Maintenance Manager

Location

• North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• About the Client and Role

Our client, a leading global automotive manufacturing business, is searching for a Maintenance Manager to lead and develop the maintenance function at one of their key manufacturing plants in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

This is an important site leadership role, responsible for improving machine availability, reducing unplanned downtime, and ensuring the plant has a strong preventative and predictive maintenance strategy in place.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the maintenance function across the plant.
• Develop and implement preventative and predictive maintenance strategies to improve machine availability.
• Reduce unplanned downtime and support improvements in OEE and overall plant performance.
• Manage maintenance KPIs, including downtime, response times, spare parts usage, maintenance costs, and equipment reliability.
• Lead, coach, and develop the maintenance team, ensuring strong technical capability and clear ways of working.
• Work closely with production and operations teams to support daily manufacturing performance.
• Ensure maintenance activities are completed safely, efficiently, and in line with production requirements.
• Support troubleshooting and root cause analysis for recurring technical issues.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across equipment reliability, maintenance processes, and plant performance.
• Manage spare parts strategy, availability, and cost control.
• Support investment projects, equipment upgrades, installations, and commissioning activities.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, environmental, and company standards.
• Work closely with engineering, quality, production, and EHS teams to support plant objectives.
• Build a strong maintenance culture focused on safety, reliability, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.

Skills and Qualifications

• Degree or technical qualification in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Maintenance Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong experience in maintenance leadership within a manufacturing, automotive, or industrial environment.
• Experience managing maintenance teams in a plant-based environment.
• Strong knowledge of preventative and predictive maintenance methods.
• Proven experience reducing unplanned downtime and improving machine availability.
• Good understanding of OEE, maintenance KPIs, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement tools.
• Experience with manufacturing processes such as welding, assembly, stamping, metal forming, or similar industrial processes is highly desirable.
• Strong technical understanding of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and automated production equipment.
• Experience supporting equipment installations, upgrades, and commissioning projects.
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Hands‑on approach with the ability to work closely with the shop floor and plant leadership team.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment.
• Fluent in German and English.
• Ideal Candidate Profile
• The ideal candidate will be a hands‑on Maintenance Manager with strong experience in automotive or industrial manufacturing.

They will have a strong technical background and a proven track record of improving equipment reliability, reducing downtime, and building strong maintenance teams.

• This person should be comfortable working closely with the shop floor and have a practical understanding of production demands.

They should be able to balance short‑term problem‑solving with longer‑term improvements in preventative maintenance, spare parts strategy, and overall plant performance.

• They should be a strong leader, technically credible, operationally focused, and able to support the plant in achieving safety, quality, delivery, and performance targets.
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