Shift Lead Engineer

APM Terminals; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Career growth opportunities

Exposure to port technologies and auto

Training and professional development

Safety-focused, collaborative work环境

Job summary

APM Terminals in Long Beach, CA, is seeking a Shift Lead Engineer to act as the technical control point for shift-based maintenance, prioritizing rapid diagnosis and restoration of critical equipment. You’ll lead maintenance activities, coordinate resources, and ensure safe, reliable asset performance across vessel and terminal operations.

Join a LEAN-minded team that values root-cause analysis, standardization, and continuous improvement while partnering with operations, asset management,

Qualifications

• Experience leading maintenance execution in heavy industrial, automated environments.
• Strong troubleshooting and diagnostic skills for electrical, mechanical, and automated systems.
• Experience coordinating maintenance teams, contractors, or third-party service providers.
• Knowledge of CMMS platforms and maintenance planning processes.
• Understanding of reliability, preventive maintenance, breakdown management, and root-cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for equipment breakdowns and maintenance escalation.
• Coordinate maintenance resources and breakdown teams to restore equipment safely and efficiently.
• Manage daily maintenance priorities, balancing planned work with urgent operational requirements.
• Monitor equipment performance in real time and pro-actively identify potential failures and risks.
• Coordinate equipment handovers between Operations and Maintenance for planned and unplanned activities.
• Optimize maintenance interventions around vessel schedules, berth windows, and priorities.
• Ensure work orders are executed safely and on schedule through third-party providers.
• Track maintenance metrics such as MTTR and breakdown KPIs.
• Drive root cause analysis and document learnings in CMMS.
• Support investigations and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce downtime.
• Collaborate with operations, asset management, unions, and service providers to improve reliability.

Skills

Leadership

Troubleshooting

CMMS

Electrical systems

PLC/ Drives

Stakeholder management

Safety compliance

Tools

CMMS

Job description

Step into the engine room of global commerce. At APM Terminals Pier 400, you won’t just be doing a job, you’ll be part of one of the most advanced container terminals in the world. From cutting-edge automation to large-scale operations at the Port of Los Angeles, every asset, every repair, and every operational decision helps keep global supply chains moving efficiently and safely.

This is where innovation meets execution. You’ll work alongside highly skilled teams leveraging technology, data, and operational expertise to ensure critical equipment remains available to support vessel and terminal operations. Here, your work drives reliability, performance, and continuous improvement across one of the industry's most sophisticated terminal environments.

Why you'll love it here

• Work at one of the most technologically advanced terminals globally.
• Be part of large-scale, high-impact operations.
• Gain exposure to automation, digitalization, and innovation.
• Continuous improvement mindset – where curiosity is encouraged, root-cause problem solving is valued, and making things better every day is part of how we win.

At APM Terminals, a global leader in port and terminal operations, we enable global trade and drive sustainable growth. As part of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, we connect economies and communities worldwide. Our success is driven by a strong commitment to LEAN methodologies, embedding continuous improvement into every aspect of our operations. Join us and be part of a team that values excellence, collaboration, and innovation.

Join us as we continue to shape the future of global trade and make a meaningful impact on communities worldwide. Discover your potential with APM Terminals and become part of a team that's redefining industry standards.

About the Role

The Shift Lead Engineer serves as the technical control point for shift-based maintenance execution, ensuring rapid diagnosis, prioritization, and restoration of equipment critical to vessel and terminal operations. This role provides leadership and coordination across maintenance activities, balancing planned work and unexpected breakdowns while ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient asset performance.

Acting as the primary maintenance interface for operations teams, the role is responsible for coordinating maintenance resources, managing equipment handovers, directing breakdown response activities, and ensuring that all maintenance work and lessons learned are accurately captured in the CMMS. The position plays a critical role in maximizing equipment availability, minimizing operational disruptions, and driving standardization and technical excellence across the terminal.

What You'll Be Doing

• Serve as the primary point of contact for equipment breakdowns and maintenance escalation.
• Coordinate maintenance resources and breakdown teams to restore equipment safely and efficiently.
• Manage daily maintenance priorities, balancing planned work with urgent operational requirements.
• Monitor equipment performance in real time and proactively identify potential failures and operational risks.
• Coordinate equipment handovers between Operations and Maintenance for planned and unplanned activities.
• Optimize maintenance interventions around vessel schedules, berth windows, and operational priorities.
• Ensure work orders are executed safely, effectively, and according to schedule through third-party maintenance providers.
• Track maintenance performance metrics, including MTTR and breakdown-related KPIs.
• Drive root cause analysis, capture maintenance learnings, and ensure all activities are documented within the CMMS.
• Support incident investigations and continuous improvement initiatives aimed at reducing unplanned equipment downtime.
• Partner with operations, asset management, union labor, and service providers to improve reliability, performance, and maintenance efficiency.
• Promote technical standardization and share expertise related to electrical systems, PLCs, drives, troubleshooting, and maintenance best practices.

What We're Looking For

• Experience leading maintenance execution in a heavy industrial, automated, manufacturing, logistics, port, terminal, mining, or related asset-intensive environment.
• Strong troubleshooting and diagnostic skills involving electrical, mechanical, and automated equipment systems.
• Experience coordinating maintenance teams, contractors, or third-party service providers within a fast-paced operational setting.
• Knowledge of CMMS platforms and maintenance planning processes.
• Understanding of reliability, preventive maintenance, breakdown management, and root-cause analysis methodologies.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, make decisions under pressure, and coordinate responses to critical equipment failures.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills across operational, technical, and leadership teams.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety, compliance, and operational excellence.
• Experience working with PLCs, drives, industrial controls, and electrical systems is highly desirable.
• Supervisory or leadership experience managing unionized or hourly workforces is preferred.
• Schedule: 12-hr Night Shift (4 nights on, 3 days off)

Lean-minded

We are looking for someone who brings a strong mindset of continuous improvement – someone who is naturally curious, committed to solving problems at the root, and driven to make things better every day.

What We Can Offer

At APM Terminals, we foster a dynamic learning and training culture that empowers our employees to excel. Our commitment to continuous improvement is driven by LEAN principles, ensuring every team member has opportunities to develop skills and advance their career.

In this role, the successful candidate will enjoy:

• Competitive compensation and benefits.
• Career growth opportunities within a global organization.
• Exposure to advanced port technologies and automation.
• Ongoing professional development and technical training.
• A collaborative, inclusive, and safety-focused work environment.
• Opportunities to contribute to large-scale operational excellence and transformation initiatives.
• The chance to make a meaningful impact on global trade and logistics.

Schedule: 12-hr Night Shift (4 nights on, 3 days off)

Notice to applicants applying to positions in the United States

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.

APM Terminals is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities who are applying for positions in the U.S. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.