Facilities and Maintenance Manager

Job Description

Facilities and Maintenance Manager

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Lifeway Foods, Inc. | Waukesha, Wisconsin | Full-time, onsite

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Matrix Reporting structure: Plant Manager and Corporate Director of Engineering. Direct reports include the Maintenance Supervisor and assigned maintenance/facilities employees.

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Position Summary

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Lead the maintenance and facilities function for a 24/7 food manufacturing operation. Ensure production equipment, building infrastructure, and utilities are safe, reliable, and ready to support production and customer fulfillment. Build a capable, accountable team; establish effective preventive maintenance and work-order practices; and deliver documented projects in coordination with Corporate Engineering, Operations, Quality, EHS, and HR.

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Essential Responsibilities

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• Lead, coach, and develop maintenance and facilities employees. Establish clear responsibilities, shift coverage, skills assessments, training plans, and performance expectations in partnership with HR.

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• Own the preventive and predictive maintenance program. Maintain an accurate computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), asset records, work orders, job plans, and backlog priorities.

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• Improve reliability of processing, filling, packaging, and material-handling equipment. Lead root-cause investigations and implement corrective actions to prevent repeat failures.

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• Oversee mechanical, electrical, controls, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems; coordinate specialist support and ensure technical work is performed by qualified personnel.

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• Manage building upkeep and utilities, including refrigeration, boilers/steam, compressed air, HVAC, water, drainage, wastewater, and grounds, as applicable to the facility.

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• Coordinate planned shutdowns, repair windows, and restart readiness with Production, Planning, Sanitation, and Quality to protect food safety and order fulfillment.

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• Lead maintenance and facilities projects from scope and estimates through installation, commissioning, training, and handover. Obtain required approvals before committing expenditures or changing scope.

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• Review current projects weekly with the Corporate Director of Engineering. Provide documented scope, status, schedule, costs, issues, action owners, completion dates, and decisions needed.

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• Provide weekly maintenance reporting covering completed work, PM completion, open work orders, backlog, equipment concerns, staffing needs, and next-week priorities.

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• Immediately escalate safety concerns, major breakdowns, project delays, and resource constraints that could affect production or customer orders.

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• Manage department budgets, contractors, purchasing requests, and critical spare parts within approved authority. Track spending, contractor performance, and repair-versus-replacement recommendations.

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• Partner with EHS and Quality to implement safe maintenance practices, equipment guarding, energy isolation, contractor controls, hygienic repairs, and required inspection documentation. Support ammonia/refrigeration and other regulated utility programs where applicable.

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• Maintain equipment manuals, drawings, service records, and project documentation. Verify repairs and installations are complete and support an orderly, safe maintenance shop.

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• Demonstrate respectful leadership, timely communication, meeting attendance, collaboration, and consistent follow-through across functions.

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Required Qualifications

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• At least 7 years of industrial maintenance experience, including at least 3 years leading a maintenance team in a manufacturing environment.

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• Experience in food, beverage, dairy, or another manufacturing environment with rigorous sanitation and quality controls.

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• Strong technical understanding of mechanical and electrical systems, production equipment, utilities, and PLC/automation troubleshooting.

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• Demonstrated success implementing preventive maintenance, reducing recurring downtime, managing work orders, and developing technicians.

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• Experience managing contractors, budgets, spare parts, and equipment installation or improvement projects.

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• Ability to read technical drawings, electrical schematics, and equipment manuals and use CMMS, Excel, and standard business software.

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• Technical diploma, associate degree, or equivalent combination of education, technical training, and relevant experience.

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• Clear written and verbal communication; sound judgment; ability to prioritize urgent repairs while maintaining long-term maintenance plans.

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Preferred Qualifications

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• Dairy processing, fillers, packaging equipment, CIP, and sanitary equipment design experience.

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• Experience with ammonia refrigeration, boilers, wastewater systems, and utility reliability.

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• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field; relevant reliability or maintenance certification.

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• Experience strengthening a maintenance department, implementing CMMS improvements, and commissioning production lines.

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• Bilingual English/Spanish skills.

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Work Environment and Schedule

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Primarily onsite, with regular presence on the production floor and engagement across shifts. Availability for planned shutdowns and occasional nights, weekends, and emergency response is required. The role works in manufacturing, utility, and maintenance areas with noise, moving equipment, and varying temperatures and must follow PPE and food safety requirements. Essential functions must be performed with or without reasonable accommodation.

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Performance Measures

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• PM completion and overdue critical PMs; work-order quality and backlog aging.

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• Unplanned downtime, repeat equipment failures, and completion of root-cause corrective actions.

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• Project milestones, budget performance, commissioning readiness, and timely escalation.

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• Safety/food safety corrective-action closure and required inspection completion.

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• Technician development, shift coverage, and completion of documented weekly updates.

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Performance targets will be established with the Plant Manager and Corporate Director of Engineering after an initial assessment of assets, staffing, and baseline results.

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Lifeway Foods is an equal opportunity employer. This description summarizes the primary responsibilities and is not an exhaustive list of duties