Maintenance & Reliability Manager — Chemical Manufacturing

Location: North Central Illinois — Ottawa, IL is being used as the regional posting location for search purposes.
Compensation: $150,000–$170,000 annually
Employment Type: Direct Hire | Full-Time | Onsite
Relocation Assistance: Available
Interview Expenses: Covered
Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Maintenance & Reliability Manager to lead maintenance, reliability, and stores operations for a chemical manufacturing facility in North Central Illinois.

Reporting directly to the Site Manager and serving as a member of the site leadership team, this position will have responsibility for developing and executing maintenance and reliability strategies that improve equipment performance, plant availability, operational efficiency, safety, and cost effectiveness.

This is a hands-on leadership opportunity for an experienced chemical or process manufacturing professional who combines strong technical judgment with the ability to develop teams, strengthen maintenance practices, and drive continuous improvement throughout the facility.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the site's maintenance, reliability, and stores functions.
• Develop and execute maintenance and reliability strategies focused on equipment performance, availability, efficiency, and cost control.
• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary organization that may include mechanical and electrical maintenance, welding, planning and scheduling, supervision, reliability engineering, and stores personnel.
• Strengthen preventive and predictive maintenance programs and promote reliability-centered maintenance practices.
• Provide technical leadership for plant troubleshooting and recurring equipment reliability issues.
• Establish priorities and improve maintenance planning, scheduling, execution, and work management.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives designed to reduce downtime, improve asset performance, and optimize maintenance costs.
• Ensure departmental activities and third-party contractor work are performed in accordance with site EHSS requirements.
• Partner closely with Production, Engineering, and other site functions on plant improvements, capital projects, process changes, and new product or process initiatives.
• Develop departmental budgets and monitor maintenance spending against established targets.
• Support monthly performance reporting, maintenance KPIs, cost reviews, and site leadership discussions.
• Develop team capability through coaching, mentoring, performance management, and technical development.
• Promote engineering and maintenance best practices throughout the facility.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering is required.
• Approximately 7–10 years of experience in a chemical plant environment, or 10+ years of plant experience with direct responsibility for maintenance, reliability, and preventive/predictive maintenance programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading maintenance and reliability functions within an industrial manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of preventive and predictive maintenance practices, equipment reliability, plant troubleshooting, and maintenance best practices.
• Proven ability to develop and execute maintenance strategies that improve equipment performance, operational efficiency, and cost effectiveness.
• Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary maintenance and technical teams.
• Strong commitment to plant safety, EHSS compliance, and safe contractor performance.
• Strong communication and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Ability to work effectively with Production, Engineering, and other technical and operational groups.

Preferred Qualifications

• Chemical, petrochemical, specialty chemical, polymers, or similar process manufacturing experience.
• Experience managing maintenance budgets, forecasts, monthly reporting, and spend-versus-budget performance.
• Experience supporting capital projects, equipment upgrades, process improvements, or new process/product introductions.
• Strong background in maintenance planning and scheduling, reliability engineering, predictive maintenance technologies, and continuous improvement.

Compensation & Relocation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $150,000–$170,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.

The position includes a comprehensive benefits package, and relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates. Reasonable interview-related travel expenses are also covered.

This is an onsite leadership position in North Central Illinois and may be an excellent opportunity for someone who values a smaller-community environment while taking on a highly visible plant leadership role.