SDC Trailers is seeking an experienced Maintenance Manager to lead maintenance, The Maintenance Manager is responsible for leading all maintenance and asset reliability activities across the trailer manufacturing facility. The role ensures the safe, efficient, and cost-effective operation of production equipment, facilities, and infrastructure while driving continuous improvement, minimising downtime, and supporting the achievement of operational and business objectives. The Maintenance Manager will lead a skilled maintenance team, develop long-term asset strategies, and work collaboratively with production and engineering teams to deliver world-class manufacturing performance.
The Role
As Maintenance Manager, you will be responsible for planning, coordinating, and improving all maintenance activities across the site. You will work closely with Production, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to support operational performance, product quality, and customer delivery requirements.
You will also oversee site facilities, utilities, statutory compliance, contractor management, and improvement projects to ensure a safe, compliant, and efficient working environment.
Key Responsibilities
Your duties will include:
- Leading, coaching, and developing the maintenance team, promoting a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and high performance.
- Planning, prioritising, and coordinating preventative, predictive, and reactive maintenance activities to maximise equipment availability and minimise production disruption.
- Developing and implementing the site maintenance strategy, annual maintenance plans, and asset management programmes.
- Improving equipment reliability and plant performance by reducing downtime, improving asset utilisation, and addressing recurring equipment failures through root cause analysis.
- Managing maintenance budgets, capital expenditure projects, spare parts inventory, contractors, and shutdown activities.
- Monitoring and reporting on maintenance KPIs including downtime, MTBF, MTTR, maintenance compliance, and OEE.
- Supporting Lean, 5S, TPM, reliability-centred maintenance, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Identifying opportunities for equipment upgrades, automation, energy efficiency improvements, and process optimisation.
- Ensuring key manufacturing assets are maintained to a high standard, including welding equipment, fabrication machinery, CNC equipment, paint plant systems, material handling equipment, compressed air systems, and site infrastructure.
Facilities Management Responsibilities
You will also be responsible for:
- Overseeing maintenance, repair, and improvement of all site facilities, buildings, utilities, and infrastructure.
- Developing planned preventative maintenance programmes for building services, utilities, and facility assets.
- Managing site utilities including electrical distribution, compressed air, gas, water, drainage, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
- Ensuring the ongoing maintenance of factory buildings, offices, welfare facilities, yards, roads, fencing, roofing, and site security systems.
- Leading facility improvement projects including refurbishments, layout changes, infrastructure upgrades, and energy reduction initiatives.
- Managing external service providers including cleaning, security, waste management, grounds maintenance, and specialist engineering contractors.
- Ensuring compliance with statutory inspections, certifications, fire safety systems, emergency lighting, alarm systems, sprinkler systems, and building infrastructure requirements.
- Supporting business continuity by ensuring critical facility systems and contingency plans are in place.
- Maintaining accurate records of maintenance activity, inspections, statutory compliance, and contractor performance.
Health & Safety
The Maintenance Manager will be expected to promote and maintain high standards of health and safety across all maintenance and facilities activities. This includes ensuring safe systems of work, reporting hazards and defects, using PPE where required, supporting risk assessments, following emergency procedures, and contributing to a positive safety culture.
Essential Criteria
Applicants must have:
- Minimum of 3 years experience in a Maintenance Manager, Engineering Manager, or similar leadership role within a manufacturing environment.
- Proven experience leading and developing maintenance teams.
- Experience managing preventative and reactive maintenance programmes.
- A strong track record of improving equipment reliability, reducing downtime, and driving continuous improvement.
- Experience managing maintenance budgets, contractors, and shutdown activities.
- Experience overseeing facilities, utilities, and site infrastructure.
- HNC/HND or equivalent qualification in Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, or related Engineering discipline.
- Strong leadership and people management skills.
- Excellent planning, organisation, and prioritisation abilities.
- Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Proficiency in CMMS and Microsoft Office applications.
- Strong understanding of preventative maintenance, asset management, and reliability principles.
- Knowledge of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems.
- Understanding of health and safety legislation, risk assessments, permit-to-work systems, and contractor management.
- Knowledge of statutory compliance requirements relating to facilities and manufacturing equipment.
- Understanding of maintenance KPIs including OEE, MTBF, and MTTR.
- Right to work in the UK.
- Full UK Driving Licence.
- Willingness to provide out-of-hours support for maintenance emergencies and shutdown activities when required.
Desirable Criteria
The following would be advantageous:
- Experience within trailer manufacturing, automotive, heavy engineering, fabrication, or a similar industrial sector.
- Experience leading capital projects and site improvement programmes.
- Experience implementing TPM, Lean Manufacturing, or Reliability-Centred Maintenance methodologies.
- Degree in Engineering or a related discipline.
- Professional membership such as IET, IMechE, or equivalent.
- Project Management qualification such as PRINCE2, APM, or equivalent.
- Experience using advanced maintenance management and reporting systems.
- Project management and change management skills.
- Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, 5S, TPM, and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
- Knowledge of energy management and sustainability initiatives.
- NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent Health & Safety qualification.
The Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate will be a confident and experienced maintenance leader with strong technical knowledge, excellent people management skills, and the ability to deliver improvements in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. They will be proactive, safety-focused, organised, and able to work collaboratively with teams across the business.
We are an Equal Opportunities Employer
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