Role: Maintenance Shift Leader
Reports to: Head of Engineering
Site: Darlington
Hours: 3 week rotation - early, late and night shifts
Salary: £43,594.18, with shift allowance £49,034.02
We’re looking for an experienced Maintenance Shift Leader to join our Darlington manufacturing site. In this role, you will lead and manage a team of Maintenance Engineers to ensure equipment reliability, maximise uptime and deliver against safety, performance and cost targets.
You’ll take ownership of both planned and reactive maintenance, driving continuous improvement, developing your team, and maintaining a safe, efficient and high‑performing operation aligned with site and business objectives.
What’s in it for you?
* Subsidised canteen
* Fantastic company discounts: Up to 80% off our stylish kitchen ranges and products
* Access to Retail Trust
* Flexible holidays: Buy up to five extra days with our holiday purchase scheme
* Wellbeing support: Access to our virtual GP service and employee assistance platform 24/7
* Lifestyle perks: Cycle to work scheme and savings on hundreds of top brands via our benefits app
* A collaborative culture built on care, inclusion, and continuous improvement
What you’ll be doing:
* Lead and coordinate day-to-day maintenance activities to maximise plant reliability and uptime
* Drive and manage an effective Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) programme, ensuring maintenance is proactive rather than reactive
* Understand and promote the critical importance of PPMs in preventing breakdowns, improving reliability, and extending equipment life
* Lead and embed strong 5S standards across engineering and production areas, driving organisation, cleanliness, and workplace discipline
* Manage planned maintenance schedules and prioritise reactive breakdown support effectively
* Mentor, coach, and develop engineers to strengthen technical capability and team performance
* Drive a strong safety‑first culture, ensuring all HSE standards, KPI’s, and legislative requirements are consistently achieved
* Conduct detailed electrical fault‑finding and root cause analysis, implementing permanent corrective actions
* Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on reliability, efficiency, and waste reduction
* Organise and control contractors, ensuring compliance, safety, and quality standards are maintained
* Build and wire electrical control panels where required
* Lead by example with engineering standards, behaviours, and best practices
* Deliver effective team briefings and communicate maintenance performance clearly to operational stakeholders
* Maintain exceptional housekeeping and engineering standards across all work areas
* Collaborate cross‑functionally to achieve production and business objectives
* Remain flexible to support operational demands, including shift or working pattern changes where required
Who we’re looking for:
* NVQ Level 3 (minimum) in Electrical Engineering or a relevant engineering discipline
* Time‑served maintenance engineering background within manufacturing or production environments
* Strong electrical fault‑finding and diagnostic skills on machinery and automated equipment
* Proven leadership experience with excellent mentoring and people‑development capability
* Multi‑skilled engineering experience advantageous
* Experience within woodworking, furniture manufacturing, CNC machinery, or similar industries highly desirable
* Strong understanding of Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) systems and reliability‑centred maintenance principles
* 5S‑driven mindset with a passion for high standards and continuous improvement
* Ability to build, wire, and fault‑find electrical panels
* Strong understanding of preventative maintenance and continuous improvement methodologies
* Calm, decisive, and solutions‑focused under pressure
* Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
* Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles
* IT literate, including CMMS systems, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.
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