What does a Maintenance Foreman do?

The maintenance foreman is a supervisory or senior supervisory position in most company human resource structures, responsible for managing all maintenance staff, overseeing all maintenance work, and assisting with the planning, logistics, and administration of the maintenance department. The maintenance foreman may also be responsible for the training, safety, and human relations needs of maintenance staff, depending on the company’s staffing structures. A maintenance foreman is typically expected to have strong interpersonal and management skills, as well as a thorough understanding of the systems, legal requirements, equipment, and installations used in the industry.

Maintenance departments are notorious for being one of the most difficult places to work in any industry. The average maintenance department is tasked with meeting the needs and expectations of the entire company structure on a daily basis as a service department. This puts a lot of pressure on the maintenance foreman or manager, as well as the rest of his or her staff. The nature of the maintenance field makes it a fast-paced, dynamic, and stressful environment, and a maintenance foreman must be able to work well under pressure above all else.

The job description for a maintenance foreman is not one that lends itself to generalization. Each industry’s maintenance departments will have its own set of requirements. This is especially true in general maintenance fields like apartment buildings, hotels, and resorts, where the maintenance department may be responsible for a diverse range of technical disciplines. The foreman’s job overlaps with that of a senior manager to a large extent, depending on the company’s staffing structure. In smaller businesses without a dedicated maintenance manager, the foreman typically reports to a member of executive management and is expected to handle tasks such as budgeting and planning, staffing issues, ordering, loss control, and labor relations.

In general, a maintenance foreman will be in charge of the following:

Daily supervision of all maintenance personnel and quality control of all work

All maintenance-related work is planned and allocated.

Assuring that all maintenance personnel follow all company policies and procedures.

Ensure that all maintenance personnel are properly trained and informed about any changes in workplace regulations.

Project planning and coordination

Staff morale and discipline in general

Making rosters and keeping track of employee time.

All relevant issues must be reported to senior management in a timely and accurate manner.

Inventory management and purchasing

Maintaining accurate records

Maintenance requests coordination and liaison with other company structures.