Maintenance Team Leader

DK Recruitment; Devon and Torbay; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

DK Recruitment is seeking a Maintenance Team Leader for a Plymouth site in an established international manufacturing business. You will lead a team of engineers, oversee maintenance activities and drive reliability, safety and performance across production equipment and facilities.

You will balance hands-on engineering with strategic planning, optimise maintenance schedules and support automation projects to minimise downtime and disruption.

Qualifications

• Qualified to HNC level or equivalent in Mechanical, Electrical or Multi-skilled Engineering, or a time-served engineer with relevant industry experience.
• Previous experience leading or supervising a maintenance team within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong practical engineering knowledge, including fault-finding, breakdown response and preventative maintenance.
• Experience using a computerised maintenance management system (CMMS), such as SAP, Pirana or similar.

Responsibilities

• Organise daily workloads, establish priorities and provide technical guidance to ensure maintenance requirements are met efficiently.
• Support the development of the engineering team by identifying training needs, sharing technical knowledge and helping individuals build their skills.
• Manage preventative maintenance schedules, ensuring equipment is serviced appropriately and maintenance records are accurately maintained through the site's CMMS.
• Review existing maintenance practices, identify opportunities to improve reliability and ensure essential spare parts are available when needed.
• Investigate recurring equipment faults, establish root causes and coordinate corrective actions to minimise repeat failures.
• Provide hands-on assistance with complex breakdowns and fault-finding, working alongside engineers to restore equipment safely and minimise production downtime.
• Work closely with Production and other departments to resolve equipment issues, improve machinery performance and support operational requirements.
• Assist with the introduction of new machinery, equipment upgrades and automation projects, ensuring maintenance requirements are considered.
• Review maintenance and production data to identify trends, reduce unplanned downtime and improve equipment efficiency.
• Encourage the team to contribute ideas and take an active role in improving working practices, maintenance standards and equipment reliability.
• Ensure maintenance activities meet health and safety requirements, including site procedures, risk assessments and permit-to-work arrangements.
• Promote a positive safety culture, ensuring potential hazards are reported and concerns are addressed promptly.

Skills

Leadership

Fault-finding

Maintenance planning

Team development

Communication

Education

HNC or equivalent in Mechanical/Electrical/Multi-skilled Engineering

Tools

SAP CMMS

Pirana CMMS

Job description

We are recruiting a Maintenance Team Leader to join an established international manufacturing business at its Plymouth site. This is an opportunity for an experienced engineer with leadership skills to take responsibility for a maintenance team, ensuring production equipment and machinery operate safely, reliably and efficiently.

The company specialises in engineered products and solutions for a range of industrial applications, with a strong focus on product quality, technical expertise and innovation. Its Plymouth facility combines advanced machinery and automation, with maintenance playing a key role in keeping operations running smoothly.

The Role

As Maintenance Team Leader, you will be responsible for coordinating the maintenance function and ensuring machinery, production equipment and site facilities remain safe, reliable and fit for purpose. You will lead a team of engineers, balancing day-to-day maintenance requirements with longer-term plans to improve equipment performance and reduce disruption to production.

The role combines team leadership with hands-on engineering support, offering the opportunity to influence maintenance standards, develop team capability and make a positive contribution to the site's overall performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Organise daily workloads, establish priorities and provide technical guidance to ensure maintenance requirements are met efficiently.
• Support the development of the engineering team by identifying training needs, sharing technical knowledge and helping individuals build their skills.
• Manage preventative maintenance schedules, ensuring equipment is serviced appropriately and maintenance records are accurately maintained through the site's maintenance management system.
• Review existing maintenance practices, identify opportunities to improve reliability and ensure essential spare parts are available when needed.
• Investigate recurring equipment faults, establish root causes and coordinate corrective actions to minimise repeat failures.
• Provide hands-on assistance with complex breakdowns and fault-finding, working alongside engineers to restore equipment safely and minimise production downtime.
• Work closely with Production and other departments to resolve equipment issues, improve machinery performance and support operational requirements.
• Assist with the introduction of new machinery, equipment upgrades and automation projects, ensuring maintenance requirements are considered.
• Review maintenance and production data to identify trends, reduce unplanned downtime and improve equipment efficiency.
• Encourage the team to contribute ideas and take an active role in improving working practices, maintenance standards and equipment reliability.
• Ensure maintenance activities meet health and safety requirements, including site procedures, risk assessments and permit-to-work arrangements.
• Promote a positive safety culture, ensuring potential hazards are reported and concerns are addressed promptly.
• Keep relevant departments informed of maintenance priorities, outstanding work and equipment issues, ensuring effective coordination and communication.

About You

• Qualified to HNC level or equivalent in Mechanical, Electrical or Multi-skilled Engineering, or a time-served engineer with relevant industry experience.
• Previous experience leading or supervising a maintenance team within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong practical engineering knowledge, including fault-finding, breakdown response and preventative maintenance.
• Experience using a computerised maintenance management system (CMMS), such as SAP, Pirana or similar.
• Understanding of equipment reliability, root cause analysis and continuous improvement techniques.
• Knowledge of health and safety requirements, including risk assessments and permit-to-work systems.
• Confident leadership skills, with the ability to organise workloads, support engineers and develop team capability.
• A proactive and methodical approach to problem-solving, with a focus on preventing issues rather than simply responding to them.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with production, engineering and other departments.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Maintenance Engineer or existing Maintenance Team Leader looking to take ownership of a team, improve equipment reliability and contribute to the ongoing performance of an established manufacturing operation