Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Lead Maintenance

🎯 Role Definition

The Lead Maintenance role is the operational backbone of our facility's health and safety. This position serves as a player-coach, bridging the gap between hands-on technical work and strategic maintenance management. A successful Lead Maintenance professional provides critical leadership, mentorship, and technical guidance to a team of maintenance technicians, ensuring that all machinery, equipment, and facility infrastructure are maintained to the highest standards of safety and operational efficiency. They are the primary driver of preventive maintenance programs and the first line of response for complex system failures, making them essential for minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Maintenance Technician
Maintenance Specialist / Industrial Mechanic
Facilities Coordinator

Advancement To:

Maintenance Manager
Facilities Manager
Operations Supervisor

Lateral Moves:

Project Coordinator (Facilities/Capital Projects)
EHS (Environmental, Health & Safety) Supervisor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Direct, mentor, and supervise a team of maintenance technicians, including assigning daily tasks, scheduling shifts, and overseeing work quality to ensure maximum team efficiency and development.
Develop, implement, and continuously refine a comprehensive preventive maintenance (PM) program for all critical equipment and facility systems to minimize downtime and extend asset life.
Manage and prioritize the workflow of incoming work orders and service requests through a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), ensuring timely and effective resolution.
Provide expert-level diagnosis and hands-on troubleshooting for complex issues across mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, plumbing, and HVAC systems.
Champion and enforce strict adherence to all safety regulations, including OSHA standards, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures, and proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Oversee the inventory management of spare parts, tools, and essential supplies, including sourcing, ordering, and maintaining optimal stock levels to prevent delays in repairs.
Coordinate and manage relationships with external contractors, vendors, and service providers for specialized repairs, installations, and maintenance projects, ensuring compliance with company standards.
Conduct regular, thorough inspections of the facility, grounds, and equipment to proactively identify and address potential hazards, repair needs, and improvement opportunities.
Maintain meticulous and accurate records of all maintenance activities, including labor hours, parts used, and repair details within the CMMS for historical tracking and analysis.
Assist in the preparation and management of the departmental maintenance budget, actively tracking expenditures and identifying opportunities for cost savings.
Serve as a primary point of contact for emergency maintenance situations, requiring the ability to respond promptly, sometimes outside of standard working hours, to mitigate operational impact.
Lead the training and development of maintenance staff on new equipment, evolving technologies, safety protocols, and established best practices.
Conduct formal and informal performance evaluations for team members, providing constructive feedback, setting goals, and facilitating professional growth.
Actively participate in and sometimes lead the installation, commissioning, and validation of new machinery and facility infrastructure projects.
Interpret complex technical documents, including blueprints, electrical schematics, P&IDs (Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams), and manufacturer's manuals to guide repair and installation activities.
Develop and document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for routine and critical maintenance tasks to ensure consistency, safety, and quality.
Strategically prioritize maintenance tasks by assessing their impact on production, safety, and operational urgency, effectively balancing planned work with reactive needs.
Foster a proactive, collaborative culture centered on safety, continuous improvement, and reliability-centered maintenance principles.
Generate and present reports on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as equipment uptime, Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), PM completion rates, and budget adherence to management.
Perform advanced, hands-on technical repairs alongside the team, especially for highly complex issues or during periods of high demand to ensure operational targets are met.

Secondary Functions

Support capital expenditure (CapEx) planning by providing data and recommendations for equipment replacement, facility upgrades, and new technology adoption.
Contribute to the organization's energy conservation and sustainability initiatives by identifying and implementing efficiency improvements in facility systems.
Collaborate with the EHS (Environment, Health, and Safety) department to conduct risk assessments, job hazard analyses, and participate in incident investigations.
Participate in long-range facility planning and strategic development discussions, offering insights on infrastructure needs and maintenance-related challenges.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

CMMS Proficiency: Advanced skills in using and managing Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (e.g., eMaint, Fiix, UpKeep) for work order management, asset tracking, and reporting.
Multi-System Expertise: Deep, hands-on knowledge of industrial electrical systems (up to 480v), mechanical systems (gears, belts, conveyors), hydraulics, pneumatics, and commercial HVAC systems.
Blueprint & Schematic Interpretation: The ability to read, understand, and apply information from complex technical drawings, P&IDs, and electrical schematics.
Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Comprehensive understanding and practical application of OSHA regulations, LOTO, machine guarding, and other critical industrial safety standards.
Inventory & Vendor Management: Proven ability to manage a spare parts inventory, control costs, and effectively coordinate with third-party vendors and contractors.
PLC Troubleshooting: Foundational to intermediate ability to troubleshoot Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and other industrial automation controls.
Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Skill in applying systematic problem-solving methodologies (like 5 Whys or Fishbone Diagrams) to identify and eliminate the root cause of equipment failures.

Soft Skills

Leadership & Mentorship: A natural ability to lead, motivate, and develop a diverse team of technicians, fostering a positive and productive work environment.
Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking: The capacity to calmly and logically analyze complex, often urgent, problems and devise effective, sustainable solutions.
Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for interacting clearly with team members, management, and external partners.
Prioritization & Time Management: The ability to effectively manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment, ensuring that critical tasks are addressed first.
Composure Under Pressure: A resilient and adaptable demeanor, capable of making sound decisions during facility emergencies or high-pressure situations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or GED combined with a certificate from a technical/vocational school in a related trade.

Preferred Education:

Associate's Degree (A.S.) or Bachelor's Degree (B.S.).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Industrial Maintenance Technology
Facilities Management
Mechanical or Electrical Engineering Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5-8 years of progressive, hands-on experience in an industrial, manufacturing, or commercial facility maintenance environment.

Preferred:

A minimum of 2-3 years of demonstrated experience in a lead, supervisory, or team leadership capacity is strongly preferred.