Maintenance Engineer

The Butchers Recruiter; Harlestone; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The Butchers Recruiter is seeking a Maintenance Engineer for a busy Northampton food manufacturing site. You will diagnose and repair electrical and mechanical faults on high-speed production lines, automate and optimise PLC systems and support equipment upgrades while maintaining food safety standards.

You’ll perform preventive maintenance and breakdown repairs, monitor performance, and drive reliability improvements across a range of ovens, refrigeration and automated machinery.

Qualifications

• Qualified electrical or mechanical engineer with an apprenticeship.
• Experience in regulated, high-volume manufacturing.
• Strong fault-finding including PLC, automation, pneumatics and hydraulics.
• Knowledge of planned preventive maintenance, electrical drawings and CMMS.
• Understanding of health and safety requirements in manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Diagnose and repair electrical and mechanical faults across high-speed production equipment.
• Carry out planned preventive maintenance, condition-based inspections and breakdown repairs to minimise downtime.
• Maintain and troubleshoot PLC-controlled equipment, pneumatic and hydraulic systems, ovens, refrigeration plant and automated machinery.
• Monitor equipment performance, identify recurring issues and implement improvements to increase reliability and efficiency.
• Support machinery installations, modifications and engineering projects with suppliers and contractors.
• Maintain accurate CMMS records, complete shift handovers and ensure food safety standards.

Skills

Electrical fault finding

Mechanical fault finding

PLC systems

Automation

Pneumatics

Hydraulics

Education

Engineering qualification + apprenticeship

Tools

CMMS

Job description

When production stops, every minute counts. As a Maintenance Engineer, you'll be the person who gets things moving again, solving complex faults, improving machinery performance and keeping a busy food manufacturing operation running safely and efficiently.

You’ll work with a wide range of high-speed production equipment, from PLC-controlled machinery and automated packaging lines to industrial ovens and refrigeration systems. It's a hands-on opportunity where your technical knowledge will make a real difference to production performance, reliability and continuous improvement.

What's in it for you

• The opportunity to work with a well-established food manufacturing business in Northampton.
• Exposure to a wide variety of mechanical, electrical and automated production equipment.
• The chance to develop your technical knowledge across PLC systems, high-speed machinery and specialist manufacturing equipment.
• A varied workload combining fault finding, PPM and engineering improvements.
• Opportunities for further training, cross-skilling and professional development.
• The chance to contribute to equipment upgrades, new installations and improvements that directly impact production efficiency.

Your responsibilities as a Maintenance Engineer

• Diagnose and repair electrical and mechanical faults across high-speed production, processing and packaging machinery.
• Carry out planned preventative maintenance, condition-based inspections and breakdown repairs to minimise downtime.
• Maintain and troubleshoot PLC-controlled equipment, pneumatic and hydraulic systems, industrial ovens, refrigeration plant and automated machinery.
• Monitor equipment performance, identify recurring issues and implement improvements to increase reliability and efficiency.
• Support machinery installations, modifications and engineering projects, working alongside equipment suppliers and contractors.
• Maintain accurate records using the CMMS system, complete shift handovers and ensure all work meets food safety and health and safety standards.

What we're looking for in a Maintenance Engineer

• A recognised electrical or mechanical engineering qualification, ideally supported by a completed apprenticeship.
• Experience maintaining and repairing equipment within a regulated, high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Strong electrical and mechanical fault-finding skills, including experience with PLC-controlled machinery, automation, pneumatics and hydraulics.
• Knowledge of planned preventative maintenance, electrical drawings and computerised maintenance management systems.
• Understanding of manufacturing health and safety requirements, including safe isolation procedures. Experience with industrial microwaves, gas ovens or high-voltage equipment would be advantageous.