Associate Director Maintenance

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Waterford; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie Westport is seeking an Associate Director of Maintenance to provide strategic and operational leadership for the maintenance and engineering function. You will ensure reliability, availability and compliance of manufacturing and utility equipment while leading a 10-15 person engineering team.

The role requires driving maintenance excellence, supporting operational performance, and championing continuous improvement in a regulated biopharmaceutical manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 6 years of combined experience in engineering, manufacturing, or maintenance.
• Experience leading engineering, maintenance, or technical teams in regulated environments (GMP).
• Strong knowledge of maintenance systems, reliability engineering and asset management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the site maintenance function to maximise equipment reliability and uptime.
• Establish departmental goals and performance metrics aligned with site objectives.
• Manage preventive and corrective maintenance across manufacturing and utility systems.
• Drive maintenance excellence and reliability programmes to reduce downtime.
• Plan and execute engineering and maintenance projects, including upgrades.
• Develop and monitor engineering budgets and CAPEX.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, quality, environmental, health and safety requirements.
• Support audits and inspections from internal, corporate, and external bodies.
• Collaborate with Production, Quality, Engineering and other functions to optimise performance.
• Oversee calibration activities and asset management programmes.
• Manage contractor relationships and service agreements.
• Lead investigations, CAPA, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide technical leadership on engineering and maintenance matters.
• Foster safety, operational excellence and accountability.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

GMP compliance

Regulatory knowledge

Maintenance planning

Reliability engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook , Instagram , X and YouTube.

Job Description

At AbbVie, we are committed to discovering and delivering innovative medicines and solutions that address serious health challenges and improve lives around the world. Our Westport manufacturing site is a global centre of excellence, combining advanced manufacturing technologies with a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director of Maintenance to provide strategic and operational leadership for our maintenance and engineering function. This role is responsible for ensuring the reliability, availability, and compliance of manufacturing and utility equipment while leading a high-performing engineering team.

The successful candidate will drive maintenance excellence, support operational performance, champion continuous improvement initiatives, and ensure compliance with quality, safety, and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the site maintenance function to maximise equipment reliability, performance, and uptime.
• Establish departmental goals, priorities, and performance metrics aligned with site and business objectives.
• Manage preventive and corrective maintenance activities across manufacturing and utility systems.
• Drive maintenance excellence and reliability engineering programmes to improve equipment performance and reduce downtime.
• Lead the planning and execution of engineering and maintenance projects, including equipment upgrades and process improvements.
• Develop, monitor, and manage engineering budgets and capital expenditure projects.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory, quality, environmental, health, and safety requirements.
• Support internal, corporate, and external regulatory audits and inspections.
• Collaborate closely with Production, Quality, Engineering, and other site functions to optimise manufacturing performance.
• Oversee calibration activities and ensure compliance with maintenance and asset management programmes.
• Manage contractor relationships, negotiate service agreements, and supervise external service providers.
• Lead investigations, root cause analyses, CAPA implementation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise on engineering and maintenance-related matters.
• Drive a culture of safety, operational excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of approximately 10-15 maintenance and engineering professionals.
• Set performance objectives and support employee development through regular feedback, coaching, and succession planning.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance team environment.
• Contribute to broader talent management initiatives and organisational development activities.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 6 years' combined experience within engineering, manufacturing, or maintenance environments.
• Previous leadership experience managing engineering, maintenance, or technical teams.
• Strong knowledge of maintenance systems, reliability engineering, and asset management principles.
• Experience within a regulated manufacturing environment such as biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, medical device, or similar industries.
• Proven experience managing budgets, projects, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong understanding of GMP, regulatory compliance, and quality systems.

Preferred

• Professional engineering accreditation or membership of a recognised engineering body.
• Experience implementing Maintenance Excellence Programmes, reliability-centred maintenance, or continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience supporting regulatory inspections and corporate audits.
• Strong leadership and people management capabilities.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to balance operational priorities and long-term objectives.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organisation.
• Results-oriented with a focus on operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• High level of integrity, accountability, and commitment to quality.
• Strong decision-making capability in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Additional Information

Why AbbVie?

At AbbVie Westport, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact while working in a collaborative and innovative environment. We invest in our people, support career development, and empower our teams to deliver excellence in everything we do. Join us and help shape the future of healthcare through engineering innovation and operational excellence.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.

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