Job Description
Lead Engineer - Maintenance Excellence / Continuous Improvement£55,0004 on 4 off (Days, 07:00-19:00)This is a Lead Engineer role for someone who is done with simply keeping things running and is ready to start improving how they run in the first place.You'll be leading maintenance excellence and continuous improvement activity in a fast-paced production environment, focusing on reliability, performance and long-term asset health rather than short-term firefighting.Breakdowns still happen.The goal here is making them happen less, and for better reasons each time.What you'll be doingLeading the rollout and embedding of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) principlesImproving equipment reliability through structured maintenance strategiesDeveloping and strengthening planned preventative maintenance (PPM) systemsUsing CMMS data to improve planning, performance and maintenance executionDriving continuous improvement across equipment, processes and production lossesLeading structured problem solving including RCA, 5Y and DMAICIdentifying and eliminating repeat failures and chronic downtime issuesSupporting OEE improvement through data-led decision makingDeveloping SOPs and standardised maintenance practicesSupporting smart factory / reliability system implementationRunning criticality reviews and maintenance strategy improvementsDriving 5S and wider continuous improvement culture across engineeringSupporting inventory and maintenance planning optimisationCoaching and developing engineering team membersEnsuring maintenance schedules are followed through effective planning and resource allocationWhat we're looking forStrong engineering background in manufacturing or FMCG environmentsProven experience in TPM, CI or maintenance excellence rolesSolid understanding of PPM systems and CMMS platforms (SPIDEX / Mainsaver or similar)Experience with reliability engineering principles and asset care strategiesStrong background in root cause analysis and structured problem solvingComfortable working with production and maintenance performance data (OEE)Experience leading and developing engineering teamsStrong communication and coaching skillsStructured, methodical approach with strong attention to detailThe reality of the roleThis is not a reactive maintenance position dressed up with a fancy title.It suits someone who looks at repeat failures and immediately starts asking why nobody fixed the cause properly the first time. You'll need to be comfortable moving between strategy, data and shop floor reality without losing credibility in any of them.If you want predictable days and simple task lists, this will feel frustrating. If you want to actually improve how a site performs, it's exactly the kind of frustration you're looking for.TPBN1_UKTJ