Maintenance Manager

About the Company

Avondale Foods is a leading food processing company of Fresh and Chilled products supplying leading retail businesses such as Marks & Spencer, Morrison’s and Waitrose in the UK.

About the Role

The F3 Maintenance Manager is responsible for leading and managing all maintenance activities within the F3 production area to ensure maximum equipment reliability, operational efficiency, safety compliance and continuous improvement. The role oversees preventative and reactive maintenance operations, manages maintenance personnel and contractors and works collaboratively with production, engineering, quality and health & safety teams to minimise downtime and optimise plant performance. The Maintenance Manager will drive a proactive maintenance culture focused on safety, equipment reliability, cost control and operational excellence while ensuring compliance with all company policies, regulatory requirements and industry standards.

Key Responsibilities:

Maintenance Operations

• Lead and coordinate all planned, preventative and reactive maintenance activities within the F3 area.
• Ensure all plant machinery, equipment and facilities are maintained to the highest operational and safety standards.
• Develop and implement maintenance strategies to improve equipment reliability and reduce unplanned downtime.
• Monitor equipment performance and maintenance KPIs, identifying trends and implementing corrective actions.
• Ensure rapid response to equipment breakdowns and production-critical issues.
• Oversee root cause analysis investigations and implement sustainable corrective and preventative actions.
• Maintain accurate maintenance records, reports and documentation using the company CMMS or maintenance systems.

Team Leadership & Management

• Lead, motivate and develop the maintenance team to achieve departmental and organisational objectives.
• Manage employee performance through coaching, mentoring, training and regular performance reviews.
• Plan and coordinate team schedules, shift coverage, holidays and contractor activities.
• Promote a positive, accountable, and high-performance team culture.
• Ensure all maintenance personnel are appropriately trained and competent to perform their duties safely and effectively.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with all health, safety, environmental and statutory regulations.
• Promote and enforce safe systems of work, risk assessments, permit-to-work systems and lockout/tagout procedures.
• Conduct regular safety audits, inspections and toolbox talks.
• Investigate incidents, near misses and equipment failures, ensuring appropriate corrective actions are implemented.
• Support company initiatives relating to sustainability, environmental management and energy efficiency.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance equipment performance, reliability and maintenance efficiency.
• Support lean manufacturing and operational excellence initiatives.
• Analyse maintenance data to identify recurring issues and opportunities for process improvement.
• Collaborate with engineering and production teams on equipment upgrades, installations and improvement projects.

Budget & Resource Management

• Assist in the preparation and management of maintenance budgets and expenditure.
• Monitor maintenance costs and identify opportunities for cost reduction without compromising safety or quality.
• Manage spare parts inventory to ensure availability of critical components while maintaining cost efficiency.
• Coordinate and manage external contractors and suppliers to ensure quality service delivery and compliance with company standards.

Communication & Collaboration

• Work closely with production, quality, engineering and operations teams to support manufacturing objectives.
• Provide regular updates and reports to the Engineering Manager on maintenance performance, risks and improvement activities.
• Participate in operational meetings and contribute to strategic planning and decision-making.

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience in a maintenance management or supervisory role within a manufacturing, industrial or production environment.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical, electrical and automation systems.
• Experience managing preventative and reactive maintenance programmes.
• Strong leadership, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage priorities and work effectively under pressure.
• Knowledge of health & safety legislation and maintenance compliance standards.
• Experience using CMMS or maintenance management systems.
• Strong analytical and decision-making abilities.
• Experience managing budgets and contractor relationships.