Equipment Specialist

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Shared Services, Systems & Infrastructure (3SI) organization within the Maritime Division provides the foundational capabilities that all production business lines depend on. As the site scales to support multiple product lines and programs, the equipment and capital assets that underpin production become increasingly critical. This role ensures those assets are reliable, well-maintained, and ready to support a growing operation. It reports directly to the Factory Manager and works across every function on site.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for an Equipment Specialist to join our rapidly growing team in Quonset, RI. In this role, you will own the lifecycle of major facility and capital equipment at our multi-product manufacturing site. You will be responsible for building and maintaining the site's preventive maintenance program, managing inspection cycles, supporting CapEx planning from justification through installation, and serving as the subject matter expert on all monument and facility-level equipment. A key mandate for this role is instilling a culture of preventive maintenance discipline across the site. The business lines have historically underinvested in PM, and leadership has made it clear that this needs to change. You will be the person who designs the PM framework, gets buy-in from production teams, and holds the organization accountable to maintaining it. In addition, you will own the development and standardization of SOPs for major equipment across the site — building a consistent, scalable framework for how equipment is operated, maintained, and handed off between shifts and teams. This means creating documentation standards, driving adoption across business lines, and ensuring SOPs stay current as equipment and processes evolve. This role requires someone who combines deep technical knowledge of manufacturing equipment with the communication skills and organizational credibility to drive behavioral change across multiple teams. If you are someone who can build systems, hold people accountable, and keep a growing factory running, this role is for you.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Preventive Maintenance Program Ownership: Design, implement, and own the site-wide preventive maintenance program for all major facility and production equipment. Establish PM schedules, procedures, and documentation standards. Track compliance and drive accountability across all business lines and shared services functions. Build a culture where PM is treated as a non-negotiable part of operations, not an afterthought.
• Capital Equipment Subject Matter Expert: Serve as the technical SME on major facility and monument-level capital equipment. Provide expertise during equipment selection, procurement, installation, commissioning, and qualification. Maintain a comprehensive understanding of all critical equipment on site, including operational capabilities, maintenance requirements, and lifecycle status.
• CapEx Planning and Execution: Support the full CapEx planning lifecycle, from identifying equipment needs and building business cases through procurement, installation, and validation. Partner with site leadership and finance to develop capital budgets, prioritize investments, and track project execution against timelines and budgets.
• Equipment Troubleshooting and Support: Serve as the escalation point for complex equipment issues. Diagnose root causes, coordinate repairs, and work with vendors and OEMs to resolve problems quickly. Maintain relationships with key equipment suppliers and service providers.
• Inspection and Compliance: Manage the inspection cycle for all major equipment. Ensure equipment meets safety, regulatory, and operational standards. Maintain inspection records and ensure the site is always audit-ready from an equipment compliance standpoint.
• Training Program Support: Support the development and delivery of training plans for all major equipment. Ensure operators and technicians across all business lines are properly trained and qualified on shared equipment. Maintain training records and identify gaps as new equipment or personnel are introduced.
• SOP Development and Standardization: Own the creation and continuous improvement of SOPs for major equipment operation, maintenance, and changeover across the site. Establish a consistent documentation format and revision process, drive cross-team adoption, and ensure SOPs are kept current as equipment, processes, and personnel change. Partner with production and quality teams to close gaps where undocumented tribal knowledge creates risk.
• Continuous Improvement: Analyze equipment performance data, downtime trends, and maintenance costs to identify improvement opportunities. Recommend and implement changes that improve equipment reliability, reduce unplanned downtime, and extend asset life.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of experience in facilities management, equipment engineering, maintenance, or a related role within a manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated experience building or significantly improving preventive maintenance programs
• Hands-on knowledge of capital equipment lifecycle management, including procurement, installation, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills across mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic/hydraulic systems
• Effective communicator who can drive process adoption across teams and present to leadership
• Experience with CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Systems) for PM scheduling, work order management, and asset tracking, implementation experience highly preferred
• Overhead crane, hoisting and rigging experience
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in defense, aerospace, or government-contract manufacturing
• Rhode Island overhead crane experience
• Knowledge of equipment qualification and validation processes (IQ/OQ/PQ)
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field
• Lean, Six Sigma, or TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) certification or experience
• Experience managing equipment in a scaling or startup manufacturing environment where processes were being built from the ground up