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Job Description:
Plant Engineering Supervisor (New Joint Venture) (m/f/x)
3M announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Bain Capital to form a new Joint Venture which will combine Scott Safety and Madison Fire and Rescue. 3M's deep expertise and track record in the safety industry combined with Bain Capital's capability to integrate businesses, accelerate growth and drive synergies make this an ideal partnership.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.
The successful candidate may be employed by 3M prior to closing and the position is expected to transition to the Joint Venture following completion of the transaction. Role scope and timing are subject to business needs and successful transaction close.
For more information, please refer to the press release:
The Impact You’ll Make in this Role
As a Plant Engineering Supervisor at our Skelmersdale manufacturing site, you are responsible for leading maintenance operations to ensure equipment reliability, plant uptime, and safe, efficient operations. This role provides frontline leadership to maintenance technicians and contractors, drives preventive and corrective maintenance execution, and partners closely with production and support functions to minimise downtime and improve asset performance.
The position is well suited to a hands-on leader with strong maintenance planning, fault-finding, and team leadership capability in an industrial setting.
You will:
1. Lead and supervise daily maintenance activities for plant equipment including automated work cells. Manage and support a team of maintenance technicians and a co-ordinator to deliver safe, effective, and timely maintenance performance.
2. Oversee planned preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, breakdown response, and corrective maintenance execution. Prioritise maintenance work based on safety, production impact, equipment criticality, and business needs.
3. Support rapid troubleshooting and root cause investigation for equipment failures and recurring reliability issues.
4. Drive improvements in equipment availability, mean time between failures, and overall maintenance effectiveness. Work closely with production, quality, EHS, and engineering teams to resolve operational issues and implement sustainable improvements.
5. Coordinate maintenance shutdowns, planned work windows, and contractor support activities.
6. Ensure maintenance tasks are completed in accordance with site safety procedures, engineering standards, and regulatory requirements.
7. Review work orders, maintenance backlog, spare parts usage, and labour allocation to improve planning and execution efficiency.
8. Support development of maintenance strategies for critical assets, including inspection routines and lifecycle planning.
9. Maintain accurate maintenance records, technical documentation, and equipment history within the relevant maintenance management systems.
10. Contribute to budget control through effective use of labour, materials, contractors, and spare parts.
11. Promote a strong safety culture and ensure all maintenance activities are conducted in compliance with site rules and UK statutory requirements.
Your Skills and Expertise
To set you up for success in this role from day one, we are looking for candidates who meet following minimum requirements:
Required:
12. Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, HNC, or HND in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
13. Experience in a maintenance, engineering, or manufacturing environment.
14. Demonstrated experience leading, supervising, or coordinating maintenance teams or shift-based technical personnel.
15. Strong working knowledge of mechanical, electrical, or electro-mechanical plant equipment and maintenance practices.
16. Experience with planned preventive maintenance systems, breakdown management, and reliability improvement.
17. Strong fault-finding, problem-solving, and decision-making capability.
18. Good communication and organisational skills
Additional knowledge / nice-to-have skills / preferred qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:
19. PI&CS experience & PLC OEM qualifications (i.e. Siemens, AB)
20. Experience within a high-volume or continuous manufacturing environment.
21. Familiarity with CMMS or other maintenance planning systems.
22. Knowledge of condition-based maintenance and reliability-centred maintenance principles.
23. Experience leading contractors and managing permit-to-work or safe systems of work.
24. Understanding of Lean manufacturing, TPM, or continuous improvement tools.
25. IOSH or other relevant health and safety qualification.
Job Specifics:
Day to day - Regular presence on the shop floor and in operational areas is required.
Out of hours - May involve occasional out-of-hours support, shutdown work, or callout coverage depending on business requirements.
Work Location: The position is located on-site at Skelmersdale.
Working pattern - Full time
Resources for You
For more details on what happens before, during and after the interview process, check out the Insights for Candidates page at If you have further questions please reach out to Max (our AI Virtual Assistant) via our Career Page.