Maintenance Technician

Reed; Sittingbourne; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Reed is seeking a Lead Mechanical Maintenance Engineer in West Sussex to oversee hands-on maintenance and lead a small team on a busy production facility. The role focuses on reducing downtime, driving preventative maintenance, and ensuring equipment safety and efficiency.

You will drive mechanical reliability, manage maintenance tasks, and collaborate with engineering to implement site improvements. The candidate should have robust welding/fabrication skills and a proactive safety mindset.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a mechanical maintenance role within heavy industry or manufacturing.
• Strong fault-finding and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience working on conveyors, machinery and industrial plant equipment.
• Welding and fabrication experience.
• Ability to lead maintenance activities and work independently.
• Proactive and safety-conscious approach.

Responsibilities

• Carry out planned and reactive mechanical maintenance across site.
• Diagnose faults and implement effective repairs to minimise downtime.
• Lead by example, supporting and coordinating maintenance activities.
• Perform welding and fabrication tasks where required.
• Maintain conveyors, crushers, granulators, pumps, motors and associated plant equipment.
• Assist with continuous improvement projects and plant upgrades.
• Ensure all maintenance activities comply with health and safety standards.
• Support shutdowns, inspections and preventative maintenance programmes.
• Complete maintenance records and reports accurately.

Skills

Mechanical maintenance

Fault finding

Leadership / supervision

Welding & fabrication

Conveyors & plant equipment

Safety-conscious

Education

Engineering apprenticeship or equivalent

Job description

Lead Mechanical Maintenance Engineer

Location: West Sussex
Salary: Competitive + Benefits
Job Type: Full Time, Permanent

About the Role

An established industrial manufacturing and processing business is seeking an experienced Lead Mechanical Maintenance Engineer to join their engineering team. This is a hands-on position combining maintenance expertise with leadership responsibilities, supporting the reliability and performance of a busy production facility.

Working within a fast-paced environment, you will play a key role in minimising downtime, driving preventative maintenance activities, and ensuring plant equipment operates safely and efficiently.

Key Responsibilities

• Carry out planned and reactive mechanical maintenance across site.
• Diagnose faults and implement effective repairs to minimise downtime.
• Lead by example, supporting and coordinating maintenance activities.
• Perform welding and fabrication tasks where required.
• Maintain conveyors, crushers, granulators, pumps, motors and associated plant equipment.
• Assist with continuous improvement projects and plant upgrades.
• Ensure all maintenance activities comply with health and safety standards.
• Support shutdowns, inspections and preventative maintenance programmes.
• Complete maintenance records and reports accurately.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Proven experience in a mechanical maintenance role within manufacturing, production, recycling, processing or heavy industry.
• Strong fault-finding and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience working on conveyors, machinery and industrial plant equipment.
• Welding and fabrication experience.
• The ability to work independently and lead maintenance activities when required.
• A proactive and safety-conscious approach.

Desirable

• Engineering apprenticeship or recognised mechanical qualification.
• Experience within recycling, waste management, aggregates, FMCG or process manufacturing environments.
• Previous supervisory or team leadership experience.

What's on Offer?

• Competitive salary.
• Stable, long-term employment with an established organisation.
• Varied and hands-on engineering environment.
• Opportunity to influence maintenance performance and site improvements.
• Ongoing training and development.

If you are an experienced Mechanical Maintenance Engineer looking to step into a lead position, or an established Lead Engineer seeking a fresh challenge, we would be pleased to hear from you.