Maintenance Manager - Sterling Engineering : Job Details

Title: Senior Manager of Engineering and Maintenance

Location: New Britain, CT

Compensation: $140K–$150K

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO, 401K

We are seeking a Senior Manager of Engineering to oversee all engineering and maintenance functions at our plant. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution, ensuring reliability, safety, and efficiency across production systems, utilities, and infrastructure. The ideal candidate is a proven leader with strong technical expertise in food manufacturing environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, mentor, and develop engineering and maintenance teams, fostering a safety-first and high-performance culture.
• Implement and oversee preventive and predictive maintenance programs to minimize downtime and extend asset life.
• Manage utilities, electrical distribution, instrumentation, and production equipment reliability.
• Collaborate with senior leadership on capital project planning, execution, and budget management.
• Analyze and recommend equipment upgrades or replacements based on lifecycle, cost, and performance.
• Establish KPIs to monitor plant reliability, performance, and maintenance effectiveness.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, applying CI/Lean methodologies and adopting new technologies.
• Manage vendor relationships, contract negotiations, and bid evaluations.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, GMP, environmental, and safety standards.
• Oversee departmental budgets, cost controls, and resource allocation.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering field—or equivalent technical training/experience.
• 8+ years of engineering and maintenance experience in a food manufacturing environment.
• 1+ year of supervisory or management experience.
• Strong background in capital projects, budgeting, and PLC systems.
• Knowledge of environmental compliance and plant safety standards.

Preferred Skills:

• Proven leadership in developing cross-functional, high-performing teams.
• Expertise with CMMS, work order systems, and spare parts inventory management.
• Experience with architectural, mechanical, and process production systems.
• Application of Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing principles.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments while managing multiple priorities.