{"id":2474501,"url":"https://alion.io/job/jonnypops-plant-engineering-manager-jonnypops","title":"Plant Engineering Manager - JonnyPops","company":{"id":2176151,"name":"JonnyPops","domain":"jonnypops.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/jonnypops","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"JazzHR","truth_index":null},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Elk River, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":108000,"max_usd":220000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":1695},"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-13T20:55:27Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-13","last_verified_at":"2026-10-16T00:02:15Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":2,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":2},"description":"Why This Role Exists\nOur Elk River plant runs 24/7, and every point of unplanned downtime, every scrambled part order, and every missed handoff between maintenance, engineering, and production scheduling directly erodes the margin, quality, and case-fill commitments our 2026 goals depend on. The Maintenance and Engineering Manager exists to own that connective tissue - leading the maintenance, parts planning, and manufacturing engineering functions as one integrated system, not three separate teams. This role is the single point of accountability for plant reliability: keeping equipment running, keeping parts spend disciplined, and keeping the plant’s technical plans tightly synced with production scheduling and the broader operating goals - all without ever losing sight of the people and food safety standards that make that uptime worth having.\nThis is also the direct technical leader for JonnyPops’ plant engineering team - setting their priorities, reviewing their work, and building the bench strength the plant needs as it scales.\nJob Summary\nThe Maintenance and Engineering Manager leads the day-to-day operations of plant reliability at our Elk River facility, directing a team of five - a Maintenance Lead Supervisor, a Maintenance Parts & Scheduling Planner, and three Manufacturing Engineers. This role owns equipment uptime, drives cost reduction across parts and maintenance spend, and ensures technical planning is fully connected to production scheduling and plant-wide goals. As the direct leader of the plant’s Manufacturing Engineering function, this role sets technical direction for the engineering team, reviews their project work, and works hand-in-hand with them on the floor - not just managing from a distance. Human safety and food safety are built into every area this role touches, not treated as a separate function - this is a hands-on, “dirt under your fingernails” leadership role for someone who wants to build a disciplined, well-run plant reliability operation from the ground up.\nEssential Duties and Responsibilities\nPlant Reliability & Uptime\nOwn equipment uptime as the primary reliability metric for the Elk River plant, driving root-cause resolution on recurring downtime events.\nDirect the preventative maintenance program across all production lines, packaging equipment, refrigeration systems, and critical facility assets.\nEstablish and track reliability KPIs (uptime, MTBF, MTTR) and report performance trends to plant and operations leadership.\nChampion continuous improvement in maintenance practices, adopting proven tools and technologies (e.g., CMMS, vision systems, HTST equipment standards) to reduce unplanned downtime.\nTeam Leadership & Development\nLead, coach, and develop a team of five direct reports: the Maintenance Lead Supervisor, the Maintenance Parts & Scheduling Planner, and three Manufacturing Engineers.\nSet clear role expectations, accountability standards, and performance goals for each function, ensuring role clarity across shifts.\nFoster a collaborative, safety-first team culture that gets “dirt under its fingernails” - staying close to the equipment, the line, and the people running it.\nBuild bench strength and succession depth within the maintenance and engineering team as the plant scales.\nEngineering Team Leadership\nDirectly lead JonnyPops’ Manufacturing Engineering function at Elk River, setting the team’s technical priorities, project queue, and standards of work.\nWork hand-in-hand with the three Manufacturing Engineers on the floor - reviewing designs, capital project plans, and troubleshooting approaches, and stepping into hands-on problem-solving alongside them when it counts.\nReview and approve engineering project scope, timelines, and technical approach before work moves to execution, keeping the team's output aligned with plant priorities.\nMentor and develop the engineering team's technical capability, building the bench strength JonnyPops needs as the plant scales.\nParts, Inventory & Maintenance Cost Management\nOwn cost reduction on maintenance parts and MRO spend as a core, measurable KPI, partnering with the Maintenance Parts & Scheduling Planner on sourcing, vendor negotiation, and inventory discipline.\nOversee parts inventory strategy to balance uptime protection (critical spares on hand) against carrying cost.\nOwn and manage the maintenance and engineering department budget, identifying and executing cost-saving initiatives without compromising reliability or safety.\nEvaluate vendor and contractor relationships for maintenance services, capital repairs, and parts supply to ensure cost-effective, timely support.\nPlanning, Scheduling & Cross-Functional Connectivity\nEnsure maintenance and engineering planning is fully synced with production scheduling, so planned work orders and PMs are executed with minimal disruption to line attainment.\nPartner with Plant Operations, Production Scheduling, R&D (Tech Services), and Quality to align capital projects, line changes, and equipment upgrades with plant goals and the annual operating plan.\nRepresent maintenance and engineering priorities in plant-level planning meetings (e.g., L10s), keeping reliability work visible and integrated with broader plant objectives.\nLead and coordinate engineering projects - capacity, productivity, and capital improvements - from scoping through completion, on time and on budget, in close partnership with the engineering team.\nHuman & Food Safety Focus\nEnsure all maintenance, engineering, and reliability work is performed in full compliance with human safety standards, including lockout/tagout, confined space, electrical, and machine guarding requirements.\nBuild a proactive safety culture within the maintenance and engineering team, including regular training, audits, and prompt corrective action on incidents or near-misses.\nEnsure equipment and facility conditions in all areas under this role’s ownership support, rather than compromise, food safety and sanitation standards.\nFood Safety Responsibilities\nEnsure all maintenance, repair, and engineering work performed on production equipment and facilities protects food safety, sanitation, and allergen control standards (SQF, GMP, HACCP).\nPartner with FSQA leadership on equipment design, repair, and maintenance decisions that affect product contact surfaces, sanitation access, or contamination risk.\nSupport audits and inspections of maintenance and engineering practices, addressing any food safety findings promptly and thoroughly.\nMinimum Qualifications\nEducation\nBachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a related field - or equivalent hands-on experience in lieu of degree.\nExperience\n7-10 years of progressive experience in plant maintenance, reliability, or engineering leadership within a manufacturing environment; food, beverage, or CPG manufacturing strongly preferred.\nProven experience leading a multi-discipline team (maintenance, planning/scheduling, engineering) in a fast-paced, 24/7 production environment.\nExperience directly leading and developing degreed engineers - able to set technical direction, review engineering work, and grow engineering talent, not just manage schedules.\nDemonstrated track record of improving uptime and reducing maintenance/parts costs with measurable results.\nExperience managing a maintenance and engineering department budget and capital project execution.\nSkills & Competencies\nWorking knowledge of a CMMS platform (e.g., Fiix) for work order management, PM scheduling, and parts inventory tracking.\nStrong understanding of mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration systems used in food manufacturing (packaging equipment, wrappers, conveyors, freezers).\nFamiliarity with GMPs, SQF, and food safety standards required in a food manufacturing environment.\nStrong financial acumen with experience managing budgets and driving cost efficiency.\nExcellent cross-functional communication skills, able to align maintenance, engineering, and production scheduling priorities.\nComfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with competing priorities - adaptable, resilient, and hands-on.\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience with vision system implementation or other automated inspection technology on production lines.\nFamiliarity with HTST or similar thermal processing systems.\nSix Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, or Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) training or certification.\nPhysical Demands\nAbility to work on the production floor with exposure to loud machinery, moving equipment, and temperature-controlled (including freezer/cold) environments.\nAbility to stand, walk, kneel, and climb for extended periods across the plant floor.\nAbility to lift up to 50 pounds and perform hands-on troubleshooting alongside the maintenance and engineering team as needed.\nSalary:\n- 140k - 180k\nJonnyPops offers a competitive benefits package which includes the following:\nMedical/Health Insurance \nDental Insurance \nVision Insurance \nHSA \nFSA \nDCFSA \nLife & AD&D Insurance \nShort & Long Term Disability \nFTO/PTO \nEAP Programs \nPaid Holidays \nEmployee Referral Program \nSick & Safe Leave \n401k \nCompany Sponsored Meal Plan\n* Hired candidates may be eligible to receive additional compensation in the form of bonuses and/or commissions.","description_format":"text","description_chars":9334,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":5,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["401k plan","Dental insurance","Health insurance","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Consumer Electronics","Home Appliances"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-13T20:55:27Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 2","filings_12m":2,"filings_prev_12m":0,"green_card_filings_12m":0,"median_offered_wage_usd":87500,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":1,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:4","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-15T05:46:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/jonnypops-plant-engineering-manager-jonnypops","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/jonnypops-plant-engineering-manager-jonnypops.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-16T01:12:38Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":1894,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-17T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":2176151},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2176151"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fjonnypops-plant-engineering-manager-jonnypops"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fjonnypops-plant-engineering-manager-jonnypops"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fjonnypops-plant-engineering-manager-jonnypops"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/jonnypops-plant-engineering-manager-jonnypops\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fjonnypops-plant-engineering-manager-jonnypops"}]}