Location: St. Charles, Illinois
Compensation: $80,000 – $100,000 Per Year + Bonus
Employment Type: Direct Hire | Full-Time | Permanent
Shift: 1st Shift
Work Arrangement: Onsite / Remote Status Unspecified
Experience Required: 2+ Years of Relevant Experience or Equivalent Combination of Education and Experience
Benefits: Full Benefits
Relocation Assistance: Provided
Guarantee Period: 90 Days
Openings: 1

Position Overview

A leading food manufacturing organization is seeking a Maintenance Supervisor to lead the 1st shift maintenance team at its St. Charles, Illinois facility. The Maintenance Supervisor will oversee Maintenance Mechanics and Electricians responsible for the installation, repair, predictive maintenance, and preventive maintenance of critical plant equipment, facilities, utilities, and powerhouse systems.
This position plays a key role in maintaining reliable equipment performance, keeping production lines operating at peak efficiency, and supporting the overall success of the facility. The ideal candidate will have experience in food manufacturing or another fast-paced industrial environment, a strong electro-mechanical background, solid root cause analysis skills, and the ability to lead troubleshooting and problem-solving efforts.
Experience with ammonia refrigeration is highly preferred. The successful candidate will be a hands-on leader who can balance daily maintenance support with long-term reliability initiatives, employee development, safety, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead teams of Maintenance Mechanics and Electricians in predictive maintenance, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, and machine repair activities.
• Oversee maintenance activities supporting critical equipment, production lines, facilities, utilities, and powerhouse operations.
• Train employees on proper work methods, maintenance procedures, and safety practices.
• Supervise and support maintenance systems, processes, documentation, and work practices to ensure high performance.
• Coordinate maintenance schedules with Production to address equipment and facility repairs while minimizing operational disruption.
• Develop and implement effective maintenance systems, including Preventive Maintenance, Predictive Maintenance, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and safety programs.
• Provide long-term corrective solutions as well as day-to-day technical support for troubleshooting, problem analysis, and equipment failures.
• Lead root cause analysis and problem-solving activities to identify and eliminate recurring equipment and process issues.
• Develop and maintain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor maintenance performance, equipment reliability, supplier performance, contractor performance, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
• Provide regular maintenance performance and operational status reports to the maintenance management team.
• Ensure maintenance activities and documentation comply with applicable USDA regulations.
• Maintain accurate records of maintenance work performed, equipment history, work orders, and spare parts inventory.
• Drive a positive employee experience through effective leadership, employee development, coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
• Support resource planning and maintenance priorities within a large manufacturing environment.
• Promote a culture of safety, reliability, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Engineering or a related field with 2+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience acting as a lead through training, coaching, or mentoring less experienced employees, or through managing a process or project.
• Demonstrated ability to lead problem-solving and troubleshooting efforts associated with high-level process and equipment issues.
• Experience in food manufacturing or a similar fast-paced industrial environment.
• Strong electro-mechanical technical skillset.
• Strong root cause analysis experience and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Good planning, organization, prioritization, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work effectively with others in a fast-paced, dynamic manufacturing environment.

Preferred Technical Expertise

• Ammonia refrigeration experience.
• Advanced technical knowledge of ammonia refrigeration systems.
• Experience with high-pressure boiler systems.
• Strong knowledge of compressed air systems.
• Strong mechanical and electrical troubleshooting capabilities.
• Experience with PLCs and industrial instrumentation.
• Knowledge of mechanical engineering principles as applied to manufacturing maintenance.
• Ability to lead maintenance resource planning efforts in a large manufacturing environment.
• Thorough knowledge of maintenance systems and work order processes.
• Experience with preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Experience implementing and supporting Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) programs.
• Knowledge of inventory management and maintenance scheduling software.
• Experience developing and monitoring maintenance KPIs and equipment reliability metrics.

Leadership & Management Skills

• Strong leadership and team-building skills.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and develop maintenance employees.
• Conflict resolution and facilitation skills.
• Change management capabilities.
• Strong decision-making skills.
• Ability to empower and delegate effectively.
• Ability to establish accountability and performance expectations.
• Ability to communicate effectively with Maintenance, Production, Quality, Safety, and management teams.
• Ability to prioritize competing maintenance requirements while supporting production objectives.

Maintenance Systems & Reliability

The Maintenance Supervisor will be responsible for supporting a comprehensive maintenance and reliability program designed to maximize equipment availability and production performance. This includes preventive and predictive maintenance, TPM, work order management, equipment troubleshooting, spare parts inventory, maintenance scheduling, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives.
The position requires a balance of hands-on technical understanding and leadership capability, with an emphasis on identifying root causes rather than relying on short-term repairs. The Maintenance Supervisor will work closely with Production and other plant functions to ensure maintenance priorities are aligned with operational requirements.
Food Manufacturing & Regulatory Environment

Experience in food manufacturing or a comparable fast-paced processing environment is strongly preferred. The Maintenance Supervisor must understand the importance of equipment reliability, sanitation, safety, product flow, and regulatory compliance in a food production setting. Maintenance activities must be performed and documented in accordance with applicable USDA requirements.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is an experienced maintenance leader who can effectively supervise a team of mechanics and electricians while maintaining a strong focus on equipment reliability, safety, production uptime, and employee development. Candidates with food manufacturing experience and exposure to ammonia refrigeration systems are particularly well suited for this position.
The successful candidate will bring strong electro-mechanical troubleshooting skills, a proven root cause analysis background, and the ability to lead structured problem-solving efforts. The candidate should also be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where priorities can change quickly and effective communication with Production and plant leadership is essential.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $80,000 – $100,000 per year.
• Bonus opportunity.
• Full benefits package.
• Relocation assistance provided.
• 90-day guarantee period.

General Position Information

• Job Title: Maintenance Supervisor – 1st Shift.
• Location: St. Charles, IL.
• Job Type: Direct Hire.
• Shift: 1st Shift.
• Total Openings: 1.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred/required based on experience combination.
• Minimum Experience: 2+ years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Compensation: $80,000 – $100,000 per year.
• Full Benefits: Yes.
• Relocation Expenses: Yes.
• Remote Status: Unspecified.

Industry Background

• Animal Slaughtering and Processing.
• Meat Processed from Carcasses.
• Food Manufacturing.
• Fast-Paced Industrial Manufacturing.