Mechanical Operations Lead - 12-Month FTC

LLOYD'S REGISTER INTERNATIONAL; Watford; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Enhanced maternity package

HealthPartners cashback

Onsite facilities – restaurant, nursey

Free parking with EV charging

Learning & development

Professional membership reimbursement

Job summary

BRE in Watford is seeking a Mechanical Operations Manager on a 12-month fixed-term contract. You will lead mechanical engineering for critical assets, balancing safety, reliability and uptime to support testing programmes.

You will supervise and guide contractors, develop maintenance strategies and ensure safe isolation practices while driving continuous improvement across our asset base at the Watford site.

Qualifications

• Mechanical engineering qualification or equivalent level of technical expertise gained through experience.
• Proven 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.
• Good 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.

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 supervision

Risk assessment

Communication skills

Technical leadership

Education

Mechanical engineering degree or equivalent

Tools

CAFM systems

Job description

BRE in Watford is seeking a Mechanical Operations Manager on a 12-month fixed-term contract. You will lead mechanical engineering for critical assets, balancing safety, reliability and uptime to support testing programmes.

You will supervise and guide contractors, develop maintenance strategies and ensure safe isolation practices while driving continuous improvement across our asset base at the Watford site.