Mechanical Operations Lead (12-Month FTC)

Bre; Waterford; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life assurance 4x basic salary

Enhanced maternity package

HealthPartners cashback

Onsite facilities: Restaurant, nursery

BRE Academy learning platform

Job summary

BRE is seeking a Mechanical Operations Manager for the Watford site on a 12‑month fixed‑term contract. You will lead mechanical engineering support for critical assets, ensuring safety, reliability and availability to support testing programmes.

You will combine hands‑on technical expertise with strategic asset management, guiding maintenance, improvements and lifecycle planning, while challenging contractor proposals and coordinating with laboratories, estates and contractors.

Qualifications

• Mechanical engineering qualification or equivalent level of technical expertise gained through experience.
• Experience maintaining and improving complex plant, process equipment or test systems.
• Strong fault‑finding, diagnostic and root‑cause analysis skills.
• Experience planning and coordinating maintenance activities and prioritising work based on risk and business impact.
• Experience managing, supervising and challenging specialist contractors and suppliers.
• Knowledge of mechanical safety, statutory inspection requirements and safe isolation practices.
• The ability to assess technical risk and provide practical, evidence‑based recommendations.
• Experience leading technical work, projects, teams or contractor‑delivered services.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Professional engineering registration, or working towards registration.
• NEBOSH or IOSH qualification.
• Experience within laboratories, testing environments or other highly regulated or safety‑critical industries.
• Experience using CAFM or maintenance management systems.

Responsibilities

• Act as the mechanical engineering lead and technical escalation point for critical test and process equipment.
• Coordinate planned and reactive maintenance activities, balancing safety, business priorities and asset criticality.
• Work closely with laboratory and operational teams to minimise downtime and disruption to testing activities.
• Monitor equipment performance, availability and reliability, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Lead fault‑finding investigations and root‑cause analysis to resolve recurring equipment issues.
• Develop and maintain maintenance strategies, asset lifecycle plans, obsolescence plans and critical spares strategies.
• Review technical specifications and ensure contractor proposals are fit for purpose, safe and cost‑effective.
• Oversee contractor performance, ensuring safe systems of work, permits, isolation procedures and commissioning activities are effectively managed.
• Support engineering change, minor projects, commissioning and the handover of new or modified assets into maintenance programmes.
• Provide technical leadership for mechanical matters and support emergency response and business continuity arrangements when required.

Skills

Fault finding

Root-cause analysis

Maintenance planning

Contractor management

Mechanical safety

Communication

Education

Mechanical engineering qualification

Professional engineering registration

Tools

Maintenance management systems

Job description

BRE is seeking a Mechanical Operations Manager for the Watford site on a 12‑month fixed‑term contract. You will lead mechanical engineering support for critical assets, ensuring safety, reliability and availability to support testing programmes.

You will combine hands‑on technical expertise with strategic asset management, guiding maintenance, improvements and lifecycle planning, while challenging contractor proposals and coordinating with laboratories, estates and contractors.