We are partnering with a premier manufacturer of glazed ceramic and porcelain tiles. We are seeking a highly capable Engineering Manager to take ownership of the plant's equipment reliability, utilities, and continuous improvement initiatives. Reporting directly to the Group Managing Director, you will lead a dedicated engineering and maintenance team to ensure safe, cost-effective operations that meet stringent production and quality targets.

Key Responsibilities

A. Maintenance & Reliability Management

• Develop, implement, and manage a comprehensive preventive and predictive maintenance (PPM) program across all plant equipment.

• Ensure maximum equipment availability, reliability, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

• Establish and closely monitor core engineering KPIs, particularly Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and Mean Time To Repair (MTTR).

• Oversee the end-to-end maintenance of kilns, presses, glazing and application lines, dryers, conveyors, sorting and packing equipment, utilities, and material-handling systems.

• Establish strict maintenance plans, schedules, standards, and records to significantly reduce breakdowns and unplanned downtime.

• Analyse complex equipment failures and lead rigorous root-cause investigations and corrective actions.

• Monitor equipment condition, critical spares inventory, and overall maintenance performance indicators.

B. Engineering & Plant Improvements

• Identify and implement strategic projects to improve equipment reliability, overall production capacity, energy efficiency, process stability, and product quality.

• Provide advanced engineering support for process changes, new product introductions, equipment upgrades, and production trials.

• Prepare comprehensive technical scopes, cost estimates, and business cases for capital and improvement projects.

• Manage engineering projects flawlessly from initial planning and procurement through to installation, commissioning, and final handover.

• Ensure all engineering changes are meticulously documented and that relevant operating and maintenance procedures are continuously updated.

C. Engineering Projects & Capital Works

• Plan, budget, and execute high-value capital expenditure (Capex) projects, including equipment upgrades, facility automation, capacity expansion, and energy-saving initiatives.

• Manage project timelines, external contractors, vendors, and strict budgetary controls.

• Lead the installation, commissioning, and qualification of new manufacturing machinery.

• Drive forward-thinking automation and digitalization initiatives across the plant (e.g., SCADA systems, IoT monitoring, and CMMS integration).

D. Utilities and Infrastructure

• Ensure the highly reliable operation and maintenance of all plant utilities and services, including electrical systems, compressed air, water, gas, and other critical site systems.

• Monitor utility consumption trends and identify innovative opportunities to reduce energy and resource usage without compromising safety, quality, or production output.

• Coordinate all statutory inspections, mandatory servicing, and compliance records for relevant equipment and installations.

E. Continuous Improvement & Cost Optimization

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives by championing Lean, TPM, Six Sigma, or Kaizen methodologies.

• Identify and rapidly implement cost-reduction opportunities across maintenance, energy consumption, and spare parts procurement.

• Optimize the spare parts inventory framework to balance financial cost against operational availability.

• Continuously benchmark plant performance metrics against industry best practices.

F. Safety, Compliance & Regulatory

• Ensure that all engineering and maintenance activities strictly comply with DOSH, DOE, BOMBA, and other local statutory requirements.

• Enforce absolute adherence to workplace safety standards, lock-out/tag-out (LOTO) protocols, and permit-to-work (PTW) systems.

• Conduct thorough risk assessments and lead formal incident investigations when required.

• Ensure all pressure vessels and other regulated industrial equipment are inspected and certified as legally required.

G. Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a multi-disciplinary maintenance and engineering team comprised of mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and automation technicians/engineers.

• Strategically plan manpower requirements, shift rosters, and ongoing skills training programs.

• Build and sustain a high-performance culture rooted in accountability, safety, and technical excellence.

• Manage performance reviews, disciplinary actions, and departmental succession planning.

H. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Reporting

• Work collaboratively with Production, Quality, Safety, Procurement, and other departments to ensure maintenance priorities align with overarching operating plans.

• Report engineering performance, operational risks, major breakdowns, project progress, and resource requirements directly to executive leadership (General Manager / Group MD).

• Maintain highly accurate documentation for equipment, maintenance logs, project milestones, and compliance.

I. Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Manage and cultivate strategic relationships with equipment suppliers, OEMs, external contractors, and service providers.

• Negotiate favorable service contracts and spare parts pricing.

• Collaborate closely with Production, QC, and Finance teams on large-scale cross-functional initiatives.

3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Equipment: OEE optimization; minimization of unplanned downtime (hours/month).

• Maintenance: PPM completion rate; MTBF; MTTR.

• Cost: Maintenance cost per m2; energy cost per m2; documented utility and energy efficiency improvements.

• Projects: Delivery of Capex projects strictly on-time and on-budget.

• Safety: Zero LTI (Lost Time Injuries); maintaining exemplary safety audit scores.

• People: Execution of targeted training hours; advancement of the technician competency matrix.