Tuff Jug

A growing manufacturing company in the Boise/Nampa area is seeking an experienced Maintenance Manager to take ownership of plant maintenance, equipment reliability, preventive maintenance, and the day-to-day leadership of the maintenance department.

This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who is comfortable managing a maintenance program while also troubleshooting equipment and supporting technicians on the plant floor.

Our primary production equipment includes injection molding machines and blow molding machines, along with the supporting mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, and control systems associated with a high-volume manufacturing operation.

We are looking for a leader who can help move the maintenance department from a reactive environment toward a disciplined, planned, and preventative maintenance operation.

The right candidate will be able to diagnose difficult equipment problems, develop and coach maintenance technicians, prioritize work based on safety and production impact, and hold the maintenance department accountable for measurable results.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who understands that successful maintenance is a team effort. This person must be willing to lead from the front, support their team during difficult situations, and remain calm, organized, and solution-focused when production is under pressure.

Key ResponsibilitiesLeadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the plant maintenance team.
• Build a culture of teamwork, accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Set clear expectations and hold maintenance personnel accountable for performance and commitments.
• Assign and prioritize work based on safety, production requirements, equipment criticality, and technician capabilities.
• Develop the technical skills and problem-solving abilities of maintenance employees.
• Build trust and credibility with experienced technicians while providing clear direction and leadership.
• Lead by example and be willing to work alongside technicians when difficult situations require hands-on support.
• Maintain a professional and respectful working environment within the maintenance department.
• Communicate effectively with Production, Quality, Engineering, and Management.

Equipment Reliability & Maintenance

• Take ownership of equipment reliability, plant uptime, and maintenance performance.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Ensure preventive maintenance tasks are completed accurately and on schedule.
• Identify equipment defects during PMs and convert them into planned corrective work.
• Troubleshoot and repair injection molding machines, blow molding machines, and related production equipment.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, and control-related equipment problems.
• Assist directly with difficult repairs, major breakdowns, and critical equipment failures when necessary.
• Investigate recurring equipment failures and implement permanent corrective actions.
• Reduce reliance on temporary repairs and emergency maintenance.
• Identify opportunities to improve equipment reliability, efficiency, and maintainability.

Breakdown & Emergency Response

• Lead the maintenance team during critical equipment failures and production emergencies.
• Remain calm, organized, and methodical during high-pressure situations.
• Quickly assess equipment failures and establish priorities for restoring production.
• Coordinate technicians and resources to minimize unnecessary downtime.
• Make sound decisions while balancing safety, production requirements, equipment protection, and repair quality.
• Ensure emergency repairs are followed by appropriate root-cause investigation and permanent corrective action.
• Communicate clearly with production leadership regarding equipment status, expected repair times, and recovery plans.

Planning & Preventive Maintenance

• Prioritize maintenance work based on safety, production impact, and equipment criticality.
• Plan maintenance work with clear scope, required parts, assigned ownership, and realistic completion dates.
• Balance planned maintenance activities with unexpected breakdowns and production demands.
• Ensure PM schedules are completed consistently and accurately.
• Monitor PM effectiveness and adjust maintenance frequencies when necessary.
• Develop maintenance procedures, troubleshooting guides, and equipment documentation.

CMMS, Parts & Maintenance Records

• Ensure maintenance work orders, downtime, labor, repairs, and equipment history are documented accurately in the company's CMMS.
• Help establish and monitor maintenance KPIs, including downtime, PM compliance, planned work completion, and repeat failures.
• Maintain appropriate inventories of critical spare parts.
• Identify critical equipment components and establish appropriate spare-parts requirements.
• Improve the accuracy and usefulness of equipment maintenance history.
• Use maintenance data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

Production Support & Continuous Improvement

• Work closely with Production leadership to schedule maintenance while minimizing disruption to operations.
• Participate in equipment installations, upgrades, process improvements, and capital projects.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate recurring equipment problems and improve machine reliability.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives throughout the plant.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe maintenance department.
• Promote a proactive maintenance culture throughout the organization.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate has significant experience maintaining equipment in a high-volume manufacturing environment and has progressed beyond being solely a maintenance technician.

We are looking for someone who can lead people, build systems, solve difficult problems, and improve reliability over time.

This person should be equally comfortable discussing a maintenance strategy with management, troubleshooting a machine with a technician, and coordinating a critical breakdown with the production team.

Preferred Qualifications

• 7+ years of industrial maintenance experience.
• Previous maintenance leadership, supervisor, or management experience.
• Experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Experience with injection molding and/or blow molding equipment strongly preferred.
• Strong mechanical troubleshooting ability.
• Strong knowledge of hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
• Industrial electrical troubleshooting experience.
• Experience troubleshooting motors, sensors, relays, contactors, and industrial control circuits.
• Familiarity with PLC-controlled manufacturing equipment.
• Experience with preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Experience using a CMMS or electronic work-order system.
• Strong root-cause troubleshooting skills.
• Experience managing critical spare parts and maintenance inventory.
• Ability to manage several competing maintenance priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.

The Person We're Looking For

Technical experience is important, but leadership is equally important.

We are especially interested in candidates who:

• Take ownership rather than waiting to be told what to do.
• Lead by example and understand that the success of the maintenance department depends on the entire team.
• Stay calm, focused, and methodical during major equipment failures.
• Can distinguish between making an immediate repair and identifying the underlying cause of a failure.
• Are willing to work alongside technicians when the situation requires it.
• Hold themselves and their team accountable for commitments.
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with production leadership and maintenance employees.
• Believe recurring breakdowns should be investigated and eliminated rather than simply accepted.
• Are organized enough to manage planned work while still responding effectively to emergencies.
• Can build credibility and trust with experienced maintenance technicians.
• Know how to motivate a team during difficult or high-pressure situations.
• Are comfortable making decisions when information is incomplete and time is limited.
• Look for permanent solutions instead of relying on temporary fixes.
• Take pride in developing their team and improving the capabilities of the maintenance department.
• Are comfortable being measured against objective maintenance and reliability goals.

Performance Expectations

The Maintenance Manager will be responsible for improving and maintaining results in areas including:

• Unplanned equipment downtime
• Preventive maintenance completion
• Planned maintenance schedule compliance
• Repeat equipment failures
• Maintenance response and repair effectiveness
• Work-order accuracy and documentation
• Critical spare-parts readiness
• Completion of permanent corrective repairs
• Equipment reliability and uptime
• Maintenance team development and performance
• Safety and maintenance procedure compliance

What Success Looks Like

The successful Maintenance Manager will build a maintenance department that is organized, proactive, accountable, and capable of responding effectively under pressure.

Success means the team does not simply react to breakdowns. Instead, the department identifies problems early, plans maintenance work, develops technicians, tracks results, and continuously works to eliminate the causes of recurring failures.

The Maintenance Manager should create an environment where technicians know what is expected of them, production knows they can depend on the maintenance team, and employees work together to keep the plant running safely and efficiently.

We are looking for a leader who can build a strong team, develop people, improve equipment reliability, and take ownership when it matters most.