Maintenance Operations Engineer

INNOVA SEARCH; Widnes; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading chemical manufacturing business in the UK seeks a Maintenance Operations Engineer. This role involves delivering hands-on engineering support, maintaining manufacturing equipment, and ensuring compliance with safety and quality standards. Ideal candidates will have a degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering and experience in a GMP manufacturing environment. The position offers the chance to make a significant impact in a collaborative and innovative setting.

Qualifications

• Degree qualified or apprenticeship trained in a Mechanical or Electrical Engineering discipline.
• Multi-skilled background in mechanical and electrical engineering preferred.
• Experience on a GMP manufacturing site.

Responsibilities

• Deliver hands-on engineering support for manufacturing, quality, and EHS.
• Report key maintenance metrics and KPIs.
• Collaborate with other teams to identify equipment improvement opportunities.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Electrical engineering

Hands-on maintenance

Technical knowledge

Education

Degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Apprenticeship in relevant field

Job description

Overview

Innova Search are proudly supporting a leading chemical manufacturing business with the appointment of a Maintenance Operations Engineer. Our client is an organisation with a strong culture of collaboration, innovation, and sustainability, offering employees the chance to make a real impact in an industry that touches lives every day. With a strong presence in the UK and a state-of-the-art manufacturing and R&D facility, they play a crucial role in producing high-quality products at scale.

Role

This position will deliver hands-on engineering support, addressing daily issues that affect manufacturing, quality, or EHS, while serving as the primary engineering point of contact for onsite production areas. You will work as the key link between Maintenance Engineering and the Process Team, ensuring that all equipment is safely maintained, compliant, and kept in a qualified state where necessary. Additionally, you will act as the user representative for major capital projects within the manufacturing areas you support.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with engineering planners and supervisors to integrate urgent tasks into the schedule, ensuring adequate staffing
• Identify and address gaps in the maintenance system (e.g., spare parts, preventive maintenance), escalating issues when necessary
• Develop and update job plans for equipment within your area of expertise or when duties/equipment change.
• Maintain and revise equipment-specific maintenance SOPs for your area of responsibility
• Report key maintenance metrics and KPIs to the Process Team, Maintenance huddles, and other relevant meetings
• Manage minor equipment replacements or like-for-like changes in line with site change management procedures
• Serve as the user representative for capital projects involving the replacement of individual equipment items
• Participate in FMEA studies, contributing technical knowledge of equipment and facilities
• Investigate non-critical equipment or maintenance failures, documenting findings in the event management system
• Collaborate with Reliability, TechOps, Operations, and Quality teams to identify equipment improvement and optimisation opportunities
• Act as the subject matter expert during internal and external audits
• Provide on-site support and coaching to maintenance and operations personnel within your area
• Understand and uphold key process safety and environmental protections related to manufacturing equipment
• Offer site-wide support as needed, depending on skill set

Experience

• Mechanical or Electrical Engineering discipline degree qualified/apprenticeship trained, or equivalent
• Multi-skilled (mechanical & electrical) background preferred
• Experience of working on a GMP manufacturing site
• Solid understanding of mechanical and electrical principles/regulations
• Proven experience of hands-on maintenance and servicing of capital machinery