Maintenance Engineer

I am recruiting on behalf of my client for a hands-on Maintenance Engineer to join their in-house production operation in Southampton on a permanent, full-time basis, with a salary of £40,000–£48,000.<br />Following the move of production in-house, the site now operates three fully automated production lines manufacturing and packaging cleaners, waxes, lubricants and other liquid products.

This is an excellent opportunity for a practical Maintenance Engineer who enjoys being close to the machinery, solving problems and taking ownership of equipment performance.

As the Maintenance Engineer, you will play a key role in keeping production running safely and efficiently, covering breakdowns, fault finding, preventative maintenance, machine setup and product changeovers. Your responsibilities will include:

Responding to machine breakdowns across automated production lines.<br />Diagnosing mechanical, electrical and automation-related faults.<br />Carrying out practical repairs to restore production safely and efficiently.<br />Troubleshooting recurring problems and identifying root causes.<br />Resolving issues including machine alignment, leaks, packaging faults and production stoppages.<br />Ordering replacement components and critical spares to minimise downtime.<br />Developing and supporting planned preventative maintenance activities.<br />Establishing maintenance schedules and maintaining accurate engineering records.<br />Supporting machine setup, adjustments and product and packaging changeovers.<br />Improving the consistency and repeatability of equipment changeovers.<br />Learning the operation and technical requirements of machinery across all three production lines.<br />Documenting equipment settings, known faults and effective solutions.<br />Developing clear machine manuals and working instructions.<br />Supporting Root Cause Analysis and implementing improvements to equipment reliability, safety and productivity.<br />Working alongside Production to reduce downtime and improve changeover times.<br />Guiding and supporting existing machine setters through practical coaching and knowledge sharing.I am looking for a Maintenance Engineer with strong hands-on experience gained within an automated manufacturing or production environment.

Relevant backgrounds could include packaging, chemical manufacturing, FMCG, food and beverage, cosmetics, consumer products or automated manufacturing.<br />The successful candidate will ideally demonstrate:

Hands-on maintenance experience within manufacturing or production.<br />Strong mechanical fault-finding skills.<br />Experience with automated or semi-automated production equipment.<br />Practical experience repairing production machinery.<br />Machine setup and product changeover experience.<br />A methodical approach to fault diagnosis and the ability to work effectively under production pressure.<br />Confidence working directly on machinery and production lines.<br />Strong communication skills when supporting operators and machine setters.<br />Electrical fault-finding experience would be advantageous.<br />Knowledge of pneumatics, sensors and actuators, variable-speed drives or PLC/HMI fault diagnosis would be beneficial.<br />Experience with filling, capping, labelling, conveyor or packaging machinery would be particularly relevant.<br />Previous exposure to preventative maintenance, Root Cause Analysis and Continuous Improvement would be advantageous.This Maintenance Engineer position will suit someone practical, calm under pressure and confident troubleshooting equipment within a busy production environment.

You should enjoy taking ownership of engineering problems and finding practical solutions rather than simply escalating issues.<br />The Maintenance Engineer will also have the opportunity to influence how equipment is maintained and operated, helping build stronger engineering knowledge across the production team as the in-house manufacturing operation continues to develop.<br />The package includes: £40,000–£48,000 salary.<br />Permanent position.<br />Full-time employment.<br />Southampton location.<br />Hands-on role working with three fully automated production lines.<br />Opportunity to contribute to maintenance standards, machine reliability and continuous improvement within a developing in-house production operation.If you are an experienced Maintenance Engineer looking for a hands-on opportunity where you can take ownership of machinery, fault finding and equipment improvement, please contact me to discuss the position.<br />Ian Broadhurst<br />(phone number removed)<br />(url removed)