Maintenance Manager

Role overview

Dawn Meats is seeking a Maintenance Manager to join its Carrolls Cross production site in County Waterford on a permanent, full-time basis. The position sits within a large-scale food manufacturing business with operations across multiple countries and a strong focus on reliable production performance.

In this role, you will oversee the engineering and maintenance function at site level, making sure planned maintenance, breakdown response, cost management, and resource allocation are delivered effectively. You will also be responsible for handling unexpected work, coordinating internal teams and external contractors, and ensuring activity stays within approved budgets.

What you will do

• Translate group and site priorities into clear actions for the maintenance function and ensure performance targets are delivered.
• Keep maintenance spending under control and secure approvals in line with company procedures and policy.
• Lead the engineering team on site, including guiding engineers during breakdowns and supporting urgent repair work.
• Run the day-to-day maintenance operation, decide on repairs and improvements, set priorities, allocate tasks, and plan work to reduce disruption to production.
• Organise scheduled work and adapt quickly when unplanned maintenance arises, ensuring the team has the capability to respond.
• Make effective use of internal staff and outside specialists depending on skills, availability, and the nature of the issue.
• Oversee third-party contracts and keep the Site Operations Manager and Group Engineering Manager informed on costs, service levels, and contractor performance.
• Drive proactive maintenance approaches that improve plant reliability and reduce expensive downtime across equipment, people, and production processes.
• Support team motivation, training, development, and the effective deployment of maintenance resources.
• Manage site utilities such as electricity, water, air, and refrigeration through the internal team and external service providers to maintain continuity and service quality.

What the employer is looking for

• A trade qualification in either mechanical or electrical work, or a third-level qualification in engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• At least 5 years of experience in engineering or maintenance within an industrial or manufacturing setting, ideally in food production.
• Proven background in leading, supervising, or managing engineering or maintenance teams in a busy operational environment.
• Strong planning and project coordination abilities, with the capacity to manage maintenance tasks, improvement work, and team workload efficiently.
• Clear communication skills, strong leadership presence, and good interpersonal ability.
• Demonstrated people-management experience, including coaching, mentoring, performance oversight, and team development.
• Willingness to travel between company locations in the Republic of Ireland and the UK when required.

Additional information

This is a permanent full-time role based at Carrolls Cross, Co. Waterford. The position involves working in a busy engineering environment and supporting operational continuity at a major production facility.