Maintenance Lead (433A Licensed Millwright) 

Location: Hamilton, ON
Reports To: Operations Manager
Compensation: $80,000–$95,000 + Benefits

About the Company

Our client is a long-established Canadian manufacturer based in Hamilton, Ontario, serving a diverse industrial marketplace across Canada and the United States. With more than 80 years of success and revenue growth exceeding 8X over the past two decades, they are a trusted leader in their industry.

Focused on continuous improvement, operational excellence, and investment in people, equipment, and processes, the company offers a collaborative, hands-on manufacturing environment where employees have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Position Summary

The Maintenance Lead is a hands-on leadership role responsible for the planning, coordination, execution, and continuous improvement of maintenance activities to ensure optimal equipment reliability, operational efficiency, and production uptime.

As a licensed 433A Millwright, you will combine strong mechanical expertise with maintenance planning, inventory management, purchasing, team leadership, and project coordination responsibilities. This role requires an individual who can effectively balance strategic planning with hands-on maintenance support during periods of high workload while driving preventative maintenance initiatives and continuous improvement efforts throughout the facility.

Key Responsibilities

Maintenance Planning & Execution

• Prioritize maintenance work requests based on equipment criticality, production requirements, and safety considerations.
• Plan, schedule, and coordinate preventative, predictive, corrective, and emergency maintenance activities.
• Lead and continuously improve the Preventative Maintenance (PM) Program to maximize equipment reliability and uptime.
• Support maintenance technicians through hands-on troubleshooting and repair activities when required.
• Assign maintenance tasks and ensure work is completed safely, efficiently, and to quality standards.
• Monitor equipment performance and conduct routine floor inspections to identify improvement opportunities.
• Ensure all maintenance activities comply with health and safety regulations, quality standards, and company procedures.
• Support equipment installations, upgrades, modifications, and capital improvement projects.
• Coordinate fabrication and sourcing of replacement parts and equipment, both internally and externally.

Leadership & Team Management

• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and performance feedback to maintenance personnel.
• Manage work assignments, scheduling, time and attendance, and resource allocation.
• Ensure adequate maintenance coverage to support operational requirements.
• Enforce safety policies, company procedures, and maintenance standards.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Act as the facility's 5S Champion, supporting workplace organization, audits, and compliance initiatives.

Inventory, Purchasing & Asset Management

• Manage maintenance purchasing activities, including consumables, spare parts, tools, and services.
• Develop and maintain machine-specific critical spare parts inventories.
• Review and optimize existing inventory levels to reduce operational risk and downtime.
• Source and manage vendors, contractors, warranty providers, and maintenance service suppliers.
• Develop efficient storage and retrieval systems for maintenance materials and spare parts.
• Maintain accurate inventory records and ensure availability of critical components.
• Support inventory planning and purchasing strategies aligned with operational and budgetary requirements.

Budgeting & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and manage maintenance operating and capital budgets.
• Track maintenance expenditures and report budget variances.
• Analyze maintenance performance metrics and implement improvement initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement projects focused on equipment reliability, productivity, quality, and cost reduction.
• Support Lean Manufacturing and operational excellence initiatives throughout the facility.

Qualifications

• Valid Ontario 433A Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) License.
• Minimum 5 years of maintenance experience within an industrial manufacturing environment.
• Previous experience leading maintenance teams or coordinating maintenance operations.
• Strong knowledge of preventative maintenance programs, maintenance planning, and scheduling.
• Experience managing spare parts inventories, purchasing, and vendor relationships.
• Proven experience supporting equipment installations, upgrades, and capital projects.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, schematics, and equipment manuals.
• Experience using CMMS systems and ERP/MRP software is considered an asset.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

Key Competencies

• Hands-on mechanical troubleshooting and repair
• Maintenance planning and scheduling
• Inventory and purchasing management
• Leadership and team development
• Project management
• Continuous improvement and Lean Manufacturing
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Effective communication and collaboration
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple competing demands

Working Environment

• Industrial manufacturing facility.
• Exposure to noise, moving machinery, and varying temperatures.
• Physically demanding role involving standing, walking, climbing, lifting, and equipment troubleshooting.
• Occasional overtime may be required to support operational needs.

Why Join?

• Join a stable and growing Canadian manufacturer with over 80 years of success.
• Play a key leadership role with direct impact on operational performance.
• Opportunity to improve equipment reliability, maintenance systems, and plant efficiency.
• Collaborative, hands-on environment where your expertise is valued.
• Competitive compensation package including benefits and opportunities for professional growth.