Principal Maintenance Engineer

Job Description

The Principal Maintenance Engineer provides technical leadership in maintaining and improving the reliability of process and ESS equipment.

Salary: Circa £50,000.00 depending on experience

Dynamic (hybrid) working: 5 days per week on-site due to workload classification

Security Clearance: British Citizen

Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

What we can offer you:

• Company bonus: Up to £2,500 (based on company performance and will vary year to year)
• Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Overtime: opportunity for paid overtime
• Flexi Leave: Up to 15 additional days
• Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
• Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave -enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…

The opportunity:

The role focuses on advanced fault finding, applying structured problem solving techniques such as FMEA and RCA to identify root causes of failures and implement long term solutions. Through the use of condition monitoring, data analysis, and continuous improvement methodologies, the role aims to minimise downtime, enhance equipment performance, and support efficient manufacturing operations.

• Lead Fault finding and diagnostic on complex process and ESS equipment, ensuring rapid identification and resolution of electrical, mechanical, and control system issues
• Apply structured reliability and root cause methodologies including, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to identify failure trends and implement long-term corrective actions
• Drive continuous improvement activities aimed at reducing equipment downtime, improving reliability, and increasing overall equipment effectiveness
• Implement and manage condition monitoring strategies to proactively assess equipment health, identify potential failures at an early stage, and support predictive maintenance activities
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to maintenance engineers and operators, supporting skill development, and best practice fault finding techniques
• Work closely with production and engineering teams to support the introduction of new equipment, ensuring maintainability and reliability are considered at the procurement stage
• Develop and maintain maintenance procedures, risk assessments, and technical documentation
• Compliance with health & safety during all maintenance activities

What we're looking for from you:

• Minimum HNC qualification in relevant field
• Proven experience setting up preventative maintenance strategies
• Knowledge of KPIs for maintenance applications (MTTR, MTBF and system availability) and ability to use data to analyse improvement actions
• Experience using investigation techniques & conducting route cause analysis
• SAP experience required – creating maintenance plans & workload scheduling

Our company: Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given

MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more…

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

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