Gilliland Production Maintenance Manager

Milliken & Company is a global manufacturing leader whose focus on materials science delivers tomorrow’s breakthroughs today. From industry-leading molecules to sustainable innovations, Milliken creates products that enhance people’s lives and deliver solutions for its customers and communities. Drawing on thousands of patents and a portfolio with applications across the textile, flooring, chemical and healthcare businesses, the company harnesses a shared sense of integrity and excellence to positively impact the world for generations. Discover more about Milliken’s curious minds and inspired solutions at Milliken.com and on Facebook, Instagram and  LinkedIn.

Milliken Gilliland – Production Maintenance Manager

Summary

This position is located at the Milliken Gilliland Plant in Laurens, SC and reports directly to the Plant Manager. The Production Maintenance Manager is responsible for leading all maintenance and reliability activities across the site to ensure the safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of Knitting and Laid Scrim production equipment. This role provides leadership for maintenance personnel, drives continuous improvement of maintenance systems, and partners with Operations, Engineering, Process Improvement, and Safety teams to achieve plant performance objectives. The Production Maintenance Manager plays a critical role in developing maintenance strategies that improve safety, quality, equipment reliability, productivity, and cost performance.

Key Responsibilities

Safety Leadership

• Lead and promote a culture where safety is the highest priority and hazard prevention is integrated into daily operations.
• Ensure compliance with all Milliken safety standards, environmental requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Drive rapid closure of safety observations, audits, corrective actions, and risk reduction initiatives.
• Ensure proper application of Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), machine guarding, and safe maintenance work practices.
  
  

Maintenance & Reliability

• Lead all maintenance activities supporting production, utilities, and facility equipment.
• Own and continuously improve the preventive and predictive maintenance programs for all production assets.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts and coordinate resources during equipment failures and production interruptions.
• Conduct root cause analysis for chronic equipment issues and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Develop reliability improvement strategies that increase equipment uptime and reduce maintenance-related losses.
• Ensure effective planning, scheduling, and execution of maintenance work.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop maintenance technicians through performance management, training, and career development.
• Establish individual and team objectives aligned with plant and business goals.
• Ensure maintenance personnel possess the technical skills required to support current and future equipment needs.
• Determine staffing requirements and work schedules to support operational demands and business priorities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
  
  

Operational Excellence

• Utilize data and analytics to identify reliability improvements, optimize maintenance resources, and improve asset performance.
• Partner with Production, Engineering Services, and Process Improvement teams to support operational objectives.
• Support capital projects, equipment upgrades, and commissioning activities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.

Qualifications – Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Technology, Maintenance Management, or a related technical discipline.
• Previous experience leading hourly maintenance associates or technicians.
• Strong mechanical and troubleshooting skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate across all levels of the organization and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Qualifications – Preferred

• Mechanical Engineering degree or equivalent technical experience.
• Experience with SAP, Barco, MaintainX, or other Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS).
• Experience utilizing Power BI or other data visualization and analytics tools.
• Knowledge of predictive maintenance, reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) methodologies.
• Mechatronics education or experience.
• Experience with PLCs, drives, motors, electrical systems, controls, and industrial automation.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement experience.

Milliken is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, including but not limited to lactation), sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

To request a reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, a job interview, or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact TalentAcquisition@milliken.com.