Facility Maintenance Manager

Location: Charlotte, NC
Company: Qual Pac
Customer Site: Frito-Lay (Dedicated Facility)
Facility Size: ~260,000 sq ft
Operation: 3 shifts | 6 days/week | 4 automated lines + 2 manual lines

Position Summary

Qual Pac is seeking a highly capable and people-focused Facility Maintenance Manager to lead all maintenance operations at our dedicated Frito-Lay contract packaging facility in Charlotte, NC.

This role is responsible for both:

1. Facility Maintenance & Infrastructure
2. Automated Packaging Equipment Reliability & Performance

The site produces approximately 10 million cases annually of snack variety packs and is transitioning to a high-volume, 3-shift automated operation. The Maintenance Manager will oversee a team of approximately 6 maintenance technicians and ensure maximum uptime, safety compliance, and strong customer partnership performance.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring strong technical expertise, structured maintenance systems management (WMS/PMMS), and excellent team development capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

1. Maintenance Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of ~6 maintenance technicians.
• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability standards.
• Build technical capability through structured training and cross-training.
• Create a culture of safety, ownership, and urgency around equipment reliability.
• Support 3-shift coverage planning and escalation protocols.
• Provide escalation support outside normal hours as needed in a 24/6 operation

2. Equipment Reliability & Automation Support

Oversee maintenance, troubleshooting, and reliability of:

• Case erectors
• Robotic picking systems
• Case packers
• Case sealers
• Robotic palletizers
• Printers and label systems
• Scales
• Date coders
• Conveyance systems

Responsibilities include:

• Developing and executing Preventive Maintenance (PM) programs
• Driving predictive maintenance initiatives
• Root cause analysis (RCA) for recurring failures
• Reducing unplanned downtime
• Managing spare parts strategy
• Supporting line changeovers and automation optimization
• Serve as primary technical escalation point for complex mechanical, electrical, PLC, and robotic system failures.
• Personally lead troubleshooting efforts during critical production downtime events

3. Facility & Infrastructure Management

Although this is a Frito-owned facility, Qual Pac holds responsibility for most site-related maintenance, including:

• Dock doors & levelers
• Overhead fans
• Bathrooms & break rooms
• Ice machines
• Safety systems
• General building upkeep
• AIB readiness & sanitation compliance
• Lighting & facility infrastructure

Ensure the site remains:

• Audit-ready at all times
• Compliant with AIB and food safety standards
• OSHA and safety regulation compliant

4. Safety & Compliance Leadership

• Champion equipment safety protocols and LOTO procedures.
• Ensure all automated systems meet safety standards.
• Maintain documentation and compliance records.
• Partner with Safety and Operations teams to eliminate hazards.
• Conduct safety audits and corrective actions.

5. WMS / PMMS System Ownership

• Ensure full utilization of WMS/PMMS system for:
  • Work Orders (WOs)
  • Preventive Maintenance (PMs)
  • Parts inventory control
  • Asset tracking
• Drive data accuracy and technician adoption.
• Develop KPI dashboards around:
  • Uptime
  • MTBF / MTTR
  • PM compliance
  • Parts spend
• Use system data to improve reliability and cost control.

6. Customer Partnership (Frito-Lay)

• Maintain strong professional working relationship with customer leadership.
• Respond to facility and equipment needs with urgency.
• Support customer automation initiatives and expansion efforts.
• Participate in site reviews and performance discussions.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Equipment uptime and OEE improvement
• PM completion rate (>95%)
• Reduction in reactive work orders
• Safety incident reduction
• AIB audit performance
• Maintenance cost control
• Team retention and engagement

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of maintenance leadership experience in manufacturing or packaging.
• Experience managing automated packaging lines and robotics.
• Strong mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and PLC troubleshooting skills.
• Proven experience implementing or managing a CMMS/PMMS system.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop maintenance technicians.
• Deep knowledge of equipment safety standards and LOTO compliance.
• Experience in food or consumer packaged goods (CPG) environment preferred.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in contract packaging or high-volume distribution environments.
• Lean manufacturing or reliability certification (CMRP preferred).
• Experience supporting multi-shift operations.
• Prior experience in customer-dedicated facilities.

Leadership Competencies

The ideal candidate is:

• A strong people leader, not just a technical expert.
• Structured and systems-driven.
• Calm under pressure.
• Proactive rather than reactive.
• Customer-focused.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, automated environment.
• Committed to safety and accountability.
• Set daily maintenance priorities aligned with production demands and make real-time decisions balancing reactive and preventive work.

Downtime Ownership & Performance Accountability

• Own maintenance-driven downtime performance.
• Partner with Operations to drive OEE improvements.
• Identify systemic reliability risks and implement long-term corrective strategies.