What does a plant maintenance manager do?
Plant maintenance managers will enjoy salaries ranging from $19K to $130K per year. They must have skills in leadership, management, problem-solving, and teamwork. They are responsible lead maintenance procedures in a company, and they manage activities for building, landscape, and office repair.
Plant maintenance manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real plant maintenance manager resumes:
- Lead a team of union and non-union employees from electricians, HVAC, grounds, security and transportation staff.
- Create a preventative maintenance schedule for all HVAC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment as well as irrigation systems.
- Maintain compliance with FDA, OSHA, EPA, and other regulatory agencies.
- Conduct safety training and guide maintenance team in safe operating practices in accordance with OSHA standards.
- Task also include development, implementation and oversight of the budget, coordination of facility for outside/inside decor of buildings.
- Perform facility tool and system PMs according to manufacturing and internal specifications.
Plant maintenance manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Plant Maintenance Managers are proficient in Plant Maintenance, Continuous Improvement, and Plant Equipment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Organizational skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Plant Maintenance Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Plant Maintenance, 14%
Conducted all aspects of manufacturing plant maintenance.
- Continuous Improvement, 9%
Support an environment of continuous improvement by making / implementing suggestions.
- Plant Equipment, 9%
Applied and integrated preventative maintenance program for plant equipment.
- Parts Inventory, 7%
Control spare parts inventory and purchasing to eliminate unnecessary spending.
- HVAC, 6%
Led a team of union and non-union employees from electricians, HVAC, grounds, security and transportation staff.
- Plumbing, 6%
Demonstrated proficiency in electricity, air conditioning, appliances, carpentry, plumbing and mechanics.
Common skills that a plant maintenance manager uses to do their job include "plant maintenance," "continuous improvement," and "plant equipment." You can find details on the most important plant maintenance manager responsibilities below.
Math skills. The most essential soft skill for a plant maintenance manager to carry out their responsibilities is math skills. This skill is important for the role because "architectural and engineering managers use calculus and other mathematics to develop new products and processes." Additionally, a plant maintenance manager resume shows how their duties depend on math skills: "prepared studies used by senior leaders in decision-making using advanced statistics, tqm, six sigma, and lean techniques. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform plant maintenance manager duties is organizational skills. Plant maintenance managers responsibilities require that "architectural and engineering managers keep track of many workers, schedules, and budgets simultaneously." Plant maintenance managers also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "develop organizational structure to include proactive planning, scheduling and inventory control. "
Analytical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of plant maintenance managers is analytical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday plant maintenance manager duties, as "architectural and engineering managers evaluate information to solve problems." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "prepare reports, analyze data, and make recommendations for improvement of plant operations and solving maintenance-related problems. "
Communication skills. A big part of what plant maintenance managers do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to plant maintenance manager responsibilities because "architectural and engineering managers must effectively convey information and expectations related to projects." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical plant maintenance manager tasks: "implemented and conducted an in-plant maintenance training program.worked with all departments to improve plant communications and operators training. "
Leadership skills. Another skill commonly found on plant maintenance manager job descriptions is "leadership skills." It can come up quite often in plant maintenance manager duties, since "architectural and engineering managers lead teams, which requires an ability to organize, direct, and motivate others." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day plant maintenance manager responsibilities: "expanded leadership prowess to include osha comprehension, managing engineers directing projects valued at $2m. "
The three companies that hire the most plant maintenance managers are:
- Pactiv3 plant maintenance managers jobs
- Chugach Electric3 plant maintenance managers jobs
- Clean Harbors2 plant maintenance managers jobs
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Plant maintenance manager vs. Research and development director
A research and development director spearheads and oversees the research and development initiatives and projects in a company. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, establish timelines and budgets, direct and manage different departments, liaise with internal and external parties, gather and analyze data to implement solutions against problem areas, and utilize expertise in developing strategies to optimize company operations. Moreover, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while promoting the company's policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between plant maintenance managers and research and development director. For instance, plant maintenance manager responsibilities require skills such as "plant maintenance," "continuous improvement," "plant equipment," and "parts inventory." Whereas a research and development director is skilled in "product development," "oversight," "business development," and "strategic direction." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Research and development directors tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $167,250. In contrast, plant maintenance managers make the biggest average salary, $88,691, in the construction industry.The education levels that research and development directors earn slightly differ from plant maintenance managers. In particular, research and development directors are 10.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a plant maintenance manager. Additionally, they're 12.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Plant maintenance manager vs. Engineering supervisor
An engineering supervisor is responsible for monitoring the engineering operations of an organization, developing strategic processes and techniques to improve staff's performance, and facilitating training and programs to maximize productivity. Engineering supervisors evaluate technology procedures and reports to identify and design new opportunities that would generate more resources for revenues and profits. They also meet with clients and handle their business requirements and specifications, informing them of other services that the company offers. An engineering supervisor resolves project complaints and implements business plans to achieve high-quality deliverables.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real plant maintenance manager resumes. While plant maintenance manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "plant maintenance," "plant equipment," "parts inventory," and "safety program," engineering supervisors use skills like "preventive maintenance," "customer service," "ul," and "cad."
Engineering supervisors may earn a lower salary than plant maintenance managers, but engineering supervisors earn the most pay in the automotive industry with an average salary of $114,222. On the other hand, plant maintenance managers receive higher pay in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $88,691.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Engineering supervisors tend to reach similar levels of education than plant maintenance managers. In fact, they're 2.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 12.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Plant maintenance manager vs. Engineering director
An engineering director or director of engineering is an individual who manages a team of engineering managers and coordinates all the engineering activities within the organization. Engineering directors work closely with the organization's executives to develop new strategies to reduce unnecessary costs and time to complete their projects. They must understand and interpret complex sets of data such as profits, losses, or value of liabilities to identify problems and come up with solutions. Engineering directors must also ensure that safety protocols are implemented in the workforce.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from plant maintenance manager resumes include skills like "plant maintenance," "plant equipment," "parts inventory," and "electrical systems," whereas an engineering director is more likely to list skills in "java," "architecture," "infrastructure," and "aws. "
Engineering directors earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $164,120. Plant maintenance managers earn the highest pay from the construction industry, with an average salary of $88,691.engineering directors typically earn higher educational levels compared to plant maintenance managers. Specifically, they're 11.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Plant maintenance manager vs. Vice president of engineering
A Vice President Of Engineering manages all aspects of the company's engineering product development activities. They are responsible for strategic planning, production designing, quality assurance, and problem resolution.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between plant maintenance managers and vice presidents of engineering, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a plant maintenance manager might have more use for skills like "plant maintenance," "continuous improvement," "plant equipment," and "parts inventory." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of vice presidents of engineering require skills like "architecture," "cloud," "infrastructure," and "java. "
In general, vice presidents of engineering earn the most working in the technology industry, with an average salary of $141,200. The highest-paying industry for a plant maintenance manager is the construction industry.In general, vice presidents of engineering hold higher degree levels compared to plant maintenance managers. Vice presidents of engineering are 10.8% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 3.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of plant maintenance manager
Updated January 8, 2025











