Job Information
CSL Behring Head of Maintenance Services in Kankakee, Illinois
The Head of Maintenance is a hands-on operational leader responsible for day-to-day execution and performance of maintenance activities supporting biopharmaceutical manufacturing operations. This role ensures equipment uptime, rapid issue resolution, workforce effectiveness, and strict GMP compliance in a unionized environment. The position is highly visible on the manufacturing floor and plays a critical role in enabling safe, reliable, and uninterrupted production through disciplined maintenance execution and strong labor leadership.
Role that this position reports to: Head of Manufacturing Engineering and Maintenance
Role/s that report to this position: Maintenance Supervisors
Main Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
- Maintenance Operations & Execution
Own day-to-day maintenance execution supporting manufacturing, utilities, laboratories, and facilities in a GMP-regulated environment.
Ensure rapid response to equipment failures and operational issues to minimize downtime and production impact.
Lead preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance activities with a strong focus on schedule adherence and backlog control.
Partner closely with Manufacturing to prioritize work based on production needs and operational risk.
Drive reliability improvements through root cause analysis, effective troubleshooting, and disciplined follow-up actions.
Monitor and manage key operational KPIs, including equipment uptime, schedule compliance, backlog, MTTR, and emergency work.
- Union & Workforce Management
Guide and engage a skilled unionized maintenance workforce, focusing on professional development, teamwork, and effective communication to uphold operational efficiency and job satisfaction.
Manage labor relations in alignment with collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), company policies, and applicable labor laws.
Partner with HR and Labor Relations on grievance resolution, disciplinary actions, workforce planning, and contract negotiations.
Foster a culture of safety, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
- Planning, Scheduling & Budget Management
Ensure effective maintenance planning and scheduling to support manufacturing demand and maximize workforce productivity.
Own CMMS execution, including work order quality, timely closeout, and accurate documentation.
Control maintenance operating costs by managing overtime, contractors, spare parts usage, and service agreements.
Develop and manage the maintenance operating budget, including labor, contracts, spare parts, and capital repairs.
Support to maintain critical spare parts availability to support rapid equipment recovery.
Optimize spare parts strategy and vendor management to balance cost, risk, and reliability
.Support capital projects by ensuring operational readiness, maintainability, and smooth handover to maintenance.
- GMP Compliance & Quality
Ensure maintenance activities comply with FDA, EMA, and other regulatory requirements (cGMP, GAMP, EHS).
Own and support maintenance-related deviations, investigations, CAPAs, and change controls.
Ensure proper documentation practices, data integrity, and audit readiness at all times.
Support regulatory inspections and internal audits as a subject matter expert.
- Safety & Environmental Stewardship
Champion EHS programs, ensuring safe work practices and compliance with OSHA and site safety standards.
Lead safety investigations and corrective actions related to maintenance activities.
Promote a proactive safety culture within the maintenance organization.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
Act as a primary maintenance point of contact for Manufacturing Operations and Shift Leaders
Participate in daily production meetings, tier boards, and deviation reviews to align maintenance priorities with operational needs.
Provide on-the-floor leadership during major equipment issues, shutdowns, and turnarounds.
Collaborate with Engineering, Utilities, Quality, and EHS to resolve operational issues quickly and compliantly.
Provide technical leadership and decision-making support during complex operational and reliability challenges.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor, members of the Global Leadership Team, or other authorized leaders in support of evolving business needs and cross-functional collaboration.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or related discipline) or equivalent technical experience.
Experience
7+ years of maintenance and engineering experience within biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, or regulated manufacturing environments.
5+ years of people leadership experience, including direct management of supervisors and unionized technicians.
Demonstrated experience working within a union environment and managing CBAs.
Strong background supporting GMP manufacturing operations (aseptic, fill/finish, bulk, fractionation, or utilities preferred).
Experience with reliability engineering, maintenance strategies, and CMMS systems
Knowledge of Six Sigma/Lean principles is a plus.
Deep knowledge of manufacturing equipment, clean utilities, facilities systems, and automation interfaces.
Experience with CMMS platforms (e.g., Maximo, SAP, TrackWise Digital).
Strong understanding of reliability engineering principles and asset management best practices.
Strong shop-floor leadership presence with the ability to make timely operational decisions.
Proven ability to lead union teams through daily execution, performance management, and accountability.
Competencies
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication abilities.
Technical Expertise in Asset Management
Data-Driven Decision Making
Change Leadership & Transformation
Cross-Cultural Collaboration
Commitment to CSL values, ethical behavior, inclusive teamwork, and modeling a positive, respectful culture.
The expected base salary range for this position at hiring is $136,000- $171,000. Please note this salary range reflects the minimum and maximum base pay that CSL expects to pay for this position at the listed location as of the time of this posting. Individual base salary for a successful candidate is determined by qualifications, skill level, experience, competencies and other relevant factors. In addition to base salary, total compensation for this role may also include incentive compensation and equity.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader driven by our promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients’ needs by using the latest technologies, we discover, develop and deliver innovative therapies for people living with conditions in the immunology, hematology, cardiovascular and metabolic, respiratory, and transplant therapeutic areas. We use three strategic scientific platforms of plasma fractionation, recombinant protein technology, and cell and gene therapy to support continued innovation and continually refine ways in which products can address unmet medical needs and help patients lead full lives.
CSL Behring operates one of the world’s largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. Our parent company, CSL, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs 32,000 people, and delivers its lifesaving therapies to people in more than 100 countries.
To learn more about CSL, CSL Behring, CSL Seqirus and CSL Vifor visit https://www.csl.com/ and CSL Plasma at https://www.cslplasma.com/ .
Our Benefits
For more information on CSL benefits visit How CSL Supports Your Well-being | CSL (https://www.csl.com/careers/your-well-being) .
You Belong at CSL
At CSL, Inclusion and Belonging is at the core of our mission and who we are. It fuels our innovation day in and day out. By celebrating our differences and creating a culture of curiosity and empathy, we are able to better understand and connect with our patients and donors, foster strong relationships with our stakeholders, and sustain a diverse workforce that will move our company and industry into the future.
To learn more about inclusion and belonging visit https://www.csl.com/careers/inclusion-and-belonging
Equal Opportunity Employer
CSL is an Equal Opportunity Employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please visit https://www.csl.com/accessibility-statement .
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CSL makes all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, protected veteran status (specifically status as a disabled veteran, recently separated veteran, armed forces service medal veteran, or active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran) or other classification protected by applicable US federal, state or local law. CSL complies with all applicable employment laws, including but not limited to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Immigration Reform and Control Act. https://www.cslbehring.com/careers/eeo-statement