PLC Engineer - Maintenance

G Force Recruitment Ltd; West Bromwich; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

gforce employment + recruitment is seeking a hands-on Multi-Skilled Maintenance Engineer for a permanent role in the West Midlands. The role combines mechanical, electrical and PLC engineering, with about 20% of time spent on PLC programming, debugging and automation improvements.

You will respond to machinery faults, perform preventative maintenance and support commissioning of automated equipment in a busy manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• Level 3 engineering qualification in mechanical/electrical discipline.
• Experience in multi-skilled maintenance within manufacturing.
• Ability to write/modify PLC code and fault-find on automated equipment.

Responsibilities

• Respond to breakdowns and diagnose mechanical/electrical/automation faults.
• Write, modify and debug PLC programmes to improve performance.
• Carry out PLC fault-finding across sensors, drives and control panels.
• Support commissioning, testing and modifications to automated machinery.
• Perform planned maintenance and inspections to ensure reliability.
• Record activities in CMMS and work with production teams to reduce downtime.

Skills

PLC programming

fault-finding

electrical maintenance

mechanical maintenance

team collaboration

Education

Level 3 engineering qualification

Tools

PLC hardware

CMMS familiarity

Job description

Multi-Skilled Maintenance Engineer – PLC & Automation

Salary: £60,000 per annum
Location: West Midlands
Job Type: Permanent
Shift Pattern: Rotating three-week shift pattern

The Opportunity

We're looking for a hands-on Multi-Skilled Maintenance Engineer with strong mechanical and electrical skills, alongside practical PLC programming experience. This is a varied manufacturing engineering role, with approximately 20% of your time focused on PLC engineering and automation, including writing and modifying code, debugging programmes and fault-finding. The remainder will involve general maintenance, breakdown response and preventative maintenance.

Key Responsibilities

• Respond to machinery breakdowns, diagnosing and resolving mechanical, electrical and automation faults.
• Write, develop and modify PLC programmes to improve machinery performance and support production requirements.
• Debug PLC code, identify programming errors and resolve logic-related faults.
• Carry out PLC fault-finding across sensors, inputs/outputs, actuators, drives and control equipment.
• Support commissioning, testing and modifications to automated machinery and control systems.
• Diagnose and repair electrical faults involving motors, starters, wiring and control panels.
• Carry out mechanical repairs to bearings, gearboxes, conveyors, pumps and other production equipment.
• Complete planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and routine machinery inspections.
• Work with instrumentation, pneumatics, hydraulics and variable speed drives.
• Investigate recurring faults, identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Interpret electrical drawings, control schematics and technical documentation.
• Record maintenance activities, update CMMS work orders and support engineering improvements.
• Follow safe isolation procedures, permit-to-work requirements and site health and safety standards.
• Work closely with production and engineering colleagues to minimise downtime and improve equipment reliability.

About You

• Ideally qualified to Level 3 in an engineering discipline, covering mechanical and electrical/electronic engineering.
• Experienced in multi-skilled maintenance within a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Able to write and modify PLC code, debug programmes and carry out practical PLC fault-finding.
• Confident diagnosing faults on automated machinery and PLC-controlled production equipment.
• Strong electrical fault-finding skills alongside sound mechanical maintenance knowledge.
• Familiar with motors, drives, sensors, control panels and industrial automation.
• A practical problem-solver who can work independently and contribute to a busy engineering team.

What's on Offer?

• Salary of up to £58,000 per annum.
• Permanent position within an established manufacturing environment.
• A varied role combining mechanical, electrical and PLC engineering.
• Opportunities to improve automation, machinery performance and equipment reliability.

Shift Pattern

• Week 1 – Nights: Sunday to Thursday, 9:00pm–6:00am.
• Week 2 – Mornings: Monday to Friday, 5:00am–2:00pm.
• Week 3 – Afternoons: Monday to Friday, 1:00pm–10:00pm.