Head of Maintenance and Automation.

Abbott; Weesp; On-site; EUR 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Abbott in the Netherlands seeks a Head of Maintenance & Automation to lead maintenance, reliability and manufacturing automation across two sites (Weesp and Olst). You will shape asset lifecycle, drive predictive maintenance, OT strategy, and data-driven performance improvements within a GMP-regulated manufacturing environment.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams, partner with Engineering and Operations, and contribute to site strategy with strong visibility to senior leadership, enabling

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of leadership experience in Maintenance, Reliability, or Automation.
• Experience leading large technical teams across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Experience in GMP-regulated manufacturing environments.
• Strong knowledge of reliability engineering and preventive/predictive maintenance methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the maintenance, reliability, and automation strategy across two sites.
• Lead the Maintenance and Manufacturing Automation organizations.
• Drive preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance for uptime and reliability.
• Own asset lifecycle strategy, including renewal plans and investment roadmaps.
• Lead OT initiatives, automation standards, cybersecurity, and architecture frameworks.
• Partner with Engineering and Operations on capital projects and design-for-maintenance.

Skills

Leadership

Reliability

OT/Automation

GMP experience

Education

Master's degree in Engineering

Job description

Are you an experienced technical leader with a passion for maintenance excellence, automation, and operational performance? We are looking for a Head of Maintenance & Automation (Weesp & Olst) to lead and shape the maintenance, reliability, and manufacturing automation strategy across two key manufacturing sites in the Netherlands. In this strategic leadership role, you will be responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, and compliant operation of manufacturing assets and automation systems within a highly regulated and complex production environment. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and drive initiatives that enhance asset reliability, maximize operational efficiency, and safeguard business continuity. As a key member of the Site Leadership Team, you will play an active role in shaping the broader site strategy and contributing to overall business performance. This position offers significant visibility and exposure to senior leadership, along with strong career development opportunities towards site leadership, senior operations management, and divisional technical leadership roles, based on business needs and individual performance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the maintenance, reliability, and automation strategy across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Lead the Maintenance and Manufacturing Automation organizations, building a high-performing and future-ready workforce.
• Drive preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance excellence to improve equipment uptime and asset reliability.
• Own the manufacturing asset lifecycle strategy, including asset renewal plans and long-term investment roadmaps.
• Lead Manufacturing Automation and Operational Technology (OT) initiatives, ensuring systems remain reliable, compliant, secure, and aligned with business needs.
• Define and govern automation standards, cybersecurity strategies, and automation architecture frameworks.
• Partner with Engineering and Operations on capital projects, ensuring maintenance, reliability, and automation requirements are embedded from design through commissioning.
• Establish KPI frameworks and leverage data-driven insights to continuously improve performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering, Technology, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of leadership experience within Maintenance, Reliability, Manufacturing Automation, or Technical Operations.
• Proven success leading large technical organizations across multiple manufacturing sites.
• Strong expertise in reliability engineering and preventive and predictive maintenance methodologies.
• Experience working within a regulated manufacturing environment, preferably GMP regulated.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing automation systems, Operational Technology (OT), and computerized systems.
• Demonstrated success in improving equipment reliability, uptime, and operational performance.
• Experience supporting capital projects, asset lifecycle management, and operational readiness initiatives.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to lead a critical function within a highly automated manufacturing environment. You'll have the chance to influence long-term site strategy, drive digital transformation, strengthen manufacturing reliability, and develop talented technical teams while making a direct impact on operational excellence and business performance.