Plant Maintenance Leader

Plant Maintenance Leader

Location: Sault St. Marie, ON (on-site)

Employment Type: Full-time, permanent

Work Model: Day-based leadership role with flexibility required in a 24/7 operating environment

About the Organization:

Our client operates a large, asset-intensive industrial facility in Northern Ontario. The site runs continuously and relies on disciplined maintenance practices, strong safety leadership, and effective coordination between maintenance and operations to meet production goals. This role sits within the senior leadership structure of the site and plays a key part in long-term asset performance and workforce capability.

The Role:

This position provides overall leadership and direction for the maintenance function at the site. The role is accountable for setting maintenance priorities, building reliable execution systems, developing leaders, and ensuring equipment performance supports operational needs. The successful candidate will balance strategic oversight with practical decision-making in a fast-paced industrial environment.

What the Day-to-Day Looks Like:

• Reviewing equipment health, work backlog, and operational risks to set clear maintenance priorities
• Aligning maintenance activities with production needs through daily and weekly planning routines
• Coaching supervisors and technical leaders to improve execution quality and consistency
• Addressing recurring equipment issues through structured analysis and follow-up
• Monitoring maintenance performance indicators and adjusting plans as needed
• Supporting preparation and execution of major maintenance work and outages
• Maintaining visible leadership presence on safety and work standards

Key Responsibilities:

Maintenance Direction & Reliability

• Establish and maintain clear standards for maintenance planning, execution, and follow-up
• Improve equipment reliability by reducing repeat failures and improving work quality
• Ensure maintenance activities support safe, stable plant operation

Execution & Systems

• Strengthen planning and scheduling practices to improve predictability
• Ensure maintenance systems and documentation are accurate and used effectively
• Improve coordination between maintenance, operations, and technical teams

Safety & Compliance

• Lead by example on safety expectations and field presence
• Ensure compliance with applicable safety requirements and internal procedures
• Support incident reviews and corrective actions

People Leadership

• Lead and develop a multi-level maintenance organization
• Build capability within supervisory and technical roles
• Promote accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement

Financial & External Support

• Manage maintenance-related costs and resource allocation
• Oversee contractor and vendor performance
• Partner with internal stakeholders to remove execution barriers

Assets / Nice to Have:

• Experience in heavy industry (e.g., manufacturing, resource processing, or similar environments)
• Formal training or certification related to maintenance or reliability leadership
• Experience overseeing large maintenance teams or complex equipment portfolios
• Exposure to large-scale maintenance planning or outage coordination

• Extensive experience in maintenance leadership within a continuous industrial operation
• Strong technical foundation gained through hands-on experience, formal education, or trade background
• Demonstrated success improving maintenance performance and reliability outcomes
• Experience leading supervisors and skilled trades
• Comfortable operating in a high-accountability, production-driven environment
• Proficiency with maintenance management systems and standard reporting tools
• Flexibility to support site needs beyond standard hours when required