Sr Maintenance Engineer

Senior Maintenance Engineer

Location: Blythewood, SC

Pay: $85,000 - $118,000

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Maintenance Engineer to join a growing advanced manufacturing operation in Blythewood, SC . This role is responsible for ensuring the reliability, performance, and continuous improvement of manufacturing equipment, automation systems, and plant utility infrastructure supporting high-volume production operations.

A unique and critical component of this position is the requirement to travel to South Korea for approximately two months at the beginning of the year for technical training, knowledge transfer, equipment familiarization, and collaboration with global engineering teams. Candidates must possess a valid passport or be able to obtain one and be willing to travel internationally.

The ideal candidate will bring strong experience in industrial maintenance, automation, utilities, root cause analysis, and equipment reliability within an automotive, EV, battery, or other highly automated manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

Equipment Maintenance & Reliability

• Lead advanced troubleshooting of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, robotic, and automated manufacturing equipment.
• Diagnose and resolve equipment failures while minimizing downtime and production impact.
• Conduct root cause investigations utilizing structured methodologies such as 5 Why, Fishbone Analysis, and 8D.
• Analyze downtime trends and implement corrective and preventive actions to improve equipment reliability.
• Support troubleshooting and optimization of PLC-controlled systems, robotics, sensors, drives, and automated production equipment.
• Develop and implement reliability improvement initiatives to increase equipment uptime and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Utility Management

• Support operation and maintenance of facility utility systems including:
• Electrical distribution systems
• Compressed air systems
• HVAC systems
• Chillers and cooling systems
• Building and infrastructure support systems
• Monitor utility performance and ensure uninterrupted support to production operations.
• Assist with energy reduction and utility optimization projects.
• Coordinate preventive and corrective maintenance activities for plant utility systems.

Preventive & Predictive Maintenance

• Execute and continuously improve preventive maintenance programs utilizing SAP PM or equivalent CMMS platforms.
• Support predictive maintenance initiatives through equipment condition monitoring and reliability analysis.
• Participate in shutdown planning, maintenance execution, and startup support activities.
• Identify opportunities to reduce equipment failures and extend asset life.

Manufacturing & Production Support

• Partner with Production, Quality, Engineering, and EHS teams to support safe and efficient manufacturing operations.
• Ensure equipment readiness to meet production schedules and operational goals.
• Support installation, commissioning, validation, and startup of new manufacturing equipment.
• Review technical documentation, equipment drawings, layouts, and schematics to improve maintainability and performance.
• Assist with production ramp-up activities and process optimization initiatives.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive initiatives focused on productivity enhancement, downtime reduction, equipment reliability, and quality improvement.
• Support Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Lean Manufacturing initiatives.
• Analyze equipment performance metrics and develop action plans for improvement.
• Standardize troubleshooting processes, maintenance procedures, and best practices across operations.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Maintain compliance with OSHA standards and company safety requirements.
• Follow and enforce Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures and safe work practices.
• Identify safety risks and lead corrective actions to eliminate hazards.
• Participate in audits, inspections, and environmental compliance initiatives.
• Promote a strong safety culture throughout maintenance operations.

Leadership & Team Development

• Provide technical leadership and day-to-day guidance to maintenance engineers, specialists, and technicians.
• Coordinate maintenance priorities and support departmental objectives.
• Mentor junior team members and support technical skill development.
• Assist with implementing maintenance standards, procedures, and continuous improvement programs.

Reporting & Documentation

• Maintain accurate maintenance records, work orders, and asset histories within SAP PM or CMMS.
• Monitor and report maintenance KPIs including:
• Downtime
• PM Completion Rate
• Equipment Reliability
• MTTR (Mean Time to Repair)
• MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)
• OEE
• Prepare reports detailing equipment performance, failure trends, and improvement initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 5 years of maintenance engineering experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong hands-on troubleshooting experience with industrial manufacturing equipment and facility utility systems.
• Experience supporting automated production environments.
• Working knowledge of PLC-controlled equipment, robotics, automation systems, sensors, and industrial controls.
• Experience with SAP PM or other CMMS software.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of FMEA, Root Cause Analysis, and manufacturing quality systems.
• Familiarity with IATF 16949 and VDA 6.3 standards.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to travel internationally for extended periods.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within automotive, electric vehicle, battery manufacturing, or related high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Experience supporting equipment installation, commissioning, and production launch activities.
• Knowledge of AutoCAD and interpretation of engineering drawings and schematics.
• Experience with PLC programming, industrial networking, and automation integration.
• Knowledge of predictive maintenance technologies and reliability-centered maintenance practices.
• Korean language skills are a plus but not required.

International Training Requirement

• Must be willing and able to travel to South Korea for approximately two months during the first quarter of the year .
• Travel will focus on equipment training, production process familiarization, engineering collaboration, and knowledge transfer activities.
• Candidate must possess or be eligible to obtain all necessary travel documentation, including a valid passport.

Work Environment

• Manufacturing plant and office environment.
• Frequent walking and standing on the production floor.
• Exposure to industrial machinery, automation systems, and production noise.
• Required use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Occasional lifting up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to support off-shift activities, weekends, holidays, on-call support, and extended hours as business needs require.