Assistant Maintenance Manager

Job Description

SUMMARY:

The Assistant Maintenance Manager oversees all maintenance, repair, and facility management activities within a heavy manufacturing environment that includes foundry, machining, and finishing operations. This role ensures maximum equipment uptime, reliability, and safety through effective leadership of maintenance teams, strategic preventive maintenance programs, and efficient facility operations. The Maintenance Manager drives operational excellence by coordinating maintenance planning, managing capital improvement projects, and ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, and quality standards.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Team Leadership & Labor Relations

• Lead, train, and mentor a team of maintenance supervisors, technicians, and facilities Team Members across the entire plant and grounds.
• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct performance reviews, establish goals, and manage workforce planning.
• Foster collaboration between Production, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, Quality, Maintenance teams, and all other applicable stakeholders to ensure operational alignment.
• Build strong relationships with Union leadership; uphold consistent and respectful interpretation of collective bargaining agreements.

Maintenance Operations Management

• Supervise daily maintenance activities, ensuring timely responses to equipment breakdowns and maintenance requests.
• Foundry equipment oversight, manage the preventative and corrective maintenance of harsh-environmental assets like induction furnaces, sand mulling/reclamation systems, molding machines, shot blasters, and dust collectors.
• Machine shop precision maintenance oversees the calibration, spindle rebuilding, and axis alignment of high-precision CNC mills, lathes, and robotics.
• Predictive maintenance, implement vibration analysis, and infrared thermography to catch failures in heavy gearboxes and hydraulic systems before they cause catastrophic downtime.
• Leverage CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) to ensure effective work planning, prioritization, and performance reporting.
• Develop, implement, and manage a comprehensive preventive and predictive maintenance program to minimize unplanned downtime.
• Ensure that maintenance work meets quality standards and complies with manufacturers’ recommendations and regulatory codes.
• Ensure up time of critical assets including:
  • Allen-Bradley PLCs (ControlLogix, CompactLogix, PanelView HMIs)
  • Siemens automation systems and drives (TIA Portal, S7 PLCs)
  • FANUC robotic arms are used in CNC loading, casting handling, or coating applications.
• Drive effective troubleshooting and root cause analysis of equipment failures involving control systems, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic components.

Facility & Infrastructure Management

• Manage all aspects of building and grounds maintenance, including structural integrity, plumbing, lighting, utilities, HVAC, waste systems, and air.
• Manage outside contractors and vendors for facility projects, utilities maintenance, and specialized services.
• Coordinate capital projects such as CNC equipment installation, or robotic cell integration.
• Ensure compliance with environmental regulations regarding emissions, waste disposal, and stormwater management.

Planning & Budgeting

• Develop and manage the maintenance and facilities operating budget. Monitor labor hours, overtime, and material costs against the department budget to optimize maintenance expenditures.
• Forecast and control expenses related to labor, parts, supplies, and capital projects.
• Production Alignment, coordinate with the foundry and machine shop production managers to schedule maintenance windows during planned shutdowns, minimizing impact on throughput.
• Plan and justify capital improvements and equipment replacements.
• Maintain accurate maintenance records, work order data, and cost tracking using CMMS.
• Monitor inventory levels for high-wear components specific to foundries (e.g., refractory linings, blast blades, hydraulic seals, and precision machine shops (e.g., CNC sensors, balls screws).

Safety & Environmental Compliance

• Promote a safety-first culture and enforce safe work practices in all maintenance and facility-related activities.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, NFPA, NEC, and other regulatory requirements.
• Support facility inspections, permitting, and environmental controls (e.g., air emissions, dust collection systems
• EHS compliance to enforce Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), confined space entry protocols (especially for furnace maintenance, and strict PPE compliance regarding molten metal hazards and respirable crystalline silica dust.
• Environmental compliance to ensure the proper handling, documentation, and disposal of hazardous waste, such as used hydraulic oils, slag, and chemical binders.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, Electrical, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field preferred, equivalent hands-on experience considered.
• Minimum of 7 years of maintenance/facility leadership in heavy manufacturing within a foundry /machine shop environment, with at least 5 years in a unionized setting.
• Proven experience with:
  • Allen-Bradley / Rockwell Automation systems (PLC programming, HMI diagnostics, Ethernet/IP networks)
  • Siemens S7/TIA Portal controls and motor drives
  • FANUC robot programming and troubleshooting (especially in pick-and-place, grinding, or machine tending roles)
• Demonstrated success leading large, skilled trade teams and driving continuous improvement in uptime, safety, and cost control.
• Must be flexible for shift coverage during hours of operation.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Standing for extended periods of time, walking throughout the facility, and occasional hands-on maintenance.
• Standard office work and working with a computer.

Additional Information

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• • Exposed to elements, such as cold, heat, noise, dust, odors, fumes, etc.
  • Work time is spent on the manufacturing floor and in an office setting.
  • Potential for temporarily alternating with other shifts if operationally necessary.
  • Minimal travel requirements to other McWane facilities and suppliers.

LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMER

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position.

Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor in compliance with Federal and State Laws.

Requirements are representative of the minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently.

Kennedy Valve Co. is an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and reserve the right to perform substance abuse testing. McWane is a Federal VEVRAA contractor, and an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices. McWane will not discriminate  against any applicant for employment because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran or service member status, marital status, citizenship status (In IL - sex, including same sex, ancestry, order of protection status, physical or mental disability, military status, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge status, genetic information), (In IA - gender identity), (In CA - gender identity or expression, and genetic information) or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
McWane is a Federal VEVRAA contractor, and an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices. McWane will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran or service member status, marital status, citizenship status (In IL - sex, including same sex, ancestry, order of protection status, physical or mental disability, military status, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge status, genetic information), (In IA - gender identity), (In CA- gender identity or expression, and genetic information) or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.