Maintenance Supervisor - Meat & Protein

We are recruiting on behalf of a leading meat and protein manufacturer seeking an experienced and proactive Maintenance Supervisor to lead the day-to-day maintenance function across a busy manufacturing facility. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for ensuring the reliability, efficiency, and performance of plant equipment while supporting operational excellence, food safety, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The successful candidate will have a strong engineering background within food manufacturing or FMCG, with proven experience supervising maintenance teams in a fast-paced production environment. This is an excellent opportunity to join a well-established business committed to operational excellence, innovation, and investing in its people and facilities.

Key Responsibilities

Maintenance Leadership

• Supervise the day-to-day activities of the engineering and maintenance team, ensuring planned and reactive maintenance activities are completed safely, efficiently, and to a high standard.
• Allocate workloads, prioritise maintenance activities, and ensure engineering resources are effectively utilised.
• Provide technical guidance, coaching, and support to maintenance engineers and technicians.
• Promote a proactive maintenance culture focused on equipment reliability and continuous improvement.

Planned & Reactive Maintenance

• Oversee preventative, predictive, and corrective maintenance programmes to maximise equipment availability and minimise downtime.
• Ensure all planned maintenance schedules are completed in accordance with maintenance plans and production requirements.
• Coordinate rapid response to equipment breakdowns to minimise production disruption.
• Monitor equipment performance and implement improvements to increase reliability and operational efficiency.
• Ensure accurate maintenance records are maintained through the site's Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

Equipment & Asset Management

• Support the maintenance and optimisation of manufacturing equipment, utilities, refrigeration systems, conveyors, packaging machinery, and production lines.
• Identify recurring equipment issues and implement permanent engineering solutions.
• Assist with the installation, commissioning, and validation of new equipment and machinery.
• Support capital investment projects, equipment upgrades, and plant improvement initiatives.
• Ensure spare parts inventory is effectively managed to minimise downtime while controlling costs.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Promote a strong health and safety culture across the engineering function.
• Ensure all maintenance work is carried out in accordance with company procedures, risk assessments, and safe systems of work.
• Maintain compliance with all relevant health and safety legislation and engineering standards.
• Ensure contractors work safely and comply with site policies and permit-to-work procedures.
• Participate in accident investigations and implement corrective actions where required.

Food Safety & Quality

• Ensure maintenance activities support the highest standards of food safety and product quality.
• Work closely with Quality and Production teams to ensure engineering practices comply with food manufacturing standards.
• Support hygiene requirements during maintenance activities to minimise contamination risks.
• Ensure engineering work complies with GMP and site food safety procedures.

Team Development

• Supervise, mentor, and develop members of the maintenance team.
• Conduct performance reviews and identify training and development needs.
• Support apprentice development and succession planning where applicable.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team culture.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve equipment performance, maintenance practices, and operational efficiency.
• Support Lean Manufacturing, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Analyse equipment failures and maintenance trends to reduce repeat breakdowns.
• Work collaboratively with Production, Quality, and Operations teams to deliver site improvement projects.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Build strong working relationships across Engineering, Production, Technical, Planning, and Health & Safety departments.
• Liaise with equipment manufacturers and external contractors where required.
• Provide regular updates on maintenance performance, equipment reliability, and ongoing engineering projects to the Engineering Manager.

Candidate Profile

Essential Experience

• Previous experience in a Maintenance Supervisor, Engineering Supervisor, Lead Engineer, or similar role within food manufacturing, meat processing, protein manufacturing, or FMCG.
• Strong background in preventative and reactive maintenance within a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Experience supervising engineering teams and coordinating maintenance activities.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot complex mechanical and electrical faults.
• Experience working with CMMS systems and planned maintenance programmes.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing equipment and production processes.

Technical Knowledge

• Mechanical and/or electrical engineering principles.
• Preventative, predictive, and reactive maintenance methodologies.
• Food manufacturing equipment and automated production systems.
• PLC-controlled machinery and fault-finding (advantageous).
• Pneumatic and hydraulic systems.
• Conveyor systems, packaging machinery, refrigeration, and utilities.
• Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
• Health & Safety legislation and safe systems of work.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Continuous Improvement methodologies.

Leadership Skills

• Strong leadership and team management capabilities.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills.
• Ability to prioritise workloads in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• A proactive, hands-on approach with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Ability to build positive working relationships across multiple departments.
• Calm and effective under pressure, with excellent decision-making skills.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Recognised engineering qualification (NVQ Level 3, City & Guilds, HNC/HND, or equivalent) in Mechanical, Electrical, or Multi-Skilled Engineering.

Desirable:

• IOSH or NEBOSH Health & Safety qualification.
• 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (for electrically biased candidates).
• Food Manufacturing or FMCG engineering experience.
• Lean Manufacturing or Continuous Improvement qualification.
• Apprenticeship in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.