Engineering And Maintenance Manager

VPK Group; Limerick; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

VPK in Limerick is seeking an experienced Engineering & Maintenance Manager to take ownership of the maintenance and engineering function at our site, leading a multi-skilled team of engineers, technicians and apprentices. You will drive a shift-based, proactive maintenance culture focused on reliability, safety and cost control.

You will lead planned preventative maintenance, coordinate capital projects, and use data to reduce downtime and improve MTBF while delivering measurable improvements

Qualifications

• Apprentice-trained and fully qualified Electrical Engineer.
• Experience in fast-paced manufacturing with maintenance focus.
• Hands-on technical leadership and fault-finding capabilities.
• Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong knowledge of planned and preventative maintenance.
• Experience reducing downtime and improving plant reliability.
• Experience managing budgets, contractors and spare parts.
• Strong analytical skills to drive engineering decisions.
• Excellent leadership, communication and people management.
• Ability to influence change across operations.

Responsibilities

• Own the day-to-day maintenance function for site operations.
• Lead and develop the engineering team across shifts.
• Provide technical leadership during breakdowns and perform RCA.
• Drive improvements in MTBF and maintenance effectiveness.
• Manage engineering expenditure and spare parts inventory.
• Collaborate on capital investment projects and new equipment installations.
• Ensure safety and compliance in all maintenance activities.

Skills

Leadership

Maintenance management

Fault finding

Data-driven decision making

Root Cause Analysis

Continuous improvement

Education

Electrical Engineering apprenticeship completed

Electrical Engineering degree (BEng)

Job description

Engineering & Maintenance Manager

Manufacturing | Engineering Leadership | Plant Reliability | Continuous Improvement | Capex

A genuinely exciting opportunity for an experienced, technically strong engineering professional who wants ownership, influence and the opportunity to make a real impact within a successful manufacturing operation.

VPK is looking for a hands-on Engineering & Maintenance Manager to take ownership of the maintenance and engineering function at our Limerick site, leading a multi-skilled team of Engineers, Technicians and Apprentices.

This is a highly visible, operational role for someone who enjoys being close to the production floor and wants the opportunity to improve plant reliability, develop maintenance strategy and build a more proactive engineering culture.

A key focus will be moving the site away from reactive firefighting towards a structured, preventative and planned maintenance approach – improving equipment reliability, reducing downtime and driving continuous improvement across the operation.

The Role

The Maintenance Manager will take ownership of the day-to-day maintenance function, ensuring plant, machinery and equipment operate safely, reliably and efficiently to support production requirements.

You will lead and develop the engineering team across shifts, coordinating planned preventative maintenance and daily engineering workloads alongside the Operations team.

You’ll provide technical leadership during complex breakdowns, lead Root Cause Analysis following critical failures and ensure effective corrective actions are implemented to prevent repeat issues.

Using engineering and performance data, you’ll identify opportunities to improve reliability and drive measurable improvements in Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), planned maintenance effectiveness and overall equipment performance.

You’ll also take responsibility for engineering expenditure and spare parts inventory, manage external engineering contractors and ensure maintenance activity and records meet required safety and compliance standards.

Working closely with the Operations Manager, you’ll support engineering and capital investment projects, including new equipment installations, testing, commissioning and start-up.

Requirements

• Apprentice-trained and fully qualified Electrical Engineer
• Significant maintenance or engineering experience within a fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Strong hands-on technical and fault-finding capability
• Proven experience leading and developing multi-disciplinary engineering teams
• Strong knowledge of planned and preventative maintenance
• Experience improving plant reliability and reducing unplanned downtime
• Good Root Cause Analysis and problem-solving capability
• A strong continuous improvement mindset
• Experience managing engineering budgets, contractors and spare parts expenditure
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to use data to drive engineering decisions
• Excellent leadership, communication and people-management skills
• The ability to influence others and drive positive change across an operation
• Strong understanding of engineering health, safety and compliance requirements
• A practical, pragmatic and hands-on approach

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to take real ownership of the maintenance function rather than simply manage the day-to-day.

You’ll have the scope to improve maintenance processes, increase equipment reliability, develop the engineering team and help shape how the site approaches maintenance and continuous improvement going forward.

For an experienced Maintenance Manager – or a strong engineering leader ready for greater responsibility – this is an opportunity to make a visible and measurable impact within VPK’s Limerick operation.