Maintenance Unit Manager

Maintenance Unit Manager

About Ingredion:

Join Ingredion, where innovation impacts lives worldwide! Without even realizing it, you’ve experienced our work in your favorite chocolate, your pet’s food, the paper you write on, and your everyday snacks. As a global powerhouse across more than 60 industries, we harness the potential of natural ingredients to transform lives. Whether you’re just starting your career or bringing years of experience, there's a place for you here to make a real difference. Be part of our team that values a wide range of perspectives and is committed to shaping a better world with every product we create.

Location: Argo Plant. Bedford Park, IL

Workplace type: On Site

As the Maintenance Unit Manager, you will be responsible for leading all maintenance and reliability activities within the unit, ensuring safe operations, asset integrity, and optimal equipment performance. This role oversees preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, manages short- and long-term maintenance planning, and drives continuous improvement initiatives. The manager partners closely with Operations, Reliability, Procurement, and Engineering to manage asset risks, optimize spare parts inventory, and ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality standards. Additional responsibilities include budget management, contractor oversight, root cause analysis facilitation, and promoting a collaborative, performance-driven team culture.

What you will do:

Establishing and maintaining safe work practices and environmental compliance. Contributing to the achievement of plant safety goals. Maintaining safe working conditions throughout the unit.

Being accountable for the execution of the short- and long-term maintenance planning, scheduling, and continuous improvement activities.

Analyzing relevant Key Performance Indicators to identify deviations and initiate corrective actions.

Managing asset risk in collaboration with the reliability team to ensure condition-based monitoring compliance.

Developing and managing a unit maintenance budget.

Collaborating with procurement, reliability, and engineering to determine spare parts inventory.

Initiating the Management of Change (MOC) process as necessary.

Responsibility for vendor selection of non-core contractors from the approved vendor list.

Providing necessary bid packages to include the scope of work, materials, and equipment as required by the Procurement staff.

Developing and implementing improvements to maintenance management practices. Driving cost awareness, control, and reduction programs to meet or improve upon the financial goals of the unit and plant while protecting investment in current and future capital assets.

Using SAP, Prometheus, and other maintenance systems to support the overall maintenance activities and continuous improvements.

Facilitating root cause problem elimination sessions.

Working with contractor leaders to oversee safety and quality of work, and the achievement of the schedule.

Partnering with contractor leaders and site leaders to review workload, skills of manpower, and manage labor resources. This role will be working with the contractor foreman directly, and the foreman will report to them

Maintaining an atmosphere of teamwork and joint accountability with the production units, recognizing mutual goals, accountabilities, and needs, as well as building consensus in a positive manner with customers, suppliers, and team members.

Leading reliability, preventative maintenance, and condition-based monitoring efforts and improvements.

Working closely with Operations in developing, implementing, and evaluating the risks of strategies to ensure the success of the Plant. Support Performance management activities and site development efforts to enhance the capability and provide ongoing personal development.

What you will bring:

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, or Reliability preferred. CMRP certification is desirable.

5+ years in maintenance and reliability

Experience in managing a maintenance department for a manufacturing environment, including utilities-specific equipment, steam turbine generators, IR and Joy air compressors, and gas boiler systems

Experience in maintenance reliability, preventative maintenance, condition-based monitoring, and root cause problem elimination techniques.

Knowledge of the SAP system as it pertains to maintenance and budgeting is a plus.

Use of KPIs for decision making and corrective action.

Experience in creating and adhering to department budget.

Computer literate with knowledge of Microsoft Office Software applications (i.e., Excel, Word, etc.).

Capacity to solve problems through creative, innovative solutions and challenge traditional methods of accomplishing tasks.

Demonstrated experience in setting expectations for staff in a manufacturing environment, including the capability to perform effectively in high-stress, emergency, and crisis situations.

Ability to learn and apply Ingredion’s Safety, Quality, and Financial Safety standards.

Ability to communicate across functional lines and at all levels.

Who you are:

Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with proven ability to lead in a team environment, motivate, build consensus and foster positive relationships with team members and contractors.

Ability to evaluate personnel needs/effectiveness and implement effective development activities for salaried reports.

Ability to understand and integrate technical and business needs into all activities.

Participate in cross-functional meetings and project reviews (e.g., IPS, Unit Capex Review).

Conduct and lead root cause analysis

Ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage contractors

Why Join Ingredion?

Discover why Ingredion is the ideal place to advance your career with our exceptional rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive. Create the future with us and enjoy:

Total Rewards Package – Competitive salary and performance-based pay, recognizing your contributions to our success

Comprehensive Benefits & Wellness Support – Health, long-term savings, and resources for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being

Career Growth – Learning, training, and development opportunities, including tuition reimbursement

Employee Recognition Program – A culture of real-time appreciation, with personalized recognition rewards globally

Employee Discount Program – Provides exclusive discounts on everyday products, services, and travel.

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We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. Ingredion seeks to provide a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. We will not tolerate any form of discrimination based on race, color, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, handicap or disability—mental or physical—marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability resulting from military service, or any other classification protected by law (“protected classifications”). We are committed to establishing and maintaining a work environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Ingredion provides accommodations to job applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process. If a job applicant requires an accommodation during the application process or through the selection process, we will work with the applicant to meet the job applicant's accommodation needs.

Ingredion uses AI-enabled tools to support parts of the recruitment process, including resume screening and interview scheduling. These tools help match candidate skills to job requirements and streamline communication. All AI-assisted decisions are reviewed by our Talent Acquisition team to ensure fairness and compliance with applicable laws. By applying, you acknowledge that AI may be used to support