Mechanical Engineer

KHR - Recruitment Specialists; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Completion bonus

Enhanced pension

Holiday allowance

Onsite facilities

Job summary

KHR - Recruitment Specialists is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to join a leading international manufacturing organisation on an 18-month fixed-term contract near Maidstone. You will support reliability improvements, develop maintenance strategies, and lead preventative and predictive maintenance activities to maximise plant availability and safety.

Key duties include RCFA, FMEA, vibration analysis, lubrication, SAP PM usage, and collaboration with Engineering and Operations.

Qualifications

• HNC in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
• Proven experience as Mechanical/ Reliability Engineer in manufacturing or process env.
• Strong knowledge of preventive and predictive maintenance techniques.
• Experience with RCFA, FMEA, or structured problem-solving.
• Familiarity with condition monitoring incl. vibration, oil analysis, thermal imaging.

Responsibilities

• Develop, review, and optimise preventive and predictive maintenance programmes to improve equipment reliability.
• Lead root cause investigations and ensure corrective actions are implemented.
• Coordinate condition monitoring activities and maintenance scheduling with teams.
• Support MoC activities, risk assessments and safe systems of work.
• Analyse equipment performance data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

Skills

Maintenance planning

Preventive maintenance

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

HNC in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SAP PM

CMMS

Job description

Let KHR help you find the perfect job candidate

Role: Mechanical Engineer 18-Month Fixed-Term Contract
Hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 – 16:30
Location: Outskirts of Maidstone
Contract Type: Full-time, 18-Month Fixed-Term Contract
£5,000 completion bonus

KHR is partnering with a leading international manufacturing organisation to recruit an experienced Mechanical Engineer to join their Reliability team on an 18-month fixed-term contract. As the Mechanical Engineer, this is an excellent opportunity for a proactive engineering professional to play a pivotal role in improving asset reliability, developing maintenance strategies, mechanical maintenance, and driving continuous improvement across a complex manufacturing environment.

The Mechanical Engineer will work closely with both Engineering and Operations teams, enhancing equipment performance through preventative/predictive maintenance, leading root cause investigations, and implementing reliability improvements that maximise plant availability, efficiency, and safety.

Key Mechanical Engineer Responsibilities

• Develop, review, and optimise preventative and predictive maintenance programmes to improve equipment reliability.
• Lead root cause investigations into recurring equipment failures, ensuring corrective actions are implemented and tracked to completion.
• Step in for the plant Mechanical Engineer when needed
• Coordinate condition monitoring activities, including vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermal imaging, and lubrication programmes.
• Work collaboratively with maintenance planning teams to ensure maintenance schedules, spare parts, and Bills of Materials are accurate and effective.
• Carry out equipment criticality assessments and use findings to develop appropriate maintenance strategies.
• Identify and deliver engineering improvement projects that enhance reliability, safety, and operational performance.
• Analyse equipment performance data using SAP PM and other maintenance systems to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Maintain engineering standards, technical documentation, and maintenance procedures in line with company and ISO requirements.
• Support Management of Change (MoC) activities, engineering risk assessments, and safe systems of work.
• Provide technical support during planned shutdowns and assist with resolving complex equipment issues.
• Participate in the engineering on-call rota to support critical plant requirements.

What We’re Looking For

• HNC in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Proven experience in a Mechanical Engineer or Reliability Engineer or similar engineering role within a manufacturing or process environment.
• Strong knowledge of preventative and predictive maintenance techniques.
• Experience leading Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), FMEA, or other structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Familiarity with condition monitoring techniques, including vibration analysis, lubrication management, oil analysis, or thermal imaging.
• Experience using SAP PM or another Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS).
• Strong analytical, organisational, and communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams.
• Good understanding of engineering standards, risk assessments, and health and safety legislation.

On top of a competitive base salary, you will receive a £5,000 completion bonus, an enhanced company pension, holiday allowance, and other benefits, including full access to onsite facilities (gym and canteen).

At KHR we take care to ensure that you are represented as well as possible so it is worth checking your CV for layout, spelling and grammar as well as making sure it is up to date before you submit. If you feel you need to highlight particular qualifications, skills or relevant experience with regards to a specific role then please add a cover letter or a preface page. This does not need to be formatted in the same manner. In addition, if your CV is heavy with graphics etc, please could you also submit a “clean” copy in Word. Thank you.