Sunny Sky Products Company is seeking a highly technical and hands-on Maintenance Manager to lead all maintenance and reliability functions at our Fullerton, CA production facility. This role owns the mechanical, electrical, and utility infrastructure supporting an aseptic/dairy/juice processing operation, including direct responsibility for the facility's HTST (High Temperature Short Time) pasteurization system and hot fill packaging technology. The ideal candidate combines strong technical depth in food/beverage processing equipment with proven project management skills to plan, scope, and execute capital improvement projects.
Major Job FunctionsEquipment & Process Ownership- Serve as the primary technical owner for the plant's HTST system, ensuring compliance with pasteurization standards, regulatory requirements (3-A, PMO/FDA as applicable), and uptime targets.
- Oversee maintenance, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement of hot fill filling and packaging lines, including fill/seal equipment, cooling tunnels, and associated conveyance.
- Provide technical leadership across aseptic and/or dairy/juice processing systems, including CIP/SIP, homogenizers, separators, and thermal processing equipment.
Capital Project Management- Own the full lifecycle of CapEx projects: scoping, budgeting, ROI justification, vendor/contractor selection, project execution, commissioning, and closeout.
- Partner with finance and operations leadership to prioritize capital spend and ensure projects are delivered on time and on budget.
- Manage contractors, equipment vendors, and internal cross-functional teams throughout project execution.
Utilities Management- Direct the maintenance and reliability of standard industrial utilities, including boilers, air compressors, ammonia/industrial refrigeration, wastewater/pretreatment systems, water treatment, and electrical distribution.
- Ensure utility systems meet capacity, efficiency, and regulatory compliance requirements to support uninterrupted production.
Maintenance Leadership- Lead, coach, and develop the maintenance team, including technicians, planners, and shift leads.
- Build and manage a preventive/predictive maintenance (PM/PdM) program to reduce unplanned downtime and extend asset life.
- Manage maintenance budgets, spare parts inventory, and MRO vendor relationships.
- Champion safety, GMP, and food safety compliance across all maintenance activities.
- Participate in root cause analysis and drive corrective/preventive actions for equipment failures and quality deviations.
Required Skills/Abilities/Education- 5+ years of maintenance management or technical maintenance leadership experience in a food or beverage manufacturing environment.
- Direct experience working in aseptic and/or dairy/juice processing operations.
- Hands-on experience owning or supporting an HTST pasteurization system.
- Proven experience with hot fill technology and associated filling/packaging equipment.
- Demonstrated success running and managing CapEx projects from scoping through commissioning.
- Significant experience managing standard industrial utilities (boilers, compressed air, refrigeration, wastewater, electrical distribution).
- Strong working knowledge of GMP, food safety systems (HACCP/SQF/FSMA), and OSHA regulations.
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Technology, or a related field, or equivalent work experience, required.
- Working knowledge of TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) and Continuous Improvement (CI) methodologies as core competencies.
- Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications:- Experience with CMMS platforms for PM scheduling and asset management.
- Familiarity with automation/controls (PLC) troubleshooting in a processing environment.
- Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, or Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) training.
Physical Requirements:- See Physical Requirements Checklist.
- Based on-site at the Fullerton, CA manufacturing facility.
- Ability to work in a plant environment involving exposure to varying temperatures, noise, and wet/processing conditions.
- Ability to walk, stand, climb, and occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
- Availability to respond to off-hours maintenance emergencies as needed.
Salary $130-140k
