Head of Electromechanical Training & Certification

Job Description

Build a world-class technical academy from the ground up — and own it end to end.

***Competitive salary $120,000++***

This is a rare greenfield mandate. As Head of Electromechanical Training, you'll architect — from a blank page — the full maintenance training and certification framework that will power 10 manufacturing sites across North America. This is a senior, high-ownership role spanning the entire system: defining the competency model, authoring the tests and hands-on practical assessments, building the four-level certification structure and its scoring matrix, and tying certification to a transparent salary-progression path. You'll also stand up dedicated electromechanical training labs, build out the e-learning platform, and partner closely with maintenance leadership to tailor training programs to each site.

You’ll know you are winning when technicians are visibly more capable and are moving up levels, downtime is reduced, and a scalable certification system is running across the company.

What You Will Own

• Design the academy's four-level certification framework, defining the skills, competencies, and progression criteria required at each level
• Author the written tests and hands-on practical assessments for different skills along with the scoring matrix and pass thresholds used to grade them
• Create a training calendar and timeline by site and by individual.
• Partner with plant managers and maintenance supervisors to assess skill gaps and prioritize training needs
• Deliver in-person and remote training sessions to maintenance teams across Canada and the United States
• Track and report on training completion, certification rates, and performance improvements
• Set up dedicated electromechanical training areas at some of our sites
• Partner with HR and operations to tie each certification level to a defined salary band, so technicians earn a clear pay increase as they advance
• Bring OEMs and PLC providers onsite to deliver specialized training
• Partner with trade schools and certification bodies to build a sustainable talent pipeline
• Train local leaders and build train-the-trainer capability
• Build dashboards tracking skill coverage, certification levels, and training completion by plant and role
• Link training outcomes to downtime reduction, maintenance performance, and contractor dependency

Your First Year

• By month 2 — the competency model and four-level framework are defined, and pilot sites are selected.
• By month 4 — the written tests, hands-on assessments, and scoring matrix are built and validated at two pilot plants.
• By month 6 — certification is live across the North American network, the first technicians are advancing salary bands, and dashboards are tracking skill coverage by plant.
• By month 12 – all maintenance people have been tested and 50% have received at least 20 hours of training.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in industrial maintenance in an electromechanical or automation-heavy environment
• Electrical and mechanical certifications (or equivalent trade qualification)
• 5+ years building or leading technical training, apprenticeship, or certification programs
• Expertise in PLCs (Siemens, Allen-Bradley), industrial electrical systems, and hydraulics/pneumatics in a manufacturing environment
• Proven track record building structured training programs, competency frameworks, or workforce capability systems — not just delivering training
• Experience working with OEMs, suppliers, and external training partners
• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations across plants or regions
• Strong systems thinker with the ability to design scalable frameworks and drive adoption across a complex organization
• Bilingual – French & English (due to frequent communication with employees in Quebec, Ontario, and the United States).
• Ability to translate technical expertise into learning pathways, hands-on assessments, and scalable certification standards
• Comfortable operating at both strategic level (program design) and hands-on level (labs, curriculum, floor delivery)
• Ability to travel 20% of the time