Manager – Divisional Maintenance Excellence

Sonoco

. Establish, lead, and continuously improve maintenance and reliability strategies across a division representing approximately $2 billion in annual revenue and more than 50 manufacturing facilities .

Posted 10/9/2026full-timeHartsville • South Carolina • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $138,320 - $155,610 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in developing and implementing maintenance and reliability strategies, focusing on asset management, predictive maintenance, and continuous improvement. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive operational excellence in asset-intensive environments.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Reliability EngineeringPredictive MaintenanceAsset ManagementCMMS PlatformsRoot Cause Analysis

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Maintenance ProductivityReliability Metrics AnalysisPreventive MaintenanceCondition-Based MaintenanceMaintenance PlanningEquipment Performance ImprovementManufacturing EffectivenessWrench Time OptimizationFailure Elimination ProcessesStrategic Leadership

Soft Skills

CoachingMentoringCommunicationInfluencingChange Leadership

Tools & Technologies

CMMS UtilizationReliability AnalyticsMaintenance Management SystemsCapital Project CollaborationKnowledge-Sharing Forums

Certifications & Qualifications

Reliability Engineering CertificationMaintenance Management CertificationAsset Management Certification

Industry Keywords

Heavy IndustryPulp and PaperAsset-Intensive EnvironmentsManufacturing OperationsEnvironmental Stewardship

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Establish, lead, and continuously improve maintenance and reliability strategies across a division representing approximately $2 billion in annual revenue and more than 50 manufacturing facilities
Provide strategic leadership, governance, and technical direction to improve asset reliability, maintenance productivity, equipment performance, and manufacturing effectiveness
Develop and deploy standardized maintenance and reliability processes
Drive reliability-centered maintenance, predictive maintenance, preventive maintenance, root cause analysis, and asset management programs
Champion reliability and continuous improvement across the division
Lead initiatives to improve equipment reliability, asset performance, uptime, and overall equipment effectiveness
Analyze reliability metrics, identify improvement opportunities, and develop action plans to reduce failures and production losses
Partner with operations, engineering, and plant leadership to improve critical asset performance and eliminate systemic equipment issues
Establish maintenance KPIs, benchmarks, and performance expectations
Improve maintenance productivity, work execution, planning and scheduling, wrench time, and maintenance cost performance
Optimize maintenance work management processes, CMMS utilization, and workforce effectiveness
Serve as functional leader for Reliability Engineers, Plant Engineers, and Maintenance Managers
Develop succession plans, competency models, career progression frameworks, and training programs
Coach, mentor, and develop technical leaders
Establish communities of practice and knowledge-sharing forums
Collaborate on capital projects, equipment design standards, asset management planning, replacement strategies, outage planning, and reliability investments
Evaluate emerging technologies and maintenance tools
Develop business cases and prioritize reliability improvement opportunities
Monitor division-wide maintenance and reliability performance and communicate results to senior leadership
Promote safety, environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, and effective risk management
Manage multiple Reliability Engineers deployed as Plant Engineers/Maintenance Managers

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a related technical field required
Advanced degree or professional certifications in Reliability Engineering, Maintenance Management, or Asset Management preferred
Progressive maintenance, reliability, engineering, or manufacturing leadership experience within heavy industry, pulp and paper, forest products, chemicals, metals, or similar asset-intensive environments
Demonstrated success leading multi-site maintenance and reliability improvement initiatives across large manufacturing organizations
Experience developing maintenance excellence systems, reliability programs, and organizational capability
Proven ability to influence and drive results through plant leadership teams and cross-functional stakeholders
Extensive knowledge of maintenance and reliability best practices, including preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance methodologies
Strong understanding of reliability engineering, asset management, root cause analysis, and failure elimination processes
Experience with CMMS platforms, maintenance planning and scheduling systems, and reliability analytics
Working knowledge of rotating equipment, power systems, process equipment, utilities, and manufacturing operations
Strategic thinking and ability to translate business objectives into actionable reliability and maintenance strategies
Strong coaching, mentoring, and talent development capabilities
Excellent communication and influencing skills with the ability to work effectively across all organizational levels
Demonstrated ability to lead change, drive standardization, and achieve sustainable operational improvements
Willingness to travel 50%-75% to paper mill, recycling, and converting operations

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, including FSA and HSA options
401(k) retirement plan with company match
Wellbeing tools and resources to support holistic health, including an Employee Assistance Program with a variety of services
Paid time off and holidays
Company-paid and voluntary employee-paid insurance plans including life, personal accident, and disability insurance
Tuition reimbursement
Annual target bonus of 12.5% of base salary for Manager level
Annual target bonus of 14.5% of base salary for Senior Manager level