SUMMARY
Reporting to the Operations Manager, the Maintenance & Continuous Improvement Supervisor is responsible for the reliability, uptime and continuous improvement of the equipment, facilities and infrastructure across both processing plants — Sheldon Creek Dairy and Alliston Creamery. The role leads the preventive and corrective maintenance programs, manages external trades (mechanics, electrotechnicians) and drives continuous-improvement projects aimed at reducing downtime, improving throughput, yield and production efficiency.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Preventive & Corrective Maintenance
- Develop, implement and manage the preventive-maintenance program across both plants covering production equipment, utilities, building systems (HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, electrical) and the building envelope;
- Diagnose and resolve equipment breakdowns promptly, minimizing production downtime;
- Coordinate and oversee external mechanics, electrotechnicians and specialized contractors;
- Maintain accurate maintenance logs, equipment histories, spare-parts inventory and key maintenance KPIs (planned vs unplanned ratio, MTBF, downtime hours).
Equipment, Facilities & Infrastructure
- Ensure all production equipment (pasteurizer, churn, filling lines, refrigeration, processing and feeding equipment) operates reliably and within specifications;
- Maintain plant facilities, utilities and sanitation infrastructure to operating and food-safety standards, including HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, electrical systems, building envelope and grounds across both plants;
- Support the Operations Manager in planning and executing equipment investments, upgrades and facility projects (specifications, vendor coordination, installation, commissioning);
- Manage the maintenance budget and control parts and service costs.
Continuous Improvement
- Identify, plan and lead continuous-improvement projects across both plants (lean, throughput, yield, waste reduction, scheduling, energy efficiency);
- Apply structured problem-solving methods (root-cause analysis, PDCA, 5 Whys, Kaizen) to recurring production and maintenance issues;
- Collaborate with the Production Supervisors, Supply Chain Supervisor and QA & R&D function to target improvement opportunities at the intersection of maintenance, production and quality;
- Track and report project results; contribute technical input on feasibility and cost for capital projects.
Health, Safety & Compliance
- Ensure all maintenance activities comply with Ontario occupational health & safety legislation (Occupational Health and Safety Act; WSIB) and with food-safety standards (GMP, HACCP);
- Maintain lockout/tagout procedures, confined-space protocols and electrical safety standards;
- Ensure maintenance work areas and equipment meet sanitation and food-safety requirements before releasing equipment back to production.
People Management
- Lead, coach and develop the maintenance team (internal technicians/mechanics); define roles, objectives and performance expectations;
- Provide regular performance feedback; support recruitment, onboarding and training of maintenance staff;
- Schedule and coordinate the team across the two plants, balancing preventive schedules, breakdowns and improvement projects;
- Build cross-training and documentation to prevent knowledge concentration; ensure team is trained on all relevant H&S procedures (lockout/tagout, confined space, electrical safety, working at heights).
Miscellaneous
- Perform any other related duties the Operations Manager may assign.
SUCCESS INDICATORS
- Equipment uptime and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) improved against baseline;
- Planned-to-unplanned maintenance ratio improved (target: majority of maintenance hours are planned);
- Maintenance cost within budget;
- Number of continuous-improvement projects completed per quarter, with measurable impact on throughput, yield or cost;
- No major equipment-related food-safety or health & safety incidents;
- External trades coordinated on time and within budget; maintenance records and spare-parts inventory accurate and current.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS
Education
- College diploma or certification in industrial maintenance, mechanical or electrical technology, millwright or a related trade;
- Lean or continuous-improvement certification an asset (Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, TPM, Kaizen facilitator).
Experience & Technical Skills
- 5 or more years in industrial or food-manufacturing maintenance, including a supervisory or lead-hand role;
- Strong mechanical and electrical diagnostic skills; experience with processing equipment in a dairy or food-manufacturing environment an asset;
- Hands-on experience leading continuous-improvement or lean-manufacturing initiatives (root-cause analysis, PDCA, Kaizen, TPM);
- Familiarity with food-safety and GMP requirements as they relate to equipment maintenance and sanitation;
- Experience managing preventive-maintenance programs and CMMS/maintenance-management software;
- Ability to manage external contractors and coordinate multi-trade work;
- Comfortable working across two sites and managing competing priorities;
- Proven ability to build and structure in an environment with limited resources and few established systems — an SME builder, not just a large-organization maintainer; experience working within or alongside a family-owned business an asset.
Personal Attributes
- Hands-on problem solver who leads by example on the floor;
- Organized planner, able to balance reactive breakdowns with proactive maintenance and improvement;
- Safety-conscious and rigorous on compliance;
- Clear communicator who documents knowledge and builds team capability;
- Collaborative with production, quality and supply-chain teams;
- Calm under pressure, especially during peak-season demands and urgent breakdowns.
Pay: $25.00-$28.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Extended health care
- Flexible schedule
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
