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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Engineering and Maintenance Manager

💰 $80,000 - $140,000

EngineeringMaintenanceFacilitiesManagementReliability

🎯 Role Definition

The Engineering and Maintenance Manager leads maintenance, reliability and engineering programs for production, facility or infrastructure assets. This role owns preventive and corrective maintenance strategy, capital projects execution, team leadership, vendor management, safety and regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives to maximize uptime, asset life and operating efficiency. Ideal candidates demonstrate hands-on technical depth (mechanical, electrical, PLC/controls), strong budget and people management experience, and a track record of driving reliability through data-driven maintenance and structured improvement methods (CMMS, PdM, RCA, TPM, Lean).

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Maintenance Supervisor / Team Lead
  • Facilities Supervisor / Technician
  • Senior Reliability Engineer

Advancement To:

  • Plant/Operations Manager
  • Director of Engineering & Maintenance
  • Head of Asset Management / Reliability

Lateral Moves:

  • Reliability Engineering Manager
  • Capital Projects Manager
  • Facilities & Infrastructure Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, implement and continuously refine the comprehensive maintenance strategy (preventive, predictive, corrective) across mechanical, electrical, HVAC, building automation and rotating equipment to maximize asset availability and lifecycle value.
  • Oversee day-to-day maintenance operations including planning, scheduling, and execution of work orders using the CMMS (Maximo, SAP PM, Infor/EAM or equivalent) to ensure timely closure, accurate labor capture and parts consumption tracking.
  • Lead capital and engineering projects from scope and budget development through commissioning and handover, coordinating contractors, internal stakeholders and safety teams to deliver projects on time and within budget.
  • Build and manage a high-performing maintenance team: recruit, coach, develop skills, set objectives, conduct performance reviews and maintain appropriate staffing levels for 24/7 operations where applicable.
  • Own maintenance budgets (OPEX and MRO spares) and forecast spend; identify cost-saving opportunities through vendor negotiations, inventory optimization and work standardization.
  • Implement and maintain predictive maintenance programs (vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, ultrasonic) and integrate PdM results into work planning to reduce unplanned downtime.
  • Drive root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective action systems for repeat failures, applying structured problem-solving (5 Whys, fishbone, FMEA) and tracking closure to prevent recurrence.
  • Define, monitor and report key performance indicators (KPIs) such as MTTR, MTBF, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), schedule compliance and maintenance backlog; present performance to leadership and recommend corrective actions.
  • Ensure compliance with all applicable safety, environmental and regulatory requirements (OSHA, EPA, local codes); lead safety by design and participate in safety audits, incident investigations and corrective plans.
  • Manage vendor and contractor relationships: pre-qualify, negotiate scopes and contracts, oversee work quality, certifications and HSE compliance during on-site work.
  • Coordinate spare parts strategy and inventory control, including critical spares analysis, reorder points and obsolescence planning to minimize stockouts and carrying costs.
  • Lead standardization of maintenance procedures, job plans and technical documentation (SOPs, P&IDs, wiring diagrams, BOMs) to enable consistent, repeatable execution and faster onboarding.
  • Integrate controls, PLC/SCADA and building automation troubleshooting and upgrades into maintenance workflows; coordinate with automation and instrumentation teams for seamless change management.
  • Implement continuous improvement (CI) projects using Lean, Six Sigma or TPM methodologies to reduce waste, improve throughput and raise maintenance productivity.
  • Oversee reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) reviews to prioritize maintenance tasks by criticality and failure modes, aligning preventive maintenance frequency and content to risk.
  • Facilitate cross-functional collaboration with production, quality, procurement and engineering teams to schedule outages, minimize production loss and support new-product introductions.
  • Define training and competency programs for technicians, electricians and mechanics to ensure safe, compliant and efficient execution of complex maintenance tasks.
  • Manage emergency response and business continuity planning for critical asset failures, including crisis escalation, contingency spares and recovery plans.
  • Lead energy conservation and sustainability initiatives related to equipment efficiency, emissions controls and utility optimization to support corporate sustainability targets.
  • Oversee equipment reliability improvement plans (rotating machinery, compressors, pumps, conveyors) including alignment with OEM recommendations and life-cycle replacement planning.
  • Ensure accurate maintenance documentation and regulatory records for audits, inspections and insurance requirements; maintain traceable documentation for modifications and repairs.
  • Review and approve technical change requests, deviations and engineering modifications, ensuring appropriate risk assessments and validation testing prior to implementation.
  • Champion digital transformation efforts in maintenance (CMMS upgrades, mobile work execution, IoT sensors, analytics) to support predictive insights and data-driven decision making.
  • Participate in budgeting and strategic planning sessions, contributing asset health forecasts, CAPEX requirements and long-term maintenance roadmaps to leadership.

Secondary Functions

  • Support site-level continuous improvement and cross-site reliability initiatives; align local tactics with corporate asset management policies.
  • Assist in preparing tender packages, technical scopes and evaluation criteria for external service contracts or equipment purchases.
  • Participate in environmental and compliance reporting as required and support audits from regulatory bodies and certification agencies.
  • Mentor junior engineers and technicians through structured development programs and hands-on coaching.
  • Provide technical input to procurement for supplier selection, quality assessment and lifecycle costing of critical equipment.
  • Maintain a knowledge base of OEM manuals, service bulletins and industry best practices to inform maintenance strategies.
  • Engage with R&D and operations to evaluate equipment modifications for performance improvement and maintenance friendliness.
  • Represent maintenance in cross-functional meetings, management reviews and executive briefings on asset performance and program status.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • CMMS proficiency: demonstrated experience using Maximo, SAP PM, Infor/EAM, or equivalent for work order planning, scheduling and reporting.
  • Predictive maintenance technologies: vibration analysis, infrared thermography, oil & wear particle analysis, motor current signature analysis.
  • Mechanical and electrical troubleshooting: pumps, compressors, gearboxes, motors, bearings, belts, couplings and rotating machinery.
  • Controls & automation knowledge: PLC programming basics, SCADA/BAS systems, PID control, instrumentation and DCS interfaces.
  • Project management: scope definition, cost estimating, scheduling, contractor coordination and commissioning of capital projects.
  • Reliability methodologies: RCM, FMEA, RCA, TPM and development of maintenance strategies based on failure modes and criticality.
  • Preventive maintenance optimization: PM optimization, spare parts management and lifecycle planning for critical assets.
  • Regulatory & safety compliance: OSHA, NFPA, EPA, local building and environmental codes; safety program implementation and audit readiness.
  • Data & analytics: KPI development and performance dashboards (Excel, Power BI, Tableau), basic data literacy to drive maintenance decisions.
  • Technical documentation: interpreting P&IDs, electrical schematics, mechanical drawings and BOMs; writing SOPs and job plans.
  • Software & tools: Microsoft Office, AutoCAD (or similar), CMMS, SAP ERP integration experience, mobile field solutions.
  • Welding, piping and fabrication understanding for hands-on oversight of repairs and mechanical integrations.

Soft Skills

  • Leadership and people management: ability to hire, mentor, motivate and retain multi-discipline teams in a 24/7 maintenance environment.
  • Strategic planning: translate reliability goals into actionable plans, budgets and capital requests aligned to business objectives.
  • Communication: clear verbal and written reporting to operations, finance, suppliers and executive leadership; stakeholder alignment.
  • Problem-solving and decision-making: apply structured methods under pressure to restore operations and prevent recurrence.
  • Vendor negotiation and contract management: commercial acumen to secure best-value service agreements and warranties.
  • Time management and prioritization: balance reactive work with planned projects while maintaining safety and compliance.
  • Change management: lead teams through process changes, technology adoption and new maintenance philosophies.
  • Collaboration: build cross-functional relationships with production, quality, procurement and engineering teams.
  • Coaching and mentoring: develop technical and soft competencies in technicians and junior engineers.
  • Adaptability: thrive in fast-paced manufacturing or facility environments with shifting priorities and unexpected equipment failures.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Facilities Management or equivalent technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Engineering Management, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or MBA with technical focus.
  • Professional certifications: PMP, CMRP (Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional), Certified Reliability Leader (CRL), Lean Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt), OSHA/NEBOSH safety certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Facilities/Building Services Engineering
  • Mechatronics / Controls Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 8–15+ years of combined engineering, maintenance, or facilities experience with at least 3–5 years in a supervisory or management role.

Preferred:

  • Experience managing maintenance teams in manufacturing, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, heavy industry, utilities or large commercial facilities.
  • Demonstrated track record implementing predictive maintenance programs, CMMS optimization, and delivering reliability or cost improvement projects.
  • Experience managing multi-million-dollar maintenance budgets, CAPEX projects and external contractors.
  • Familiarity with regulatory environments relevant to the site (e.g., FDA, EPA, OSHA, NFPA) and experience leading audits and compliance programs.
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