Head Plant Engineer / Maintenance Manager
Southern Textile is seeking an experienced Head Plant Engineer / Maintenance Manager to lead the maintenance and engineering functions at our Fredericksburg facility. This is an opportunity to join a family-owned regional company that has been successfully serving customers since 1934.
The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years of maintenance leadership experience and a strong background in plant maintenance, equipment reliability, and preventative maintenance programs. This position provides leadership to the maintenance department while overseeing plant equipment, facilities, utilities, capital projects, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Responsibilities
- Maintenance Leadership: Direct and supervise all maintenance personnel while providing hands-on leadership, coaching, and support.
- Staffing & Scheduling: Develop employee schedules and ensure appropriate staffing to support production and emergency maintenance needs.
- Team Development: Train, develop, and mentor both new and existing maintenance employees.
- Preventative Maintenance: Develop, implement, and continuously improve preventative and predictive maintenance programs.
- Equipment Reliability: Identify opportunities to improve equipment reliability, reduce downtime, and minimize maintenance costs.
- Maintenance KPIs: Monitor key performance indicators, including:
- Equipment uptime
- Equipment downtime
- Preventative maintenance completion rate
- Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
- Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
- Facilities & Utilities: Oversee the maintenance and operation of boilers, air compressors, and other plant utility systems.
- Engineering & Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and PLC-driven systems.
- Plant Systems: Design, plan, install, maintain, and improve plant systems and equipment.
- Capital Projects: Support and oversee capital improvement and equipment projects.
- Safety & Compliance: Promote a culture focused on safety, accountability, cleanliness, and continuous improvement.
- Production Support: Ensure maintenance activities support production goals while minimizing operational interruptions.
- Team Collaboration: Work effectively with associates and management across the organization to accomplish operational goals.
- Cross Department Support: Assist other areas and departments as needed.
Essential Qualifications
- Experience: Minimum of 5 years of maintenance experience.
- Leadership: 3-5 years of experience leading and managing maintenance teams.
- Technical Knowledge: Strong knowledge of plant maintenance and several of the following areas:
- Boilers
- Air compressors
- Welding and piping
- Hydraulics and pneumatics
- Electrical circuitry and PLCs
- Electromechanical systems
- Utility and electrical troubleshooting
- General equipment and building maintenance
- Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with all levels of management and employees.
- Problem Solving: Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
- Attention to Detail: High level of attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- Schedule: Ability to work a flexible schedule based on operational needs.
- Physical Requirements: Ability to lift, push, and pull a minimum of 50 pounds.
- Education: Associate's degree in engineering or a related field preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Preferred Experience
Experience with the following is a plus:
- Air cylinders
- Solenoid valves
- Steam traps
- Motor starters
- Gear reducers
- Inverter drives
- Industrial laundry equipment
- Preventative and predictive maintenance systems
- Equipment reliability programs
- Capital improvement projects
BENEFITS
- Starting Salary: $100,000-$110,000 annually (this example is CTS)
- Group Benefits Package: Medical, Dental, Short-Term Disability, Vision, Life Insurance, and 401(k) with a generous company match
- Generous Paid Vacation / PTO
- Leadership Opportunity: Lead and develop a maintenance team while playing a critical role in plant reliability, production, and continuous improvement
