Maintenance Engineer

Salary: c£44,000 | Location: Kent | Shift Pattern: 4 on / 4 off  ( Day Shift and Night Shift ) 

The Opportunity

Are you an experienced Maintenance Engineer looking for a hands-on role where you can make a real impact on equipment reliability, production efficiency and site performance?

Our client is looking for skilled and proactive Maintenance Engineers to join their team at their site in Kent, taking responsibility for maintaining and repairing production machinery, packaging equipment and site facilities.

This is a key role within a busy food production environment, where you’ll play an important part in minimising downtime, improving equipment performance and ensuring all machinery operates safely and efficiently.

Working closely with the wider production and maintenance teams, you’ll support preventative maintenance programmes, troubleshoot mechanical and electrical faults, and help drive continuous improvement across the site.

These roles operate on a 4-on / 4-off shift pattern, working either 6am–6pm or 6pm–6am.

Key Responsibilities

Preventative Maintenance: Schedule and carry out planned maintenance activities, inspections and condition monitoring to ensure machinery remains safe, reliable and efficient.

Breakdown & Repairs: Diagnose faults and carry out repairs to minimise production downtime and restore equipment to operation as quickly as possible.

Mechanical & Electrical Engineering: Troubleshoot, repair and maintain a wide range of electro-mechanical packaging machinery and production equipment.

Equipment Performance: Monitor machinery performance and key performance indicators, identifying opportunities to improve reliability, efficiency and output.

Health & Safety Compliance: Ensure all maintenance work is completed in line with risk assessments, safe systems of work, engineering legislation and company procedures.

Building & Facilities Maintenance: Maintain site buildings, fire and alarm systems, ripening rooms and other facilities as required.

Continuous Improvement: Recommend and implement modifications to improve machine safety, production efficiency and equipment performance.

Documentation & Reporting: Maintain accurate maintenance records, update asset registers and ensure all required production and engineering documentation is completed.

Team Support & Training: Provide guidance and training to production colleagues on the safe and effective operation of machinery and equipment.

Contractor Management: Support and monitor external contractors, ensuring work is completed safely and to the required standards.

Food Safety & Hygiene: Maintain high standards of hygiene and food safety, ensuring all work supports the production of safe, compliant and high-quality products.

What You’ll Bring

Engineering Qualifications: A City & Guilds qualification or equivalent in a mechanical subject, alongside a 17th Edition Electrical qualification.

Maintenance Experience: Proven experience working in a maintenance engineering or similar technical role, ideally within a manufacturing or production environment.

Technical Expertise: Experience repairing and maintaining machinery, production equipment, buildings and associated systems.

Fault-Finding Skills: A practical, methodical approach to diagnosing problems and implementing effective repairs.

Health & Safety Knowledge: Understanding of risk assessments, safe working practices, quality systems and HSE requirements.

Technical Understanding: Familiarity with COSHH, F-gas and CDM regulations, alongside the safe use and maintenance of power tools.

IT Skills: Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and Outlook, for maintenance records and reporting.

Problem-Solving: Strong attention to detail, with the ability to identify issues, prioritise tasks and work effectively under pressure.

Teamwork: A professional and collaborative approach, with the ability to work independently and contribute positively to the wider team.

Practical Requirements: A full driving licence and the ability to undertake physical tasks, including lifting heavy objects and working at height or in confined spaces when required.

Why Apply?

Variety: Work across a broad range of production machinery, packaging equipment and site facilities.

Technical Development: Build on your engineering skills while gaining experience with a variety of equipment and maintenance systems.

Real Impact: Play a key role in reducing downtime, improving reliability and keeping production running efficiently.

Team Environment: Join a team where collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement are valued.

Shift Pattern: Benefit from a structured 4-on, 4-off rotation, providing blocks of rest days between working periods.

Career Opportunity: Join an established food production business where your technical expertise will directly contribute to operational success.

If you’re a hands-on Maintenance Engineer with strong fault-finding skills, a proactive approach and a passion for keeping machinery running at its best, we’d love to hear from you.