Maintenance Engineer

Darwin Recruitment; Rotterdam; On-site; EUR 29,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment is seeking a practical Maintenance Technician to support our food production facility near Rotterdam. The role focuses on preventive maintenance, routine inspections and timely fault finding to keep two production lines running smoothly.

You will learn specialist noodle-making machinery imported from Japan, follow established maintenance procedures and collaborate closely with operators and the wider maintenance team to minimise downtime and improve equipment performance.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in mechanical maintenance or industrial equipment servicing.
• Experience with production machinery or automated production lines.
• Knowledge of preventive maintenance, fault finding and routine repairs.
• Some electrical knowledge and PLC exposure would be beneficial.
• Food production experience is advantageous.
• Willingness to learn specialist machinery and follow technical guidance from colleagues and equipment manufacturers.
• Good English communication skills are essential for working with a multicultural team.
• Dutch language skills are beneficial but not required.
• A proactive, sociable and team-oriented approach, with the ability to build relationships with production operators and colleagues.
• Willingness to work one planned weekend day per month for maintenance activities.

Responsibilities

• Carry out preventive and routine maintenance on production machinery.
• Complete scheduled monthly inspections and general maintenance checks.
• Identify, troubleshoot and resolve mechanical faults to minimise production downtime.
• Ensure machinery is started correctly and operating efficiently at the beginning of production shifts.
• Monitor equipment performance and respond to issues raised by production staff.
• Work proactively with operators to identify unusual noises, smells, performance changes or other potential faults before they lead to breakdowns.
• Support shift handovers and ensure equipment is running smoothly throughout production.
• Carry out planned maintenance and machinery overhauls, including one weekend day per month.
• Work with the wider maintenance team and contact the machine manufacturer when more specialised technical support is required.
• Follow established maintenance procedures and contribute to continuous improvement across the site.

Skills

Mechanical maintenance

Preventive maintenance

Troubleshooting

Electrical knowledge

PLC exposure

English communication

Teamwork

Job description

Maintenance Technician - Food Production

We are looking for a hands-on Maintenance Technician to support production operations at a growing food manufacturing facility near Rotterdam. The site currently operates two production lines using specialist noodle-making machinery imported from Japan.

This is a practical, operationally focused role, combining preventive maintenance, routine inspections and troubleshooting to keep production running smoothly. The machinery is relatively straightforward once learned, so the ability to learn new equipment, follow established processes and work closely with the production team is essential.

Food manufacturing experience is preferred, although technicians from other manufacturing environments with relevant mechanical maintenance experience will also be considered.

Key Responsibilities

• Carry out preventive and routine maintenance on production machinery.
• Complete scheduled monthly inspections and general maintenance checks.
• Identify, troubleshoot and resolve mechanical faults to minimise production downtime.
• Ensure machinery is started correctly and operating efficiently at the beginning of production shifts.
• Monitor equipment performance and respond to issues raised by production staff.
• Work proactively with operators to identify unusual noises, smells, performance changes or other potential faults before they lead to breakdowns.
• Support shift handovers and ensure equipment is running smoothly throughout production.
• Carry out planned maintenance and machinery overhauls, including one weekend day per month.
• Work with the wider maintenance team and contact the machine manufacturer when more specialised technical support is required.
• Follow established maintenance procedures and contribute to continuous improvement across the site.

Requirements

• Practical, hands-on experience in mechanical maintenance, machine maintenance or industrial equipment servicing.
• Experience working with production machinery, manufacturing equipment or automated production lines.
• Understanding of preventive maintenance, fault finding and routine mechanical repairs.
• Some electrical knowledge and PLC exposure would be beneficial, although advanced electrical or PLC programming expertise is not essential.
• Food production or food manufacturing experience is advantageous.
• Comfortable learning specialist machinery and following technical guidance from colleagues and equipment manufacturers.
• Good English communication skills are essential for working with a multicultural team and communicating with colleagues internationally.
• Dutch language skills are beneficial but not required.
• A proactive, sociable and team-oriented approach, with the ability to build relationships with production operators and colleagues.
• Willingness to work one planned weekend day per month for maintenance activities.

Working Environment and Schedule

• Site-based position supporting two production lines.
• 40 hours per week, with working hours arranged around production requirements.
• The factory operates approximately between 06:00 and 22:00. The technician will support start-up, shift handover and maintenance activities rather than necessarily covering the entire operating window.
• One weekend day per month for planned maintenance and machinery overhauls, scheduled in coordination with the business.
• Overtime is paid for work after 20:00 and for weekend work.
• Tools and equipment are provided on site.
• The role involves working closely with production staff and communicating with colleagues in the Netherlands and the US.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a practical maintenance technician who enjoys working directly with machinery and keeping production running. They should be comfortable taking ownership of routine maintenance while remaining open to learning, asking questions and working collaboratively with the wider team.

Personality and communication are particularly important. The company wants someone approachable who builds good relationships with production operators, encourages them to report potential issues and prioritises preventive maintenance rather than simply reacting to breakdowns.

Candidates do not need to be highly senior or have previous experience with the exact machinery, provided they have a solid mechanical foundation and the right attitude to learn.