Maintenance Manager

NEUTRA; Alfreton CP; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading sterilisation service provider in the UK is seeking a hands-on Maintenance Manager to lead a multi-skilled team in maintaining complex sterilisation systems. The ideal candidate will have experience in a regulated process environment, strong organisational skills, and the ability to manage contractors effectively. This role offers the chance to make significant improvements in safety and efficiency within a character-rich plant environment.

Benefits

Collaborative team environment

Opportunity for meaningful improvements

Commitment to site investment

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading maintenance in a COMAH, chemical, or highly regulated process environment.
• Strong working knowledge of ATEX/DSEAR, Permit to Work, and Process Safety systems.
• Hands-on experience maintaining or supervising complex process equipment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the multi-skilled maintenance team to deliver safe and effective maintenance.
• Plan and execute preventive and corrective activities for EO sterilisation systems.
• Act as Permit-to-Work authoriser and ensure contractor activities are safely managed.

Skills

Strong organisational skills

Communication skills

Experience with legacy equipment

Managing contractors

Education

Time-served engineer or formally qualified (mechanical, electrical, or multi-skilled)

HNC/HND or Degree in Engineering discipline

Job description

Overview

Our client's facility provides vital sterilisation services to the healthcare and medical industries. The site operates six large Ethylene Oxide (EO) sterilisation vessels, supported by 45°C product conditioning and post-process degassing areas. It's an established site with a long history, and while much of the core plant is older, they are steadily modernising systems, controls, and instrumentation in line with our corporate standards and regulatory requirements. This is a real, hands-on maintenance leadership role not a desk job or a “blank sheet” transformation post. You'll take ownership of keeping a complex, heavily regulated process plant safe, compliant, and running efficiently, working with equipment that's reliable but ageing, and modernising what's realistic within budget and regulatory limits.

The Role

Reporting to the General Manager, you'll lead the small multi-skilled Maintenance team and manage the day-to-day upkeep of the facility.

You'll plan, prioritise, and oversee all maintenance, repair, and statutory inspection work both internally and through external contractors ensuring all activities meet the clients' corporate standards and the strict legal requirements of operating with Ethylene Oxide.

You'll work closely with Production, Quality, and HSE colleagues to maintain uptime, compliance, and safety while developing the site's long-term maintenance strategy in line with its modernisation roadmap.

This position suits a hands-on Maintenance or Engineering Manager who enjoys being out in the plant, solving practical problems, and leading by example in a small, close-knit environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, organise, and motivate the maintenance team to deliver safe, effective, and compliant maintenance across all plant and equipment.
• Plan and execute preventive, corrective, and calibration activities for the EO sterilisation systems, utilities, and supporting infrastructure.
• Ensure all maintenance activities comply with COMAH, DSEAR, and ATEX requirements, and corporate safety procedures.
• Act as Permit-to-Work authoriser and ensure contractor activities are safely managed.
• Maintain accurate maintenance and calibration records, asset registers, and compliance documentation within the CMMS.
• Support and prepare for audits from regulatory bodies and internal HSE/Quality functions.
• Manage maintenance budgets, spares, and consumables - improving stock control and documentation accuracy.
• Identify and deliver small-scale continuous improvement projects that enhance reliability, energy efficiency, or safety.
• Provide engineering input to site upgrade and modernisation projects (sensors, controls, power distribution, etc.).
• Contribute to process safety reviews, risk assessments, and management of change activities.
• Foster a proactive maintenance culture - coaching and developing the team to take ownership and pride in the site's assets.

About You

You'll be a practical, grounded engineering professional who enjoys making a difference in a real-world environment where keeping the plant running safely is the top priority.

Essential:

• Time-served or formally qualified engineer (mechanical, electrical, or multi-skilled).
• Proven experience leading maintenance in a COMAH, chemical, pharma, or other highly regulated process environment.
• Strong working knowledge of ATEX/DSEAR, Permit to Work, and Process Safety systems.
• Hands-on experience maintaining or supervising maintenance of complex process equipment, utilities, or automation.
• Comfortable working with and improving legacy equipment and control systems.
• Strong organisational and communication skills with good CMMS and record-keeping discipline.
• Proven ability to manage contractors and ensure compliance with safety and quality systems.

Desirable:

• HNC/HND or Degree in Engineering discipline.
• NEBOSH or IOSH Managing Safely qualification.
• Experience working with Ethylene Oxide, sterilisation systems, Atex or similar hazardous process operations.
• Exposure to ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 management systems.

What You'll Find Here

• A close-knit, collaborative team where safety and compliance come first.
• A plant that's full of character older equipment, big kit, and real engineering challenges.
• The opportunity to make steady, meaningful improvements that genuinely matter.
• A stable global business committed to investing in the site's future.

If you're a hands-on Maintenance Manager who takes pride in keeping critical equipment safe and reliable and enjoys the satisfaction of solving real problems rather than just talking about them this is the role for you