Plant Technical Leader

Who We Are 

At JonnyPops, our team is empowered to make an impact at work every day — from producing high-quality, innovative frozen novelties to spreading kindness one pop at a time. We look for bright and ambitious individuals who seek out challenges, thrive in fast-paced and high-growth environments, align with our core values, and get fulfillment from seeing their work transform the world around them. 

Based in Elk River, MN, JonnyPops develops, manufactures, distributes, and markets frozen novelties. Retailers from coast to coast — including Target, Costco, Publix, Kroger, and Cub, along with thousands of regional and local grocers — make JonnyPops part of their assortment. 

Growing from a dorm-room start-up in 2012, JonnyPops’ mission is to make “A Better Pop for a Better World!” JonnyPops leads the frozen novelties space in innovation and uses simple ingredients with no artificial dyes. Every pop stick includes a kind deed, spreading kindness every day. 

Why This Role Exists 

Our Elk River plant runs 24/7, and every point of unplanned downtime, every scrambled part order, and every missed handoff between maintenance, engineering, and production scheduling directly erodes the margin, quality, and case-fill commitments our 2026 goals depend on. The Plant Technical Manager exists to own that connective tissue — leading the maintenance, parts planning, and manufacturing engineering functions as one integrated system, not three separate teams. This role is the single point of accountability for plant reliability: keeping equipment running, keeping parts spend disciplined, and keeping the plant’s technical plans tightly synced with production scheduling and the broader operating goals — all without ever losing sight of the people and food safety standards that make that uptime worth having. 

Job Summary 

The Plant Technical Manager leads the day-to-day operations of plant reliability at our Elk River facility, directing a team of five — a Maintenance Lead Supervisor, a Maintenance Parts & Scheduling Planner, and three Manufacturing Engineers. This role owns equipment uptime, drives cost reduction across parts and maintenance spend, and ensures technical planning is fully connected to production scheduling and plant-wide goals. Human safety and food safety are built into every area this role touches, not treated as a separate function — this is a hands-on, “dirt under your fingernails” leadership role for someone who wants to build a disciplined, well-run plant reliability operation from the ground up. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

Plant Reliability & Uptime 

• Own equipment uptime as the primary reliability metric for the Elk River plant, driving root-cause resolution on recurring downtime events. 

• Direct the preventative maintenance program across all production lines, packaging equipment, refrigeration systems, and critical facility assets. 

• Establish and track reliability KPIs (uptime, MTBF, MTTR) and report performance trends to plant and operations leadership. 

• Champion continuous improvement in maintenance practices, adopting proven tools and technologies (e.g., CMMS, vision systems, HTST equipment standards) to reduce unplanned downtime. 

Team Leadership & Development 

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of five direct reports: the Maintenance Lead Supervisor, the Maintenance Parts & Scheduling Planner, and three Manufacturing Engineers. 

• Set clear role expectations, accountability standards, and performance goals for each function, ensuring role clarity across shifts. 

• Foster a collaborative, safety-first team culture that gets “dirt under its fingernails” — staying close to the equipment, the line, and the people running it. 

• Build bench strength and succession depth within the maintenance and engineering team as the plant scales. 

Parts, Inventory & Maintenance Cost Management 

• Own cost reduction on maintenance parts and MRO spend as a core, measurable KPI, partnering with the Maintenance Parts & Scheduling Planner on sourcing, vendor negotiation, and inventory discipline. 

• Oversee parts inventory strategy to balance uptime protection (critical spares on hand) against carrying cost. 

• Own and manage the maintenance and engineering department budget, identifying and executing cost-saving initiatives without compromising reliability or safety. 

• Evaluate vendor and contractor relationships for maintenance services, capital repairs, and parts supply to ensure cost-effective, timely support. 

Planning, Scheduling & Cross-Functional Connectivity 

• Ensure maintenance and engineering planning is fully synced with production scheduling, so planned work orders and PMs are executed with minimal disruption to line attainment. 

• Partner with Plant Operations, Production Scheduling, R&D (Tech Services), and Quality to align capital projects, line changes, and equipment upgrades with plant goals and the annual operating plan. 

• Represent maintenance and engineering priorities in plant-level planning meetings (e.g., L10s), keeping reliability work visible and integrated with broader plant objectives. 

• Lead and coordinate engineering projects — capacity, productivity, and capital improvements — from scoping through completion, on time and on budget. 

Human & Food Safety Focus 

• Ensure all maintenance, engineering, and reliability work is performed in full compliance with human safety standards, including lockout/tagout, confined space, electrical, and machine guarding requirements. 

• Build a proactive safety culture within the maintenance and engineering team, including regular training, audits, and prompt corrective action on incidents or near-misses. 

• Ensure equipment and facility conditions in all areas under this role’s ownership support, rather than compromise, food safety and sanitation standards. 

Food Safety Responsibilities 

• Ensure all maintenance, repair, and engineering work performed on production equipment and facilities protects food safety, sanitation, and allergen control standards (SQF, GMP, HACCP). 

• Partner with FSQA leadership on equipment design, repair, and maintenance decisions that affect product contact surfaces, sanitation access, or contamination risk. 

• Support audits and inspections of maintenance and engineering practices, addressing any food safety findings promptly and thoroughly. 

Minimum Qualifications 

Education 

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a related field — or equivalent hands-on experience in lieu of degree. 

Experience 

• 7–10 years of progressive experience in plant maintenance, reliability, or engineering leadership within a manufacturing environment; food, beverage, or CPG manufacturing strongly preferred. 

• Proven experience leading a multi-discipline team (maintenance, planning/scheduling, engineering) in a fast-paced, 24/7 production environment. 

• Demonstrated track record of improving uptime and reducing maintenance/parts costs with measurable results. 

• Experience managing a maintenance and engineering department budget and capital project execution. 

Skills & Competencies 

• Working knowledge of a CMMS platform (e.g., Fiix) for work order management, PM scheduling, and parts inventory tracking. 

• Strong understanding of mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration systems used in food manufacturing (packaging equipment, wrappers, conveyors, freezers). 

• Familiarity with GMPs, SQF, and food safety standards required in a food manufacturing environment. 

• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets and driving cost efficiency. 

• Excellent cross-functional communication skills, able to align maintenance, engineering, and production scheduling priorities. 

• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with competing priorities — adaptable, resilient, and hands-on. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience with vision system implementation or other automated inspection technology on production lines. 

• Familiarity with HTST or similar thermal processing systems. 

• Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, or Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) training or certification. 

Physical Demands 

• Ability to work on the production floor with exposure to loud machinery, moving equipment, and temperature-controlled (including freezer/cold) environments. 

• Ability to stand, walk, kneel, and climb for extended periods across the plant floor. 

• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and perform hands-on troubleshooting alongside the maintenance and engineering team as needed. 

Expected Pay Range 

Hired candidates may be eligible to receive additional compensation in the form of bonuses and/or commissions. 

$120,000-$150,000 

JonnyPops offers a competitive benefits package which includes the following: 

• Medical/Health Insurance 

• Dental Insurance 

• Vision Insurance 

• HSA 

• FSA 

• DCFSA 

• Life & AD&D Insurance 

• Short & Long Term Disability 

• FTO/PTO 

• EAP Programs 

• Paid Holidays 

• Employee Referral Program 

• Sick & Safe Leave 

• 401k