Lead Mechanical Maintenance Engineer

Job role

To provide hands-on technical leadership to ensure plant, equipment and facilities operate safely, reliably and efficiently in line with food safety, hygiene and engineering standards. The role leads planned and reactive mechanical work, supports and develops engineers and apprentices, minimises production downtime, drives continuous improvement, and maintains accurate maintenance records.

• Lead the day-to-day technical work of mechanical engineering on site. Carry out and coordinate tasks in line with production and engineering requirements.
• Lead fault diagnosis and repair of mechanical plant and equipment, including pumps, motors, gearboxes, conveyors, valves and bearings, ensuring work meets required quality, hygiene and reliability standards.
• Coordinate safe isolation and permit activities, working with electrical engineers and contractors where required, and verify that all work is completed by competent persons in accordance with company procedures.
• Plan, schedule and oversee planned preventative maintenance and reactive maintenance on process plant, utilities and site facilities, ensuring work is completed safely, on time and to the required standard.
• Coordinate maintenance activity with production, including shutdown planning, resource allocation and safe handover and return-to-service of equipment, to minimise disruption and downtime.
• Ensure the team consistently follows company health and safety, food safety and hygiene requirements, including PPE, COSHH, safe systems of work, lock-out/tag-out, permits and contamination prevention.
• Review and maintain accurate maintenance records in job sheets on the CMMS Shire system, monitoring backlog, labour, parts used, root causes, repeat failures and follow-up actions, and reporting performance to the engineering planner and Head of Engineering.
• Manage mechanical spares requirements and support contractor control, ensuring suitable stock, timely ordering, site inductions, RAMS, permits and quality checks are completed.
• Lead mechanical reliability improvements and small engineering projects, using breakdown data and root cause analysis to identify, implement and verify practical improvements to safety, performance and maintainability.
• Support the development of engineers and apprentices through technical coaching, task guidance and knowledge sharing; promote high standards of workmanship, teamwork, housekeeping and continuous improvement.
• Experience and Qualifications
• Recognised mechanical engineering qualification or apprenticeship, such as NVQ Level 3, City & Guilds, HNC or equivalent practical experience.
• Substantial experience maintaining and repairing industrial machinery, ideally within food or dairy manufacturing.
• Previous experience leading technical maintenance work, coordinating engineers or contractors, and supporting less experienced team members.
• Sound knowledge of health and safety requirements, including safe isolation/LOTO, COSHH, risk assessment, permits and manual handling.
• Ability to work flexibly and support breakdown or out-of-hours cover as agreed.

Working Pattern

39-42 hour working week Monday to Friday.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £52,175.00-£53,900.00 per year

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Pwllheli LL53 6SB: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person