Assistant Manager, Maintenance Production

Job Summary

The Assistant Maintenance Manager plays a key leadership role in maintaining reliable and efficient operations at WCB Outdoor Cooking’s BBQ pellet manufacturing facility in Hope, AR. Supporting the Maintenance Manager, this position ensures optimal equipment performance, plant safety, and production reliability in a 24/7 continuous manufacturing environment.
This role is hands-on, directly coordinating maintenance activities, supervising technicians, and developing, implementing, and sustaining a comprehensive preventive and predictive maintenance program for all major production systems, helping deliver the high-quality pellets that power WCB Outdoor Cooking’s premium outdoor brands.

Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development
• Support the Maintenance Manager in leading and scheduling maintenance technicians across multiple shifts to ensure consistent plant coverage.
• Provide daily direction and guidance on maintenance priorities aligned with production goals.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, and teamwork consistent with WCB Outdoor Cooking’s core values.
• Assist in training and mentoring technicians to build technical proficiency and cross-functional capability.

Equipment Reliability & Maintenance Execution
• Create, manage, and ensure adherence to a robust preventive and predictive maintenance program to maximize equipment uptime and performance.
• Oversee day-to-day maintenance of pelletizers, hammer mills, dryers, conveyors, packaging systems, and dust collection equipment.
• Coordinate and execute scheduled maintenance activities using the site’s CMMS system.
• Assist maintenance manager in planning and coordinating planned maintenance shutdown work and annual shutdown schedule.
• Respond promptly to equipment breakdowns, lead troubleshooting efforts, and support implementation of long-term corrective actions.
• Own spare parts and critical spare inventory, including stocking levels, min/max settings, and cycle counts, to minimize unplanned downtime.
• Partner with sourcing on vendor selection, parts availability, and pricing, and ensure maintenance parts and repair spend stays in line with budgeted dollars.
• Partner with engineering and production to improve machine performance, reliability, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Safety & Compliance
• Champion WCB Outdoor Cooking’s “Safety First” culture by modeling safe work practices and enforcing compliance with OSHA, NFPA, and combustible dust standards.
• Conduct routine safety inspections and participate in incident investigations and corrective action planning.
• Ensure all maintenance personnel receive proper safety and technical training.

Operational Support & Continuous Improvement
• Collaborate with production teams to identify and eliminate equipment bottlenecks and downtime causes.
• Track and report key performance metrics, including:
o MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)
o MTTR (Mean Time to Repair)
o Planned vs. Unplanned Downtime
o Maintenance Cost per Unit Produced
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, reliability-centered maintenance practices, and capital installation support.
• Standardize maintenance procedures, documentation, and schedules to ensure program consistency and plant reliability.

Qualification Requirements

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering (preferred) or equivalent technical experience.
• 5+ years of maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment, with at least 1–2 years in a leadership or supervisory capacity

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and PLC-controlled systems.
• Experience in wood processing, pellet manufacturing, or related process industries preferred.
• Proven experience developing or managing preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Demonstrated ability to lead maintenance activities in a high-paced, continuous production environment.
• Skilled in troubleshooting, planning, and decision-making under pressure.
• Proficiency with CMMS systems and maintenance planning software.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills with a strong focus on results.

Physical Requirements

• Operates in a manufacturing environment with exposure to wood dust, high noise levels, moving equipment, and variable temperatures.
• Requires frequent standing, walking, climbing, and occasional lifting (up to 50 lbs).
• Must be available for nights, weekends, or holidays as needed to support continuous operations.