OverviewThe Ride Maintenance Manager provides leadership and direction for the mechanical and electrical maintenance of the park’s rides and attractions. This position is responsible for ensuring attractions are maintained to the highest standards of safety, reliability, regulatory compliance, and operational readiness.
The Ride Maintenance Manager leads the Ride Maintenance team, oversees preventive maintenance and annual rehabilitation programs, coordinates corrective repairs and technical projects, and ensures maintenance activities are properly planned, documented, and completed within established schedules and budgets.
This position works closely with Operations, Engineering, Safety, Construction, Facility Maintenance and other park departments to support safe and reliable attraction operation while minimizing downtime and impacts to the Guest experience.
Responsibilities
- Provide day-to-day leadership, direction, and accountability for Ride Maintenance supervisors, technicians, and support personnel.
- Oversee mechanical and electrical maintenance, inspection, troubleshooting, repair, and rehabilitation activities for rides and attractions.
- Develop, coordinate, and execute preventive maintenance and annual ride rehabilitation schedules.
- Prioritize maintenance activities based on safety, operational needs, attraction availability, staffing, and established deadlines.
- Monitor attraction reliability and recurring equipment issues and drive corrective actions that improve long-term performance.
- Ensure maintenance work is properly planned, assigned, executed, inspected, and documented.
- Coordinate troubleshooting and repair efforts for complex mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and control-system issues.
- Manage maintenance projects from planning through completion while monitoring labor, materials, schedules, and budget requirements.
- Provide clear and timely communication regarding attraction status, maintenance priorities, project progress, risks, and anticipated return-to-service timelines.
- Partner with Operations and other departments to minimize attraction downtime and impacts to the guest experience.
- Ensure maintenance records, inspection documentation, work orders, and regulatory records are accurate, current, organized, and readily accessible.
- Develop and maintain departmental procedures, work practices, and maintenance standards.
- Ensure compliance with applicable CAL/OSHA, DOSH, EPA, manufacturer requirements, company policies, and other applicable regulatory requirements.
- Promote a strong safety culture and ensure maintenance activities are performed using approved procedures, proper tools, and appropriate safety practices.
- Develop team capabilities through coaching, technical training, performance management, and succession planning.
- Coordinate with manufacturers, vendors, contractors, and technical resources when specialized support is required.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on attraction reliability, preventive maintenance effectiveness, maintenance efficiency, and reduction of recurring failures.
- Perform other duties as assigned in support of park and Maintenance Department objectives.
Reporting Structure:
- Reports to the Director of Maintenance and Construction
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications:
- Minimum of five years of maintenance leadership, project management, or comparable technical management experience.
- Previous leadership experience within amusement rides, theme parks, industrial maintenance, manufacturing, or another complex equipment environment strongly preferred.
- Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical maintenance principles.
- Working knowledge of hydraulic and pneumatic systems, gear drives, motors, mechanical power transmission, hand and power tools, and heavy equipment.
- Experience troubleshooting complex equipment and coordinating multidisciplinary maintenance activities.
- Experience interpreting mechanical drawings, electrical schematics, hydraulic/pneumatic diagrams, technical manuals, and equipment manufacturer documentation.
- Demonstrated knowledge of preventive maintenance and equipment reliability practices.
- Working knowledge of applicable CAL/OSHA, DOSH, EPA, and other regulatory requirements.
- Experience overseeing major equipment overhauls, preventive maintenance programs, and complex corrective repairs.
- Experience with computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS); Maximo experience preferred.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead teams, establish priorities, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines.
- Demonstrated experience improving equipment reliability, reducing recurring failures, and using maintenance data to identify trends and drive corrective actions.
- Experience planning and managing maintenance labor, staffing, schedules, budgets, spare parts, and contractor resources.
- Experience developing technicians through structured training, qualification programs, coaching, and technical mentorship.
- Must possess a valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record.
- Must be available to work a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, holidays, and periods of increased maintenance activity as operationally required.
- Must be able to access all areas of the park and perform duties in an active maintenance and amusement-park environment. The position may require lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds, bending, squatting, kneeling, climbing, working in confined spaces, and working at significant heights up to 200.
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous leadership experience in amusement ride maintenance, theme park maintenance, or a similarly regulated industrial maintenance environment.
- Strong technical background in mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and industrial control systems.
- Experience overseeing annual ride rehabilitation & complex corrective repairs.
- Familiarity with amusement ride control systems, PLCs, variable frequency drives (VFDs), sensors, safety circuits, and industrial automation.
- Working knowledge of amusement ride inspection, maintenance, and documentation requirements, including California DOSH requirements.
- Experience working directly with ride manufacturers, engineering firms, third-party inspectors, contractors, and specialized technical vendors.
- Technical degree, trade certification, apprenticeship, or equivalent advanced training in mechanical, electrical, industrial maintenance, engineering technology, or a related field preferred.
