Maintenance & Reliability Engineer

Sofina Foods Europe; Malton; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Sofina Foods Europe is seeking a Maintenance & Reliability Engineer based at our Malton site, with responsibility across the region to embed best practices and drive reliability improvements. You will lead RCA investigations, enhance CMMS data and develop risk-based maintenance strategies that reduce downtime.

The role requires proven experience in FMCG or high-volume production environments, strong analytics, and the ability to influence teams across locations while delivering measurable asset

Qualifications

• Apprenticeship/Level 3 qualification in Mechanical, Electrical, or Manufacturing Engineering.
• Significant experience in maintenance, asset reliability or engineering improvement.
• Proven experience leading Root Cause Analysis investigations and delivering sustainable improvements.
• Strong CMMS knowledge including maintenance planning, asset hierarchies and data management.
• Experience developing preventative, predictive or reliability-focused maintenance strategies.
• Understanding of asset criticality assessments, risk management, FMEA or reliability-centred maintenance methodologies.
• Strong analytical skills to translate engineering data into practical actions.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to coach, support and influence engineering teams across multiple locations.
• Proactive approach with a passion for continuous improvement and engineering excellence.

Responsibilities

• Deploy and embed Maintenance & Reliability standards across multiple sites.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis investigations on significant equipment failures and ensure corrective actions are effectively implemented.
• Improve CMMS data quality, asset structures, downtime reporting and maintenance governance.
• Develop risk-based maintenance strategies, including asset criticality assessments and reliability-centred maintenance approaches.
• Analyse maintenance and reliability performance data to identify trends, opportunities and areas for improvement.
• Support capital investment decisions through asset risk assessments and business case development.
• Optimise spare parts strategies and inventory management to improve reliability and reduce operational risk.
• Coach and mentor engineering leaders and site teams, developing capability and promoting best practice.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that improve equipment performance, reduce costs and increase operational efficiency.
• Build strong relationships across multiple sites, influencing engineering performance through collaboration rather than direct authority.

Skills

Root Cause Analysis

Maintenance planning

Data analytics

Stakeholder management

Coaching

Multi-site leadership

Education

Apprenticeship / Level 3 qualification in Mechanical, Electrical or Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

CMMS systems

Job description

Role Overview

As a Maintenance & Reliability Engineer, you'll play a key role in transforming engineering performance across multiple manufacturing sites, helping to shift maintenance practices from reactive problem-solving to a more proactive, data-driven and reliability-focused approach.

Based at our Malton site, with responsibility for supporting additional sites across the region, you'll work closely with Heads of Engineering, site engineering teams and Group Engineering colleagues to embed best practice and drive consistent maintenance standards. Through the effective use of reliability tools, maintenance systems and engineering data, you'll help improve asset performance, reduce downtime and build long-term engineering capability across the business.

This role is ideal for an experienced reliability professional who enjoys solving complex engineering challenges, influencing others and delivering sustainable improvements through people, processes and data.

Key Duties

• Deploy and embed Maintenance & Reliability standards across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis investigations on significant equipment failures and ensure corrective actions are effectively implemented.
• Improve CMMS data quality, asset structures, downtime reporting and maintenance governance.
• Develop risk-based maintenance strategies, including asset criticality assessments and reliability-centred maintenance approaches.
• Analyse maintenance and reliability performance data to identify trends, opportunities and areas for improvement.
• Support capital investment decisions through asset risk assessments and business case development.
• Optimise spare parts strategies and inventory management to improve reliability and reduce operational risk.
• Coach and mentor engineering leaders and site teams, developing capability and promoting best practice.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that improve equipment performance, reduce costs and increase operational efficiency.
• Build strong relationships across multiple sites, influencing engineering performance through collaboration rather than direct authority.

Ideal Candidate

We're looking for an experienced maintenance or reliability professional who combines strong technical expertise with the ability to influence and develop others across a multi‑site manufacturing environment.

You will have:

• An apprenticeship, Level 3 qualification in Mechanical, Electrical or Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Significant experience within a maintenance, asset reliability or engineering improvement role, ideally within FMCG, food manufacturing or another high-volume production environment.
• Proven experience leading Root Cause Analysis investigations and delivering sustainable improvements to plant performance.
• Strong working knowledge of CMMS systems, including maintenance planning, asset hierarchies and data management.
• Experience developing preventative, predictive or reliability-focused maintenance strategies.
• Understanding of asset criticality assessments, risk management, FMEA or reliability-centred maintenance methodologies.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate engineering data into practical actions and measurable results.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to coach, support and influence engineering teams across multiple locations.
• A proactive approach with a passion for continuous improvement and engineering excellence.

It would be advantageous if you also have:

• A recognised reliability qualification such as CMRP, MIAM or equivalent.
• Experience operating within a multi‑site or regional engineering role.
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing, asset management or operational excellence methodologies.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to influence engineering performance across multiple manufacturing sites and help shape the future of maintenance and reliability within a major food manufacturing business.

You’ll work alongside experienced engineering leaders, drive meaningful improvements in equipment performance and reliability, and play a key role in developing engineering capability across the region. With exposure to multiple sites, diverse challenges and significant opportunities to make an impact, this role offers excellent scope for personal and professional growth.

About Sofina

Sofina Foods is more than just a food company. It’s a place where you can grow your career, learn new skills, and make a positive impact.

With a wide range of meat and seafood products that delight consumers worldwide, Sofina Foods is always looking for talented and passionate people to join its team of over 13,000 employees across 40 sites in Canada and Europe.

At Sofina Foods, you will be part of a culture that values innovation, quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. You will work with diverse and delicious products that are sourced responsibly and sustainably from over 50 different protein sources from 5 continents.

Our vision is to be the most successful food company in the world. If you are looking for a rewarding and exciting career in the food sector, Sofina Foods is the place for you.

Equal Opportunities

Sofina Foods is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences – regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation