Serve as the Equipment Subject Matter Expert (SME) across all processing plants. Ensure reliability, maintenance, and operational efficiency of processing equipment along with maintaining equipment and parts availability. Essential Functions: • Oversee and manage preventive maintenance programs for processing equipment to optimize uptime and performance. • Ensure equipment availability meets Operational Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) metrics, striving for consistent improvement in year-over-year key performance indicators (KPI’s). • Develop and conduct training sessions for local plant maintenance personnel on equipment operation, maintenance procedures, and best practices. • Equip maintenance teams with the necessary tools and knowledge for efficient equipment management and troubleshooting. • Identify and source alternate equipment spare parts to ensure minimal downtime and efficient repairs. • Maintain an adequate inventory of critical spare parts, ensuring local and national availability to support prompt maintenance actions. • Perform downtime analysis. Monitor and analyze equipment downtime trends, initiating root cause analysis for any downtime exceeding 30 minutes within an 8-hour shift. • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement corrective actions and preventive measures based on findings. • Ensure all equipment achieves a first pass quality metric rating of greater than 99.5%, implementing improvements as necessary to meet quality standards. • Act as the primary SME for one or more equipment groupings, including but not limited to injection, massage, rollstock, trim, smoke house, cook tanks, Cryovac vacuum packaging, high-pressure processing, pasteurizing, and robotic boxing and palletizing. • Travel up to 50% of the time. • Perform other duties as necessary. Education and Experience: • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mechanical, or related field preferred. • Minimum of 5 years of experience in reliability engineering or maintenance management within the food processing or manufacturing industry. • Deep understanding of meat processing equipment and related technologies. • Proven track record in preventive maintenance, equipment reliability, and root cause analysis. • Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills. • Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams across multiple locations. Language Skills: Exceptional communication skills (oral and written), with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and concisely across different levels and functions of the organization. Mathematical Skills: Must have basic math skills and the ability to perform calculations of formulations, ingredients, yields, man-hours, etc. Must be able to create, read, and analyze charts, graphs, and logs. Reasoning Ability: Highly analytical with superior problem-solving abilities, skilled in making data-driven decisions. Certificates, Licenses, and Registration: Certifications in lean manufacturing, such as but not limited to Lean Six Sigma, Lean Management, Lean Principles, Leader Standard Work (LSW), and Lean Production, are helpful. Physical Demands: Must be able to lift overhead up to 30 pounds Must be able to stand and/or walk for extended periods of time, in a refrigerated environment as well as in cooking areas. Work Environment: Must be able to work in a refrigerated or cooking environment Must be able to work in a meat-processing environment