Maintenance and Engineering Manager.

Maintenance and Engineering Manager

Location: South Kildare Type: Full-Time | Permanent

Hartley People Recruitment is seeking an experienced Maintenance and Process Manager for an established food manufacturing business in South Kildare.

This senior site-based role has responsibility for maintenance performance and process optimisation. The successful candidate will lead maintenance, improve equipment reliability and drive preventative and predictive maintenance, while improving production processes, plant efficiency and operational performance.

The role combines maintenance leadership, process engineering and continuous improvement, working with Production, Quality and Engineering to improve reliability, efficiency and product quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the site’s maintenance strategy, achieving equipment availability, reliability and efficiency targets.
• Manage and develop the maintenance technician team, including performance, training and technical development.
• Oversee reactive, preventative and predictive maintenance.
• Coordinate internal maintenance teams, contractors and third-party providers.
• Drive proactive maintenance to reduce breakdowns and improve equipment reliability.
• Manage the CMMS, maintaining accurate schedules, records and equipment information.
• Review recurring failures and apply Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and corrective actions.
• Manage the Maintenance Department budget.
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety, Quality and GMP requirements.
• Improve maintenance systems, procedures and working practices.
• Support capital projects and equipment upgrades.
• Lead process and plant optimisation across production, filling, packing, utilities and raw-material intake.
• Troubleshoot operational and process issues as a technical point of contact.
• Monitor process performance and improve throughput, efficiency, reliability and quality.
• Analyse MES and process data, identifying trends and practical improvement actions.
• Work with Production and Quality to develop, test and implement process improvements.
• Lead or support Lean, Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Manage process changes through Change Control procedures.
• Maintain SOPs, process documentation, logbooks and technical training materials.
• Support QMS documentation, including Change Controls, Event Reports and RCA investigations.
• Deliver technical and process training to production and maintenance personnel.
• Develop employee competency in process management, automation and MES systems.

Essential Experience and Skills

• Third-level qualification in Engineering, Science or a related discipline.
• Experience in maintenance leadership, engineering management, supervision or senior engineering within manufacturing.
• Experience within food, dairy, pharmaceutical or regulated manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of preventative and predictive maintenance.
• Experience managing and developing maintenance technicians or engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of equipment reliability, plant performance and maintenance planning.
• Experience with a CMMS and planned maintenance schedules.
• Experience using Root Cause Analysis for equipment or process issues.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement or Process Improvement.
• Strong process troubleshooting and optimisation capability.
• Ability to analyse manufacturing and process data and develop improvement actions.
• Experience with GMP, Quality and Health & Safety systems.
• Strong organisation, planning and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple maintenance and improvement priorities in active production.
• Strong communication and leadership skills across Maintenance, Production, Quality and Engineering.

Desirable Experience

• Dairy or liquid food processing experience.
• Experience with filling, packing, process plant, utilities or raw-material intake.
• Knowledge of MES and manufacturing automation systems.
• Experience with PEMAC or a comparable CMMS.
• Lean or Six Sigma training/certification.
• Experience with Change Control, SOPs and regulated technical documentation.
• Experience developing PIRs, capital expenditure proposals or project justifications.
• Experience with capital equipment installation, commissioning or plant improvement projects.
• Experience developing and delivering technical training.

How to Apply

For immediate consideration, please email your CV to [email protected] or call Nigel on 051 878813.

Hartley People Recruitment operates to the highest ethical standards. Applications are treated in strict confidence and no CV will be shared without prior consent.