Processing Maintenance Manager

job purpose:

The processing maintenance manager oversees all maintenance activities within a dairy processing facility, ensuring equipment reliability, regulatory compliance, and continuous production uptime. The role combines hands‑on technical work with strategic planning, team leadership, and cross‑department collaboration to support safe, efficient, and high‑quality dairy manufacturing.  The individual will possess a strong technical background and proven history to lead a talented group of mechanics, ICTs, planners, and parts procurement.  

responsibilities: 

Equipment & Facility Maintenance

• Lead preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance for dairy processing equipment such as pasteurizers, separators, homogenizers, CIP systems, pneumatic equipment, and PMO valves.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive preventive maintenance (PM) program to reduce downtime and extend asset life.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic issues to restore production quickly.
• Aseptic processing experience is a plus.

 Compliance & Safety

• Ensure all maintenance activities comply with FDA, USDA, OSHA, PMO, and food‑safety regulations.
• Maintain documentation for audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews.
• Implement and enforce lockout/tagout, confined space, and other safety programs.
• Support quality teams during root‑cause investigations and corrective actions.

  Leadership & Team Management

• Supervise, train, and develop maintenance technicians across multiple shifts.
• Create staffing schedules, assign work orders, and manage contractor activities.
• Build a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Experience building high-performing maintenance teams in a fast-paced environment.

  Planning & Continuous Improvement

• Manage maintenance budgets, spare parts inventory, and vendor relationships.
• Use CMMS systems to track work orders, equipment history, and KPIs.
• Lead reliability initiatives such as root‑cause analysis, equipment upgrades, and process optimization.
• Collaborate with production, quality, and engineering teams to support operational goals.
• Demonstrated success establishing and applying TPM and reliability-based principles to create both short-term and long-term value.
• Lead and manage processing overhauls: Create and develop modular approaches to preventative maintenance
• Attend the DDS: morning and afternoon
• Drive quarterly 90-day projects utilizing data and efficiency trends to increase operational, safety, or quality reliability initiatives

skills/qualifications required:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or relevant experience required.
• 5+ years of maintenance experience in food, beverage, or dairy processing environments.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing maintenance teams.
• Strong knowledge of dairy processing equipment and sanitary design principles.
• Experience with CMMS systems and maintenance planning.
• Proficiency in mechanical, electrical, and controls troubleshooting.
• Understanding of PMO, HACCP, GMPs, and food‑safety requirements.

food safety requirements:

• Notify supervision of any repairs or adjustments required that may affect product quality or food safety.
• Understand, observe, and comply with the handling and usage of the color-coded container policy while in the Production Areas.
• Perform all duties necessary to meet Company, Customer and/or Government requirements/standards as prioritized by the Company.
• Ability to initiate action to prevent the occurrence of nonconformities relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the product, processes, quality system, or safety system.
• Identify and record any problems relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the ingredients, processes, quality system, or safety system.
• Control further processing or delivery of nonconforming product in terms of Food Safety and Quality issues until the deficiency or unsatisfactory condition has been corrected.
• In the event of absence, another employee with the same skill level will assume the duties and responsibilities as required.

how fairlife nourishes you:

At fairlife, we believe in better — and that includes how we support our people. We offer a comprehensive suite of benefits and wellbeing resources designed to support you physically, emotionally, socially, and financially, both in and out of work.

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, effective day one!
• Supplemental health plans (hospital indemnity, accident, and critical illness insurance)
• Paid Time Off to recharge and support work-life balance
• Paid parental leave & adoption assistance (up to $10,000)
• Parental support & family care benefits, including childcare resources and lactation support
• 401(k) to support retirement planning with up to 9% in employer match
• Wellness reimbursement (up to $500 for qualified wellbeing expenses)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for emotional wellbeing and work-life support
• Company-paid life insurance and short-term disability
• Employer HSA funding (for HDHP participants)
• Tuition reimbursement (up to $10,000) and student loan repayment ($200/month)
• Learning & development programs to unlock your full potential
• Rewards & recognition, matching gifts, free product, and Business Resource Groups

fairlife’s nour!sh program is designed to meet you where you are — supporting your individual wellbeing journey while enabling you to do your best work every day.

position location: Goodyear, AZ

reports to: Sr. Processing Manager

travel requirements: <10%

exempt/nonexempt: Exempt