Chief Engineer (IWMF / Mechanical Maintenance Department)

NEA National Environment Agency; Singapore; On-site; SGD 220,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

NEA National Environment Agency is seeking a Chief Engineer (Mechanical Maintenance) to lead the mechanical maintenance function across the Waste-to-Energy, Sludge Incineration, and Food Waste Treatment facilities. The role drives maintenance strategies, outages, asset integrity, and team leadership to ensure safe, reliable, and cost-efficient plant operation.

The incumbent serves as technical authority for process and mechanical systems, guiding lifecycle management and continuous improvement

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• 15+ years of relevant experience in power generation, waste-to-energy, petrochemical, utilities, or heavy industrial plants.
• At least 10 years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team in maintenance, troubleshooting, and plant turnarounds.
• Deep expertise in condition-based and/or predictive maintenance technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the maintenance and reliability management of process and mechanical systems and equipment.
• Develop long-term asset management and replacement strategies.
• Lead root cause analysis of major equipment failures and corrective actions.
• Introduce reliability-centred maintenance and best industry practices.
• Develop preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance programmes.
• Lead the planning and execution of annual shutdowns, major overhauls, and outages.
• Act as SME for process and mechanical engineering matters.
• Manage maintenance contractors and service providers; review proposals and specifications.
• Ensure compliance with Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) and environmental requirements.
• Lead risk assessments and promote a strong safety culture.
• Lead and develop a team of engineers, supervisors, and technicians.

Skills

Leadership

Maintenance planning

Reliability engineering

Root cause analysis

Condition-based maintenance

Safety management

Team development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Chartered Engineer registration preferred

Job description

[What the role is]

The Chief Engineer (Mechanical Maintenance) leads the mechanical maintenance function of the Integrated Waste Management Facility, comprising of a Waste-to-Energy Facility, a Sludge Incineration Facility, and a Food Waste Treatment Facility, to ensure safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of all mechanical assets. The role is responsible for developing maintenance strategies, managing outages, overseeing asset integrity, and leading a team of engineers and contractors to achieve optimal plant performance.

The incumbent serves as the technical authority for the process and mechanical systems and provides strategic guidance on asset lifecycle management, maintenance optimisation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

[What you will be working on]

Your main responsibilities are as follows:

Asset Management & Reliability

• Lead the maintenance and reliability management of process and mechanical systems and equipment, including crane and grab systems, waste incineration systems, boilers and pressure vessels, turbines and auxiliary systems, flue gas treatment systems, ash handling systems, fuel, air and water systems, pumps, valves, piping, rotating equipment, and conveyor systems.
• Develop and establish long-term asset management and replacement strategies, equipment criticality assessments, and reliability programmes.
• Lead root cause analysis of major equipment failures and develop corrective actions to improve equipment reliability.
• Introduce reliability-centred maintenance and best industry practices and analyse equipment performance trends to identify optimisation opportunities.

Maintenance Planning & Execution

• Develop preventive, predictive and condition-based maintenance programmes.
• Lead the planning and execution of annual shutdowns, major overhauls, and outages.
• Review and approve maintenance work scopes, procedures, and technical specifications.
• Monitor key maintenance performance indicators and plant availability targets.

Engineering & Technical Leadership

• Act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for process and mechanical engineering matters.
• Provide technical evaluation of plant modifications and upgrades and lead design reviews and engineering studies.
• Ensure compliance with statutory and engineering standards.

Contractor & Vendor Management

• Manage maintenance contractors and service providers and evaluate contractor performance to ensure quality delivery.
• Review technical proposals and procurement specifications.
• Support contract management and budgeting activities.

Safety, Health & Environment

• Ensure maintenance activities comply with Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) and environmental requirements.
• Lead risk assessments and safe work procedures and investigate incidents and near misses.
• Promote a strong safety culture within the maintenance team.

Leadership & People Development

• Lead and develop a team of mechanical engineers, supervisors, and technicians.
• Establish competency development programmes, mentor engineers, and support succession planning.

[What we are looking for]

• A degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline. Registration as a Chartered Engineer or Professional Engineer is preferred.
• A minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in power generation, waste-to-energy, petrochemical, utilities, or heavy industrial plants, including at least 10 years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team in performing routine maintenance, troubleshooting root causes of critical system failures, and executing plant-wide turnarounds.
• Deep expertise in condition-based and/or predictive maintenance technologies is preferred.
• Mastery in the maintenance of high-pressure piping networks and valves handling highly abrasive flue gas dust, lime slurries, and chemical reagents.
• Advanced understanding of the selective non-catalytic reduction process, and mass transfer, gas-solid reactions and thermodynamics within acid gas scrubbers, fabric filters, and electrostatic precipitators.

As part of the shortlisting process for this role, you may be required to complete a medical declaration and/or undergo further assessment.