Plant Improvement & Maintenance Manager

Alecto Recruitment; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A specialized recruitment agency is seeking a Plant Improvement and Maintenance Manager in Peterborough, UK. The role involves leading projects to enhance capacity and reliability, managing maintenance teams, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations. The ideal candidate will have a degree in engineering, experience in CAPEX/OPEX projects, and strong leadership skills in a high-hazard environment. This position offers a competitive salary and additional benefits.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing industrial process plant maintenance and delivering CAPEX/OPEX improvement projects.
• Strong leadership of multi-skilled maintenance teams in a high-hazard/regulated environment.
• Knowledge of HSE regulations and permit-to-work systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of plant improvement projects focusing on capacity and reliability.
• Develop business cases, budgets, and schedules for projects.
• Manage commissioning, handover, training, and performance reporting.

Skills

Reliability engineering

Leadership

Hands-on CMMS administration

HSE regulations knowledge

Process improvement

Education

HNC/HND or Degree in Mechanical/Electrical/Process Engineering

Tools

CMMS

Job description

NW33013

Plant Improvement and Maintenance Manager

£55,000 + Car Allowance

Peterborough

Alecto Recruitment is partnering with a leading Design and Build company within the AD Sector who are now developing their own portfolio of Anaerobic Digestion facilities. Together, we are searching for a Plant Improvement and Maintenance Manager who will deliver small to medium‑scale improvement projects and establish and maintain maintenance strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of plant improvement projects covering capacity, reliability, energy efficiency, safety, and compliance.
• Develop business cases, scopes, budgets, schedules, and manage risk and change control.
• Own the Management of Change (MoC) process, ensuring technical, safety, environmental, and operational risks are assessed and compliant.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and contractors to deliver projects safely, on time, and on budget.
• Manage commissioning, handover, training, documentation, and KPI tracking.
• Lead and develop multi‑disciplinary maintenance teams (mechanical, electrical, and controls).
• Set maintenance strategies (preventive, predictive, condition‑based, and statutory).
• Own shutdown and turnaround planning, execution, and post‑event reviews.
• Drive reliability engineering, root cause analysis, and defect elimination.
• Manage CMMS, spares strategy, contractors, data integrity, and performance reporting.
• Ensure and maintain a safety‑first culture and safe systems of work (PTW, LOTO, confined space, hot work, ATEX/DSEAR).
• Ensure statutory compliance across pressure systems, lifting, electrical, and gas safety.
• Maintain SOPs and RAMS, lead incident investigations, and implement corrective actions.

Qualifications

• HNC/HND or Degree in Mechanical/Electrical/Process Engineering (or equivalent experience).
• Proven experience managing industrial process plant maintenance and delivering CAPEX/OPEX improvement projects.
• Hands‑on use and administration of a CMMS.
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• Strong reliability engineering toolkit (Root Cause lama, condition monitoring).
Strong leadership of multi‑skilled maintenance teams in a high‑hazard/regulated environment. Solid knowledge of HSE regulations (PUWER, LOLER, PSSR, DSEAR/ATEX, confined space) and permit‑to‑work systems. AD/biogas sector experience (digesters, gas upgrading, GEU, CHP, flare systems, digestate handling).

Desirable

OOD Experience with PLC/SCADA interfaces, instrumentation, and control‑system change management.
• Lean/Continuous Improvement credentials.
• IOSH/NEBOSH qualification; COMPEX (Ex01‑04) awareness for ATEX equipment.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001/14001/45001 management systems.

To apply for this role please send your CV to (url removed) or call (phone number removed) ext 218 to discuss.

Equally, if this role would not be of interest to you but may be for a suitable friend or colleague, we can offer paid referral fees for successful placements.