Manager, Building Maintenance
Job Summary
We are looking for a highly autonomous and results-oriented Building & Maintenance Manager to oversee the maintenance, reliability, and service performance of a large-scale Distribution Center and Warehouse operation exceeding 1.5 million square feet.
The Building & Maintenance Manager will be responsible for managing building maintenance contracts, Material Handling Equipment (MHE) service providers, and third-party maintenance partners supporting our automated material handling, packaging, conveyor, and storage systems.
This role requires a strong combination of technical knowledge, contract management, vendor management, problem-solving, and leadership skills. The successful candidate will be comfortable working independently, identifying operational and technical issues, developing corrective action plans, and holding external partners accountable for delivering agreed service levels.
Key Accountabilities
Facility Maintenance & Infrastructure
- Manage all external maintenance contracts and service providers related to the Distribution Center's building and infrastructure.
- Establish and monitor preventive and corrective maintenance programs.
- Monitor contractor performance and ensure that issues are resolved within agreed timelines.
- Negotiate service improvements and support contract renewal and sourcing activities.
- Support budgeting, forecasting, and cost-control initiatives related to facility maintenance.
- Ensure compliance with company standards, safety requirements, and applicable regulations.
Material Handling Equipment (MHE)
- Manage relationships with external service providers responsible for the maintenance and repair of Material Handling Equipment.
- Ensure that preventive maintenance programs are properly planned and executed.
- Monitor equipment availability, downtime, response times, repair quality, and overall service performance.
- Establish clear service expectations and hold contractors accountable to agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
- Support decisions related to equipment reliability, lifecycle management, repairs, replacement, and continuous improvement.
Automation & Resident Maintenance
- Manage relationships with external partners providing on-site resident maintenance services for automated material handling systems, including conveyors, packaging equipment, storage systems, and related automation.
- Monitor system availability, downtime, response time, maintenance completion, and recurring failures.
- Lead regular performance reviews with service providers and establish action plans when performance does not meet expectations.
- Coordinate escalation and resolution of critical technical issues affecting Distribution Center operations.
Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement
- Proactively identify reliability, maintenance, and operational risks.
- Identify opportunities to improve equipment reliability, reduce downtime, optimize maintenance costs, and improve contractor performance.
- Promote a preventive and proactive maintenance culture rather than a reactive approach.
Job Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.
- 5+ years of experience in engineering, maintenance, facilities, automation, MHE, or a related environment.
- Previous experience managing external contractors, maintenance service providers, and technical suppliers.
- Experience managing service contracts, SLAs, KPIs, and vendor performance.
- Strong technical understanding of Material Handling Equipment (MHE) and preferably automated material handling systems.
- Experience with conveyor systems, automated storage systems, packaging equipment, or distribution center automation is highly desirable.
- Experience in a large-scale warehouse, distribution center, manufacturing, or industrial environment is strongly preferred.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify root causes and develop effective action plans.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced operational environment.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
- Ability to work independently and make decisions with limited supervision.
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and maintenance management / CMMS systems is an asset.
- Bilingual English/French is an asset.