Maintenance Management Recruitment - Positions Explained

By Derek Jobs and David Hirst

job, jobs, career

Maintenance is vital for the smooth working of plant machinery or equipment in a company. Irrespective of the type and size of the business, a certain level of maintenance is required for all organisations. Maintenance supervisor work and recruitment procedures will differ for different companies according to the needs of the organisation.

Responsibilities of a maintenance supervisor will change depending upon the plant and machineries in a company. The supervisor will traditionally lead a team of technicians to coordinate with the production and service departments, with the aim of organising maintenance activities without affecting the normal operation of the company.

In large organisations where the production is high (and depending on the plant, equipment and machineries), the level of the maintenance required sometimes requires a whole separate department, often with a Director in place to manage the division. In such organisations there will be separate maintenance supervisors for different departments. There will be supervisors for electrical, mechanical and civil maintenance activities for each functional department.

In small organisations there will most likely be a single maintenance supervisor for dealing with all kinds of maintenance activities. The maintenance supervisor will manage a mixed team of technicians for different fields. This is sometimes beyond the budget of a smaller operation to take them on in full time positions. External contractors will be used as ad when required.

Functions of the supervisor include the procurement of the raw materials and dealing with the subcontractors for the daily maintenance activities etc. Specialised national agencies are present in the UK for maintenance supervisor work and recruitment for the associated positions.

A maintenance manager plans and organises the preventative methodology and daily maintenance routines to ensure the working conditions of the plant and machineries are of standards required. Certain organisations employ third party contractors for maintenance work; this is normally the case when the superior technology is involved. Qualified and experienced candidates are offered attractive wages and benefits by the recruiters for getting the right professionals in these more technical positions.