Manager/Associate Manager, Maintenance & Utilities

About Forge:

Forge, a member of Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services, is a gene therapy development engine, focused on enabling access to life changing gene therapies and helping bring them from idea into reality. We partner with innovators in the gene therapy community: scientists, physicians, biotech/pharma companies, and patient groups. We bring expertise in gene therapy manufacturing and therapeutics development to the table, helping to champion teams that are navigating the long road from the lab bench to the bedside. Our goal is simple but vital to patients living with disease, and we take it seriously. With a patient-first approach, we are forging new models for working together to better accelerate these transformative medicines to reach those who need them the most.   

Forge is based in Columbus, Ohio, in a 200,000 square foot facility known affectionately by team members as, the Hearth. The Hearth, is a custom-designed cGMP facility dedicated to AAV manufacturing and hosts scalable, end-to-end manufacturing services.  

About The Role:   

The Manager/Associate Manager, Maintenance and Utilities oversees a team of technicians to maintain site infrastructure, utilities, and building systems in a compliant, audit-ready state. This role ensures the reliability, safety, and performance of both GMP and non-GMP systems and plays a key role in continuous improvement, project execution, and operational readiness.

What You’ll Do: 

Facilities

• Owns the maintenance and inspection of infrastructure systems: fire suppression, site security, landscaping, pest control, building infrastructure (doors, floors, roofing), and GMP cleanroom related infrastructure.
• Coordinates site support functions, office repairs, and maintains relationships with local agencies.
• Leads the execution of facility maintenance strategies and capital improvements aligned with the site master plan, including ownership of planned and corrective maintenance programs and building robust maintenance plans in Blue Mountain Regulatory Asset Manager (BMRAM).
• Monitors trends and alarms from the Building Management System (Metasys) and Building Monitoring System (OceaSoft), reporting findings to equipment owners.

Utilities

• Manages the operation, maintenance, and compliance of site utilities: air handlers, exhaust systems, boilers, chillers, RO system, humidifiers, compressed gases, WFI, clean steam, UPS systems, emergency generators and site electrical infrastructure.
• Develops preventive and predictive maintenance programs and leads daily rounds and troubleshooting of utility systems.
• Provides mechanical maintenance expertise during project design, installation, and start-up, including support for utility equipment installations and execution of Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT).

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Support

• Trains and mentors staff, sets performance expectations, and fosters collaboration.
• Leads planned and corrective work on GMP and non-GMP mechanical equipment, ensuring compliance with Quality and EHSS requirements.
• Leads major facility and utility maintenance activities during scheduled shutdowns.
• Implements strategies for the Asset Responsible Care Program and identifies areas for continuous improvement in partnership with Plant & Reliability Engineering.
• Manages vendor and contractor services for facility and utility system maintenance, ensuring GMP compliance and audit readiness; oversees contracts, evaluates performance, and implements best practices for in-house vs. external work through strong cross-functional collaboration.
• Develops Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) and supports LOTO and spare parts programs.
• Supports equipment performance reviews and deviation investigations; develops troubleshooting narratives for equipment systems.
• Write, edit and review maintenance procedures including WI (Work Instructions) and WPTs (Work Plan Templates).
• Participates in monthly work order review and reconciliation; ensuring CMMS data integrity.
• Provides after-hours or on-call support for urgent issues, including BMS alerts.

What You’ll Bring: 

• 8+ years of experience in facility & utility operations, including complex mechanical systems.
• Proven experience supporting facilit