Engineering & Maintenance Manager

Engineering & Maintenance Manager Job Description Position Title: Engineering and Maintenance Manager Supervisor: VP of Operations Date Completed: 8/28/2026 Department: Corporate Engineering FLSA Classification: Exempt Location(s): Cincinnati Status: Full-time ABOUT THE ROLE The Engineering & Maintenance Manager sets the strategic direction for engineering, maintenance, reliability, equipment, instrumentation, controls, and automation across the company’s manufacturing operations for personal care products and oleochemicals.

This leader ensures our plants, assets, and technical systems support Safety, Quality, Productivity, Delivery, customer requirements, and business growth. As a member of the Extended Leadership Team and a key business partner to Operations, this role leads a small corporate team of subject matter expert engineers and project managers while partnering closely with Plant Managers and site teams.

The role establishes standards, drives technical excellence, builds capabilities, and strengthens plant ownership of results through our World Class Manufacturing operating system.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Engineering, Maintenance & Reliability Strategy Develop and lead the multi-year roadmap for engineering, maintenance, reliability, equipment, instrumentation, controls, and automation. Translate corporate objectives, customer requirements, and plant needs into prioritized standards, investments, projects, and capability improvements.

Manage the company assets using equipment criticality, preventive and predictive maintenance, planning and scheduling, spare parts, equipment history, and CMMS standards. Manage department budget. Own the asset-management framework and asset master plan to improve equipment capability, reliability, availability, lifecycle cost, and overall equipment effectiveness.

Plant & Operational Excellence Partner with Plant Managers to establish site action plans, ownership, resources, and priorities while maintaining local accountability for execution. Advance our World Class Manufacturing operating system, including maintenance excellence, autonomous maintenance, focused improvement, early equipment management, structured problem solving, and capability building.

Provide technical leadership for major or recurring equipment failures, ensuring robust root cause analysis, corrective actions, and cross-site learning. Engineering & Capital Projects Establish engineering standards for equipment design, maintainability, controls, instrumentation, automation, commissioning, documentation, qualification/validation, and Management of Change.

Lead engineering and capital projects from business case and scope through design, procurement, installation, commissioning, handover, and post-project review. Support annual capital planning and recommend priorities based on safety, quality, compliance, customer requirements, asset risk, capacity, cost, and strategic value.

Maintenance Technical Knowledge Mixing & Blending: Industrial mixers, blenders, agitators, and mixing vessels. Processing Systems: Tanks, pumps, valves, piping, dosing, and material transfer systems. Process Technology: Filtration, heat exchangers, temperature control, instrumentation, and automation. Packaging Equipment: Conveyors, filling, sealing, labeling, and palletizing systems.

Technical Troubleshooting: Mechanical, electrical, automation, and process-related failures. Leadership & Collaboration Lead and develop a small team of engineers and project managers, establishing clear priorities, roles, decision rights, and performance expectations. Mentor plant engineering and maintenance managers and strengthen the technical bench through training, development, and succession planning.

Partners across Operations, EHSS, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Commercial, customers, suppliers, contractors, OEMs, and service providers. Manage assigned budgets, contracted services, resources, and the escalation of significant operational or technical risks. Proven experience leading structured continuous improvement programs with measurable business results.

Ability to develop and coach cross-functional teams in WCM/TPM/Lean methodologies. Strong analytical capabilities, KPI management, and systematic loss analysis. Demonstrated ability to establish standards, sustain improvements, and build a proactive problem-solving culture. WCM / TPM & Continuous Improvement Lead deployment of the company’s Planned Maintenance (PM) pillar roadmap, from asset assessment and restoration through information systems, periodic maintenance and advanced reliability practices + Spare Parts Management.

Collaborate with Autonomous Maintenance, Focused Improvement, Early Equipment Management and Education & Training pillars. Use RCA, 5 Why, Pareto, FMEA/FMECA, RCM and loss analysis to remove chronic equipment failures and improve OEE. Translate plant business priorities into a measurable maintenance improvement plan and regular performance reviews.

KEY REQUIREMENTS Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Industrial Technology Management, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. 7–10 years of progressive experience in engineering, maintenance, reliability, or a related manufacturing leadership role.

Experience setting strategy and achieving results by working across teams. Strong knowledge of preventive and predictive maintenance, maintenance planning and scheduling, root cause analysis, asset lifecycle management, and CMMS. Strong business judgment, prioritization, and stakeholder-management skills. Working knowledge and practical experience with CMMS systems.

Preferred Experience MBA or advanced degree. Experience in 24/7 manufacturing environments. Experience with liquids, solids, batch, and/or continuous processing. Experience in personal care, oleochemicals, chemicals, consumer products, food, or other regulated manufacturing environments. Knowledge of World Class Manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance, Lean manufacturing, structured problem solving, and change management.

Experience with instrumentation, controls, automation, and capital-project execution. We are an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for positions without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, disability, age, marital status, disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, pregnancy, including childbirth or any related condition, gender identity or expression, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable state, federal or local laws.

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