leading changeover improvement or OEE-focused initiatives.
Associate degree or technical certification in Industrial Maintenance, Electrical, or Mechanical Technology.
Experience with welding, fabrication, or sanitary piping systems.
Familiarity with SQF, FSMA, or AIB audit requirements.
Predictive maintenance experience (vibration analysis, thermography, ultrasound).

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary technical expert on the production floor and the last line of defense before escalation to outside resources.
Work side-by-side with maintenance technicians to troubleshoot and resolve mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic failures on all three production lines.
Provide real-time guidance and technical direction during breakdowns, minimizing downtime and coaching techs through complex repairs.
Perform hands-on diagnostics and repairs as needed.
Maintain a strong floor presence during all production shifts; be visible, accessible, and engaged with both maintenance and production personnel.
Read, interpret, and apply blueprints, P&IDs, schematics, wiring diagrams, and OEM equipment manuals to guide repairs and modifications.
Design and implement a structured maintenance escalation framework that defines clear response levels.
Establish escalation triggers, response time expectations, and decision criteria for each tier.
Own Tier 1 and Tier 2 escalations personally.
Track and analyze escalation patterns to identify recurring failure modes, skill gaps, or equipment reliability issues.
Lead a cross-functional changeover task force in partnership with production, quality, and scheduling to identify, measure, and reduce changeover time.
Apply SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) methodology or equivalent structured approach to separate internal and external changeover tasks and streamline execution.
Develop standardized changeover procedures, tooling strategies, and pre-staged parts protocols.
Train and certify maintenance technicians and production operators on optimized changeover procedures.
Track changeover performance metrics and report progress to plant leadership.
Own the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the plant-wide Preventive Maintenance (PM) program.
Utilize the CMMS to manage work orders, track PM completions, capture equipment history, and generate reliability reports.
Introduce basic predictive maintenance techniques (vibration monitoring, thermal imaging, oil analysis) where applicable.
Collaborate with Maintenance Planner to schedule PM activity with minimal impact on output.
Build and execute a structured skills development program for the maintenance team.
Develop and maintain a technical competency matrix covering all critical skills.
Conduct formal and informal on-the-floor training sessions.
Mentor technicians through hands-on side-by-side coaching.
Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all critical maintenance tasks.
Build a team culture of curiosity, ownership, and continuous improvement.
Conduct regular one-on-ones, performance check-ins, and annual reviews.
Ensure all maintenance activities comply with SQF, HACCP, GMP, FDA/USDA, and applicable food safety standards.
Apply sanitary design principles to all equipment repairs, modifications, and new installations.
Support internal audits, customer audits, and third-party inspections.
Maintain allergen control integrity during maintenance activities.
Model and enforce a safety-first mindset on the floor every day.
Own LOTO (Lockout/Tagout) program execution and compliance within the maintenance team.
Lead or participate in root cause analysis for all maintenance-related safety incidents.
Ensure proper handling, storage, and SDS documentation for all maintenance chemicals and materials.
Manage MRO parts inventory to ensure critical spares are on hand without excess carrying cost.
Develop and manage relationships with key vendors and outside contractors.
Control maintenance spending within approved budgets.