Senior Manager – Plant Engineering & Maintenance

Air Liquide•Newport, DE

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager – Plant Engineering & Maintenance provides strategic and operational leadership over process control systems, capital project implementation, and site asset reliability. Reporting directly to the Senior Director, Manufacturing, this position leads a multidisciplinary engineering and maintenance team responsible for technical infrastructure, automation systems, and physical plant assets. The role supports high equipment availability, control system stability, successful capital project delivery, and compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory standards in a 24/7 operational environment. It champions corrective and preventive maintenance practices that support organizational quality, delivery, and cost objectives. The position leads plant engineering and controls, including automation, process instrumentation, plant control systems, and facilities servers. It directs site capital projects and facility investments, oversees project workflows and technical documentation, and provides engineering oversight for site utility systems. It also leads maintenance and asset reliability, including planning and scheduling work, managing KPIs and costs, training staff, and improving equipment reliability. Facilities responsibilities include emergency maintenance, buildings and grounds, contractor relationships, contracted-service quality and cost, shutdowns, and coordination with Operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Valid U.S. employment authorization; must not require visa sponsorship now or in the future. The position is not open to non-immigrant visa sponsorship.
At least 8 years of engineering and maintenance leadership experience in an industrial manufacturing or chemical continuous-processing environment.
At least 5 years of direct management experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams, including engineers, project managers, and maintenance leaders.
Demonstrated track record leading capital project execution, process control initiatives, and plant reliability strategy.
Knowledge of HVAC systems, air compressors, chillers, water coolers, boilers, steam and condensate piping systems, power distribution, nitrogen generators, DI water systems, and fire protection systems.
Knowledge of industrial codes and standards such as ASME, NBIC, OSHA, and NFPA.
Working knowledge of processing-facility equipment and its piping, mechanical, electrical (including PLCs), pneumatic, and hydraulic systems.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of machinery vibration analysis methods, thermography, condition assessment using instrumentation, and field experience performing these or other NDT methods.
Understanding of the Work Management Process (WMP).
Experience with detailed work and job planning and work hazard analysis.
Knowledge of failure-mode analysis and failure-analysis techniques.

Responsibilities

Lead site engineering operations across automation, control systems, and process instrumentation to support system integration, operational continuity, and technology modernization.
Oversee the design, maintenance, and upgrades of plant PLCs, HMIs, data acquisition networks, and control logic for continuous and batch processing systems.
Partner with manufacturing and process engineering teams to establish control philosophies, operating instructions, and automated solutions that improve process capabilities and throughput.
Maintain operational stability, network security, and instrumentation accuracy across process control architectures.
Be accountable for the functionality and reliability of the facilities server.
Direct all phases of site capital projects, facility investments, and equipment installations in accordance with standard investment guidelines.
Oversee project scoping, cost estimation, risk assessments, bid evaluation, Management of Change processes, and commissioning.
Ensure accurate design and lifecycle maintenance of P&IDs, process flow diagrams, electrical schematics, and as-built drawings.
Provide engineering oversight for site utility systems, including boilers, air compressors, chillers, power distribution, and HVAC.
Provide monthly status updates for all capital projects.
Direct and coordinate Maintenance Department activities, ensuring work is properly planned and safely executed in a timely manner to support plant reliability.
Use a Computerized Maintenance Management System to review KPIs, develop work-order plans, manage backlog, and optimize preventive and corrective maintenance.
Establish, monitor, analyze, and own KPIs; use data to identify, prioritize, and focus improvement efforts.
Identify reliability risks and vulnerabilities and mitigate them through capital plans, redundancies, or emergency plans.
Ensure work orders are scheduled and completed according to the weekly or bi-weekly maintenance schedule.
Oversee training and development of departmental staff to ensure technicians meet minimum qualifications and progress on schedule.
Perform root cause analyses of equipment and systems to improve reliability and performance.
Select, train, and manage new hires to maintain a motivated, diverse-skilled, cross-trained, and technically capable work group.
Control maintenance-function costs, including fixed-cost objectives, overtime, Process Safety Management compliance, and training compliance.
Serve as Process Owner for GP-09, Air Liquide’s Industrial Management System Group Procedure for Maintenance, and related Quality Management System elements.
Ensure compliance with regulatory, IMS, and quality-system requirements related to maintenance and utility design.
Set expectations for adherence to policies, procedures, and safety standards, and promote employee morale, ethics, and respectful conduct.
Manage emergency maintenance needs affecting utilities, buildings, and grounds, and oversee upkeep of buildings and grounds.
Stay current on recommendations from Boiler Condition Assessment Reports and Vibration Analysis.
Select contractors and manage contractor relationships, including the cost and quality of contracted maintenance services.
Manage daily maintenance work and shutdowns, and manage the customer interface with Operations counterparts.