Technical Supervisor

The Technical Supervisor reports to the Technical Manager and leads maintenance, reliability, and technical operations supporting production, warehouse, and facility activities. The role provides direct leadership to the maintenance team and acts as the primary technical authority for equipment reliability, automation systems, asset lifecycle management, and continuous improvement. The position works closely with operations, quality, engineering, suppliers, and contractors to execute strategic maintenance programmes that support operational excellence, production targets, safety performance, and long-term business objectives.

• Lead day-to-day maintenance operations for production, warehouse, utility, and facility equipment; develop, implement, and continuously improve preventive, predictive, and reliability-centred maintenance programmes.
• Drive asset reliability initiatives to maximise equipment uptime, efficiency, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE); analyse equipment failures and lead root cause investigations to eliminate recurring issues and improve long-term reliability.
• Establish maintenance standards, procedures, and best practices aligned with reliability and operational goals.
• Serve as the site's technical expert for automation, PLCs, SCADA, HMIs, robotics, conveyors, scales, ingredient handling systems, and process equipment; provide advanced troubleshooting for complex mechanical, electrical, controls, and automation failures.
• Participate in equipment commissioning, start-up, acceptance testing, and performance validation; develop equipment lifecycle strategies and recommend capital improvements based on asset condition and operational requirements.
• Directly supervise maintenance technicians and contractors, setting performance expectations and accountability standards; manage workforce scheduling, resource allocation, and maintenance priorities.
• Mentor and develop technical staff through coaching, succession planning, skills assessments, and training; support recruitment, onboarding, and retention of skilled maintenance personnel.
• Support the Technical Manager in identifying improvement opportunities and act as a role model for collaboration; foster a high-performance culture focused on safety, reliability, ownership, innovation, and continuous learning; act as department lead during the Technical Manager's absence.
• Identify opportunities to improve equipment performance and reliability
• Participate in continuous improvement projects to reduce downtime and improve productivity
• Monitor and analyse maintenance and production data
• Support standardisation of maintenance procedures and equipment settings
• Assist in identifying and eliminating equipment-related bottlenecks and ensure the maintenance shop and areas are kept in order.
• Champion a safety-first culture
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, environmental, food safety, and corporate standards
• Lead safety investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective actions
• Enforce compliance with Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), confined space entry, electrical safety, machine guarding, hot work permits, and contractor safety programmes
• Participate in developing and improving site safety policies and maintenance-related safe work procedures
• Support food safety programmes by ensuring maintenance practices meet GMP, HACCP, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Oversee maintenance planning and scheduling
• Manage maintenance inventory strategies including critical spare parts, min/max levels, and inventory optimisation
• Ensure CMMS data integrity for work orders, equipment records, spare parts, and maintenance histories
• Develop and maintain equipment Bills of Material and critical spares programmes
• Monitor maintenance spending and support budget management
• Identify opportunities to reduce maintenance costs while maintaining equipment reliability.
• Maintain accurate maintenance records, asset histories, and compliance documentation
• Prepare and present maintenance performance reports, reliability analyses, and operational summaries to management
• Analyse maintenance and production performance data to support strategic decision-making
• Develop dashboards and reporting tools to monitor equipment performance and maintenance effectiveness
• Ensure technical documentation, SOPs, preventive maintenance procedures, and troubleshooting guides remain current.
• Coordinate contractors and service providers performing maintenance work on-site
• Ensure contracted work is completed safely, efficiently, and according to company standards
• Support communication with equipment suppliers and service providers regarding technical issues
• Assist in obtaining quotations and coordinating service requirements when needed.
• Ensure all maintenance practices comply with applicable municipal, provincial, federal, and corporate requirements
• Support internal and external audits related to safety, food safety, environmental compliance, and asset management
• Develop corrective and preventive action plans resulting from audit findings and compliance reviews
• Monitor evolving regulatory requirements and industry best practices, implementing improvements as required
• Drive continuous improvement of maintenance governance, documentation, and compliance systems.

• 5-10 years of progressive maintenance experience within a manufacturing, automation, food processing, or industrial environment.
• Minimum 3 years of leadership or supervisory experience managing technical teams.
• Demonstrated experience developing and leading preventive, predictive, and reliability-centred maintenance programmes.
• Strong expertise in mechanical, electrical, controls, automation, and process systems.
• Advanced troubleshooting experience with PLCs, SCADA, HMI platforms, robotics, motion control systems, and industrial networks.
• Experience managing contractors, vendors, and capital improvement projects.
• Strong working knowledge of CMMS, ERP systems, maintenance planning, and asset management principles.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proven ability to analyse operational data and drive measurable performance improvements.
• Strong understanding of Canadian occupational health and safety regulations and food manufacturing standards.