Senior Engineering Manager

Ambition Recruitment; Johor Bahru; On-site; MYR 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Ambition Recruitment seeks a Senior Engineering Manager to lead electrical, automation, and overall plant engineering health for a manufacturing facility in Malaysia. You will drive reliability, safety, and continuous improvement across production lines.

Responsibilities include leading automation upgrades, managing budgets and vendor relationships, and coaching engineering/maintenance teams to deliver safe, compliant, and efficient operations.

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years in plant/manufacturing engineering with strong hands-on electrical and automation (PLC/SCADA) expertise.
• Experience in food manufacturing or validated hygienic environments preferred.
• Track record of leading and developing engineering/maintenance teams, including shift-based operations.
• Experience leading capital projects - automation upgrades, line installations, commissioning.
• Solid understanding of food safety/hygienic design standards related to equipment and electrical systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the plant's electrical systems, PLC/SCADA and automation infrastructure - uptime, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.
• Lead automation upgrades and capital improvement projects from scope through commissioning.
• Ensure electrical systems and automation controls comply with safety, food safety, and regulatory standards.
• Drive predictive/preventive maintenance programs to reduce unplanned downtime on critical equipment.
• Lead, coach, and develop the engineering and maintenance team, including shift-based technicians and engineers.
• Own engineering budgets, spare parts strategy, and contractor/vendor management.
• Partner with Production, Quality, and Food Safety teams to resolve equipment issues without compromising hygiene or compliance standards.
• Champion a strong safety culture on the plant floor, including lockout/tagout and electrical safety practices.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Automation (PLC/SCADA)

Leadership & people management

Capital project leadership

Maintenance strategies

Safety & regulatory compliance

Education

Electrical Engineering

Mechatronics

Related engineering discipline

Tools

PLC/SCADA systems

Job description

The Senior Engineering Manager is responsible for the electrical, automation, and overall engineering health of the manufacturing plant, ensuring production lines run reliably, safely, and efficiently. This role leads the engineering and maintenance function, drives automation and reliability improvements, and provides strong hands‑on leadership to plant engineering teams to support production, quality, and food safety objectives.

Responsibilities

• Own the plant's electrical systems, PLC/SCADA and automation infrastructure - uptime, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.
• Lead automation upgrade and capital improvement projects (new lines, retrofits, control system upgrades) from scope through commissioning.
• Ensure electrical systems and automation controls comply with relevant safety, food safety, and regulatory standards.
• Drive predictive/preventive maintenance programs to reduce unplanned downtime on critical equipment.
• Lead, coach, and develop the engineering and maintenance team, including shift-based technicians and engineers, building bench strength and technical capability.
• Own engineering budgets, spare parts strategy, and contractor/vendor management.
• Partner with Production, Quality, and Food Safety teams to resolve equipment issues without compromising hygiene or compliance standards.
• Champion a strong safety culture on the plant floor, including lockout/tagout and electrical safety practices.
• Report on plant reliability metrics (OEE, downtime, MTTR/MTBF) to senior management and drive corrective action plans.
• Identify and lead process/equipment improvement initiatives to boost line efficiency, reduce waste, and lower energy/utility costs.
• Support new product introductions and line changeovers from an engineering feasibility standpoint.
• Contribute to long-term capital and automation roadmap planning for the plant.

Requirements

• 8-10+ years in plant/manufacturing engineering, with strong hands‑on electrical and automation (PLC/SCADA) expertise.
• Proven experience in food manufacturing or another regulated/hygienic manufacturing environment (pharma, FMCG) preferred.
• Track record of leading and developing engineering/maintenance teams, including shift-based operations.
• Experience leading capital projects - automation upgrades, line installations, commissioning.
• Solid understanding of food safety/hygienic design standards as they relate to equipment and electrical systems (e.g., GMP, HACCP-adjacent engineering controls) is a plus.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with a bias toward hands‑on plant-floor leadership over desk‑only management.
• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline.