Maintenance Manager

Bakelite GmbH; Stirling; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A global chemical manufacturing company in Scotland is seeking a Maintenance Manager to enhance plant reliability and operational efficiency. You'll oversee maintenance activities, manage budgets, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. The role requires over 5 years of experience in maintenance within the chemical industry, strong leadership skills, and knowledge of UK safety regulations. This position offers competitive compensation and a commitment to sustainability.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Robust benefits

Career development opportunities

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in maintenance/reliability and project delivery within chemical industries.
• Upper Tier COMAH site experience with proven maintenance management leadership.
• Proficiency in UK's regulatory frameworks including COMAH.

Responsibilities

• Lead the maintenance strategy aligned with safety requirements.
• Ensure reliability of mechanical, electrical, and control systems.
• Drive projects to minimize unplanned downtime.

Skills

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Project Management

Continuous Improvement

Leadership

Safety Management

Education

Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Control Engineering

Tools

CMMS (e.g., SAP PM)

Project Management Software (e.g., MS Project)

Job description

Posted Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 6:00 AM

At Bakelite, you’ll help us create a better tomorrow with sustainable and innovative chemistry today.

We’re Everywhere. Everywhere you look, you’ll find products enabled by Bakelite, from stronger homes to safer automobiles and everywhere in between. With more than 100 years of history and strong customer relationships, we boldly engineer sustainable products to tackle our world’s most challenging demands.

Join Our Team and Help Us Build a Stronger, Safer, Better World.

It’s Better with Bakelite.

It’s Better with Bakelite: Our Commitment Back to You

• You’ll Help Shape Our Future. As a Bakelite associate, you’re part of a diverse, global population creating the next generation of the company and we expect you to put your fingerprint on it.
• We Champion Our Associates. At Bakelite, you don’t just climb the career ladder – you pave your personal path through continued learning and development.
• Together, We Will Protect the Planet. From our processes to our products, we are focusing on the opportunities that both grow our profitability as a company, and improve and protect the planet.
• Safety is a Core Value. At Bakelite, safety is a 24/7 mindset. We are all safe today to ensure we are able to show up tomorrow – for our families and friends, for each other and for our communities.
• We Care. Plain and simple, we care about our associates. From the top on down, we place a high value on our culture and the associate experience. We offer competitive compensation, robust benefits and support our associates every step of their career.

Maintenance Manager: The Impact You’ll Have On The Organization and World

Enhance plant reliability and operational efficiency by implementing robust preventative maintenance schedules and continuous improvement initiatives, the Maintenance Manager will significantly reduce equipment downtime, ensuring maximum plant availability and cost efficiency across the Cowie site.

Strengthen compliance and safety culture through strict adherence to statutory regulations (COSHH, COMAH, PPC) and company health and safety standards, the role will safeguard operational integrity, minimise risk, and reinforce a strong EH&S culture, protecting both employees and the organisation.

Optimise resource and budget management through effective control of maintenance budgets and strategic allocation of resources will enable the organisation to achieve annual financial targets while maintaining high standards of reliability and performance.

Drive technical Innovation and continuous Improvement by leading technical projects and introduce innovative engineering solutions, contributing to process optimisation and positioning the site as a benchmark for best-in-class maintenance practices.

Improve cross-functional collaboration and customer satisfaction by liaising with Production and Planning teams to align maintenance activities with operational priorities, the role ensures minimal disruption to supply chains, supporting customer satisfaction and overall business continuity.

Life in Cowie:

In this role, you'll be located in a dynamic industrial location nestled in the heart of Scotland.As part of the FPD EU team, you’ll work on-site at a key Bakelite facility driving sustainability and safety in a setting that values local collaboration and global impact. You’ll be part of a dedicated team in a close-knit community, with access to beautiful Scottish landscapes and rich cultural heritage.

Does a Typical Day Look Like?

Here are your primary responsibilities:

Maintenance & Reliability Leadership

Lead the site’s maintenance strategy (preventive, predictive, corrective) aligned with COMAH requirements and asset criticality.

Ensure reliability and integrity of mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and control systems, including high‑hazard equipment.

Drive RCM, FMEA, defect elimination and continuous improvement to minimise unplanned downtime.

Oversee spare parts strategy, obsolescence management, and CMMS performance (planning, scheduling, backlog, KPI reporting).

Manage Mechanical Integrity programmes including inspections, NDT and testing of safety‑critical devices.

Safety & COMAH Compliance

Ensure maintenance and project activities protect SIF integrity and align with the site Safety Report.

Participate in hazard assessments (HAZOP/LOPA).

Support Permit‑to‑Work systems and act as COMAH Duty Manager on rotation.

Project Management (CAPEX & OPEX)

Support delivery of CAPEX projects from concept through commissioning, ensuring alignment with engineering standards and lifecycle cost principles.

Participate in Management of Change processes and PSSR.

Manage contractor performance including competence checks, RAMS, supervision and safe execution of work.

People, Culture & Stakeholder Management

Lead, coach and develop a multi‑disciplinary maintenance team.

Build strong collaboration with Operations, EHS, Quality, Supply Chain and Engineering.

Promote a strong safety culture and lead incident investigations.

Communicate plans, risks and performance to site leadership and regulators.

Drive improvements in maintenance efficiency, shutdown performance and reliability.

Apply condition monitoring, diagnostics and data analytics.

Support improvements in energy use and emissions (e.g., ISO 50001 alignment).

What is Needed to be Successful in this Role (Required Skills/Abilities)

Necessary Requirements

Essential Qualifications

• Degree (BEng/BSc) in Mechanical, Electrical, or Control/Instrumentation Engineering (Preferred).
• Demonstrable experience (5+ years) in maintenance/reliability and project delivery within chemical or process industries.
• Upper Tier COMAH site experience with proven maintenance management leadership.
• Strong knowledge of UK regulatory frameworks:

COMAH, DSEAR/ATEX, PUWER, LOLER, PSSR, Confined Space, Functional Safety (IEC 61511), EAWR.

• Proven competence in Permit‑to‑Work systems, mechanical/electrical isolation, and contractor control.
• Proficiency with CMMS (e.g., SAP PM) and project management software (e.g., MS Project).

Desirable Certifications / Training

• NEBOSH General Certificate
• Functional Safety (IEC 61511) awareness.
• Project Management (e.g., Prince2)
• ISO Systems familiarity: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ideally ISO 50001 (energy).

Experience & Skills

• Experience of leading/supporting on CAPEX projects from design through to construction within operating plants.
• Maintenance scheduling & planning of preventive, reactive & shutdown activities, including material management.
• Leading reliability/continuous improvement through the use problem solving tools/methodologies (A3 Thinking, 3C’s, 5 Why, Fishbone, FMEA etc).
• Contractor and vendor management; pre‑qualification and performance management.
• Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation and control systems familiarity.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Key Behaviours

• Safety‑first & process safety mindset; challenges unsafe conditions and decisions.
• Ownership & accountability for asset integrity and project outcomes.
• Structured & disciplined in planning, controls, and documentation.
• Departmental collaboration; Operations, EHS, Engineering and Quality; fosters learning culture.
• Continuous improvement orientation and data‑driven decision‑making.

Are you ready to help us build a better tomorrow and put your fingerprints on the world? Apply for this exciting opportunity, and learn more about our hiring process, insights from our global associates, our robust benefits and more at Bakelite.com/careers.

Disclaimer

We are not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms/employment agencies for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails to an employee about this position. All resumes submitted by search firms/employment agencies to any employee of the Company via email, the Internet or in any other form and/or method without a valid written search firm agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of the Company; no fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by the Company as a result of the unsolicited referral or through other means.