Director, Maintenance and Engineering

Aspire Bakeries is a North American baking company with a leadership position in specialty frozen baked goods. Formed from leading bakery companies, its innovative food portfolio includes breads, artisan breads, buns, cookies, donuts, muffins and pastries from beloved brands likeLa Brea Bakery,Otis Spunkmeyer, andOakrun Farm Bakery. With 13 bakeries in North America, we are committed to driving innovation, predicting upcoming consumer trends and flavors, and exceeding our customers' expectations. Aspire Bakeries champions the values of Integrity, Ownership, Customer Focus, Creativity and Care to help us deliver on People Safety, Food Safety, Quality and Collaboration.

Hungry for a career that's as rewarding as it is delicious?

At Aspire Bakeries, we don't just bake breads, cookies, and cakes - we create foods that bring people together. From La Brea Bakery artisan breads to Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, our products are enjoyed by millions of people every day. And behind every bite are talented manufacturing and support teams who take pride in their craft. We're looking for hard-working people who bring integrity, creativity, and a passion for excellence to everything they do - whether that's on the bakery floor, in the office, or supporting customers. In return, we offer a workplace culture built on care, ownership, and growth - where your contributions matter and your career can rise as high as our bread loaves. With 13 commercial bakeries across North America and a reputation as an industry leader, Aspire Bakeries is rising together with our people and our customers to be the best all-around bakery solution. If you're ready to grow with us, we'd love to hear from you.

Why You'll Love Working at Aspire Bakeries

• Health & Wellness - Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus company-paid life insurance and voluntary options to fit your needs.
• Work-Life Balance - Paid parental leave, generous paid time off, and holidays to recharge and focus on what matters most.
• Financial Security - Competitive 401(k) with immediate company match, plus short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Growth & Development - Tuition reimbursement, learning opportunities, and career paths in expert areas.
• Flexibility & Support - HSA and FSA plans to help manage everyday expenses.
• Recognition & Rewards - Incentive programs celebrating performance across our bakeries and teams.

About the Role

We are seeking a Director of Maintenance & Reliability to lead the development and execution of maintenance strategies, systems, and processes across all Aspire Bakeries. This role is critical in driving reliability excellence, ensuring equipment uptime, and developing Maintenance team capabilities to improve safety, food quality, and efficiency.

This position plays a key leadership role in shaping maintenance standards across our bakeries, with all Bakery Maintenance Managers having a dotted-line reporting relationship to this position.

Core Accountabilities (What You'll Be Doing)

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  Lead the implementation of Aspire's Maintenance Playbook across all bakeries, standardizing preventive maintenance, parts management, training, and root cause analysis practices.

  
  
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  Drive continuous improvement in Maintenance and Reliability KPIs, including downtime, OEE, waste, and cost efficiency.

  
  
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  Conduct audits, gap analyses, and develop remediation plans to strengthen maintenance effectiveness.

  
  
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  Optimize parts inventory and storeroom management for efficiency and cost control.

  
  
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  Build maintenance team capabilities through skill assessments, training plans, and coaching.

  
  
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  Provide subject matter expertise to solve recurring equipment issues and improve overall reliability.

  
  
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  Partner with bakeries to develop strategic capital investment plans that reduce maintenance risk and support long-term asset care.

  
  
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  Ensure compliance with all safety, food safety, environmental, and regulatory standards.

  
  

Minimum Qualifications (What You Bring to the Table)

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  10+ years of Maintenance and Reliability leadership experience within food manufacturing (bakery experience preferred).

  
  
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  Proven experience implementing maintenance systems; SAP maintenance management experience preferred.

  
  
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  Demonstrated success improving maintenance performance and uptime through KPI management.

  
  
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  Strong leadership ability to influence teams in a matrix environment with dotted-line reports.

  
  
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  Knowledge of safety, food safety, and environmental compliance within manufacturing.

  
  
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  Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related field preferred.

  
  
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  Ability to travel up to 75% based on bakery needs.

  
  

Preferred Qualifications (Extra Ingredients for Success)

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  Experience leading large-scale maintenance transformation or reliability improvement programs.

  
  
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  Deep understanding of asset care frameworks and continuous improvement methodologies.

  
  
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  Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

  
  
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  Strategic mindset with the ability to shift between planning and hands-on leadership.

  
  
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  Passion for developing people and fostering a culture of excellence.

  
  

Our Culture & Values

At Aspire Bakeries, great people make great food - and even greater workplaces. Our culture thrives on collaboration, diversity, and a shared passion for excellence. We empower our teams to grow, support each other, and bring their authentic selves to work every day.

Ready to Rise with Aspire?

Grow your career with a company that values your craft, your leadership, and your future.
Apply today and join the Aspire Bakeries team.

Aspire Bakeries is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.