Director of Maintenance & Engineering

Adhesives Research, Inc. • Full-time • Glen Rock, PA, US • 2w ago

Job Summary

The Director of Maintenance & Engineering provides strategic and operational leadership for facility operations, equipment reliability, and capital engineering across the Adhesives Research manufacturing campus. This role is accountable for ensuring that buildings, infrastructure, utilities, and production assets are safe, reliable, compliant, and capable of supporting current operations and long-term growth.

The Director leads and integrates the Facilities Manager, Maintenance Manager, and Engineering Manager, aligning day-to-day execution with multi-year capital planning, risk management, and business strategy.

Essential Functions

Strategic Leadership & Governance

Establish a clear operating model defining ownership and accountability across Facilities, Maintenance, and Engineering
Set long-term vision for:
- Asset reliability
- Facility modernization
- Infrastructure resilience
Align departmental priorities with business strategy, safety objectives, and capital plans

Asset Reliability & Operational Excellence

Ensure high availability and reliability of:
- Manufacturing equipment
- Utilities and infrastructure
- Buildings and life-safety systems

Drive standardized practices for:
- Maintenance planning and execution
- Engineering project delivery
- Facilities operations
- Balance short-term operational demands with long-term asset health

Capital Planning & Project Oversight

Own the capital planning process for maintenance, facilities, and engineering scopes
Develop and defend:
- Annual capital budgets
- Multi-year capital roadmaps

Provide executive oversight for:
- Major renovations and expansions
- New equipment installations
- Infrastructure upgrades
- Ensure disciplined project governance, cost control, and schedule performance

Safety, EHS & Risk Management

Champion a safety-first culture across all maintenance, facilities, and engineering activities
Ensure compliance with:
- OSHA and applicable regulatory standards
- NFPA and building/fire codes
- Environmental and permitting requirements

Maintain and oversee:
- Facility and asset risk registers
- Corrective action programs from audits and inspections
- Serve as a senior leader during emergency response and incident management

Organizational Leadership & Talent Development

Build, mentor, and retain a high-performing technical organization
Define clear expectations for:
- Leadership behaviors
- Technical standards
- Accountability and ownership
- Support succession planning and workforce development
- Ensure proper staffing levels and skill mix to support operations and growth

Financial & Performance Management

Own departmental operating and capital budgets
Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs), including:
- Equipment uptime and reliability
- Maintenance backlog and PM compliance
- Capital project performance
- Safety and compliance metrics
Identify opportunities for cost optimization without compromising safety or reliability

Cross-Functional & Executive Collaboration

Partner closely with:
- Operations and Manufacturing
- EHS and Quality
- Finance and Procurement
- IT and Automation
Translate technical and infrastructure needs into business-aligned investment strategies
Communicate risks, priorities, and progress clearly to executive leadership

Additional Responsibilities

Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Job Specifications

Bachelor of Engineering degree – preferably chemical or mechanical engineering
10+ years facilities and equipment engineering
5+ years engineering management experience
Preferably experienced with adhesives and/or coatings
Demonstrated ability to deliver beneficial business outcomes
Demonstrated expertise in concurrent management of multiple small and large scale projects resulting in desired outcomes on-time and within budget
Expert in polymerization, mixing, coating, web handling, drying and slitting processes and equipment
Strong leadership, influencing, interpersonal, negotiation and communication skills; ability to communicate within all levels of the organization, as well as with outside organizations and agencies; team player
Working statistical analysis and experimental design expertise
Proficiency with standard desktop computer software applications
Ability to travel 10-40% of the time (including some international)