A leading food manufacturing business in Co. Kildare is looking to appoint an experienced Maintenance Manager to lead its Engineering and Maintenance function.

This is a key site leadership position with responsibility for team performance, plant reliability, preventative maintenance, engineering projects, cost control and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will work closely with Production and Operations to ensure the site operates safely, efficiently and reliably, while also supporting longer-term engineering and capital investment initiatives.

The Role

You will lead the site's Engineering and Maintenance team, taking ownership of day-to-day maintenance performance as well as longer-term improvements to plant reliability and engineering capability.

Key responsibilities will include:

Lead, manage and develop the site Engineering and Maintenance team.
Set clear priorities and expectations across the engineering function and support the development of team capability.
Own the site's planned preventative maintenance (PPM) strategy and ensure maintenance schedules are effectively delivered.
Drive improvements in equipment reliability, plant availability and maintenance performance.
Ensure breakdowns and production-critical engineering issues are responded to quickly and effectively.
Analyse recurring equipment issues and lead structured problem-solving and reliability improvements.
Manage engineering budgets, maintenance expenditure and departmental costs.
Manage external contractors, service providers and specialist engineering suppliers.
Oversee engineering stores, spare parts availability and maintenance systems.
Lead CAPEX and engineering improvement projects from initial planning through to implementation and handover.
Identify opportunities to improve plant efficiency, reduce downtime and optimise maintenance costs.
Work closely with Production, Operations, Utilities, Procurement and Group Engineering teams.
Ensure engineering activities comply with all relevant Health & Safety, food safety, quality and regulatory requirements.
Promote a proactive engineering culture focused on prevention, reliability and continuous improvement.
Support the development and implementation of engineering standards, processes and best practices across the site.

What are we looking for?

You will ideally have:

5+ years' experience in a Maintenance Manager, Engineering Manager, Engineering Lead or similar leadership position.
An engineering qualification or strong time-served Mechanical or Electrical trade background.
Proven experience leading engineering or maintenance teams within a manufacturing environment.
Strong knowledge of planned preventative maintenance, equipment reliability and breakdown management.
Experience managing engineering budgets, maintenance costs and contractors.
Proven experience delivering engineering projects or CAPEX initiatives.
Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis capability.
A track record of delivering continuous improvement and plant reliability initiatives.
Good knowledge of engineering stores, spare parts and maintenance systems.
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across Production, Operations, Procurement and Engineering.
A practical and hands-on leadership style, with the ability to balance immediate operational requirements with longer-term engineering improvements.

Experience within food production, FMCG or another high-volume manufacturing environment would be advantageous.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to take ownership of the Engineering and Maintenance function at an established manufacturing site, with a broad remit covering people, maintenance strategy, reliability, engineering projects, CAPEX and cost control.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to make a direct impact on plant performance while developing the engineering function and supporting future site investment.

Location: Kildare Town, Co. Kildare
Working arrangement: Fully onsite
Contract: Permanent, full-time

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