Central Reliability Engineer

Knauf Insulation Ltd; St Helens; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000

Job description

Knauf stands for opportunity. We know that opportunity looks different to each person and we are proud that we see opportunity in everyone. This exciting role within Knauf Insulation could be the perfect next opportunity for you to build a unique career, in a values-led culture with a clear purpose of making tomorrow a home for all of us. As a Group we are a global manufacturer of construction materials and our 41,500 team members in 90 countries across 300 sites provide a huge opportunity for anyone with ambition and energy. We value everyone's contribution equally and we ask that you bring your whole self to work, to enrich the business further, as together we achieve more in a safe and inclusive environment.

Knauf Insulation is proud to be part of the Knauf Group. We have a 40-year heritage in manufacturing insulation and have big plans for the future. Our global reach in 40 countries continues to grow and we are looking for passionate, ambitious people to join our 6000-strong team and help us achieve our goals. We are all led by the same core values and believe in the powerful potential of large companies to have a positive impact on the world.

We are now looking for another team member to join us in the Maintenance Team as a Central Reliability Engineer, based in Visé (Belgium), or St-Helens (UK), or Skofja Loka (Slovenia). This position is reporting to the Central Maintenance & Automation Manager.

Can you say ‘yes’?...

• Are you an engineer with a technical background in electrical or mechanical engineering? And above all, do you have an affinity for reliability and spares?
• Are you solution-oriented? Do you like to come up with new ideas and are you driven by continuous improvement and out-of-the-box thinking?
• Are you attracted to multi-hatting: technical, strategic and change management?
• Talented at communicating and creating a real dynamic in your projects and your work?

Your purpose is to provide central support for spare parts availability, obsolescence risk management, and inventory accuracy by categorizing long lead-time parts and minimizing business disruptions. Additionally, support engineering initiatives to improve plant efficiency and eliminate recurring failures.

What you’ll be doing:

Control

• Assist plants with daily and re-occurring deficiencies with a structured approach to problem solving and support any needed improvements to reduce or eliminate the problem.
• Promote cost awareness, involve purchasing at key decision points, and introduce competitive vendor selection.
• Provide clear project deliverables, including problem statements, success criteria, and financial impact assessments.
• Maintain a strong understanding of Siemens, ABB plc various VSD systems for optimal plant operation.
• Support process standardization, specification development, and best practice implementation.

Plant Process Support

• Oversee spares management and project delivery while ensuring process efficiency and compliance.
• Manage spare parts inventory, including obsolescence risks and lead times, to ensure availability across all plants.
• Support spare parts location and transfer while maintaining an up-to-date criticality register.

Team Member Assistance

• Collaborate with team members to enhance processes, implement best practices, and support multiple site improvements.
• Work closely with management, maintenance, HSE, contractors, purchasing, and central engineering to implement process improvements and cost-saving initiatives.
• Balance competing priorities in a fast-paced environment while coordinating with diverse teams and stakeholders.

Maintenance Best Practice & Reporting

• Track and report plant deficiencies, corrective actions, and process improvements monthly.
• Ensure documentation and knowledge sharing for group-wide efficiency gains.

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to company health, safety, and environmental policies by employees and contractors.
• Champion safe working practices, ensure contractor compliance, and maintain high housekeeping standards.

Continuous Improvement

• Ignition to process Improvement initiatives.
• Engage in process improvement initiatives, including OSI PI and PLC integration for enhanced plant visualization.
• Implement PLC modifications, manage network and drive systems, and optimize OSI PI data collection for better production insights.
• Drive plant process improvements, facilitate smooth project handovers, and promote a culture of continuous enhancement.
• Stay updated with emerging technologies to enhance site potential and operational excellence.

Documentation Management

• Keep technical documentation current using E-Plan & AutoCAD and ensure proper communication with central engineering.
• Maintain accurate site documentation, ensure updates are reflected in the KI Extranet system, and manage spare stock control changes.

Project Support

• Assist in defining project scopes, testing new equipment, and training operators for process improvements.

What we’d love for you to have:

We are interested in you as a person: your attitude, behaviors, and values. As long as you are eager to learn anything you might not already know for this role, we’d love to speak with you.

If you have experience in the following areas – this is an added advantage:

• A Mechanical or Electrical Engineer.
• With an expertise in PLCs, Drives, Networks, and Mechanics. The ideal candidate should have a proven ability to lead projects and drive process improvements under Industrial performance management.
• Demonstrable achievements in Continuous Improvement, Change Management disciplines, tools and techniques and evident motivation to impart these to others.
• Languages: Fluent in English; French, German and Dutch will be considered as an asset;

This is the cherry on the cake (but not essential) if :

• Experienced in the application of Health & Safety procedures with an understanding of the principles of Employment and Safety at Work Legislation & PUWER Regulations.
• IOSH Safety Qualification or ideally NEBOSH certificate
• Experienced and In depth Knowledge of SAP
• SAP Spares management control and change implementation
• Be able to interpret drawings

Your personality counts a lot for us:

• Proactive mind-set and excellent planning skill.
• Highly tuned people management skills along with strong communication skills
• Use of a leadership style that creates confidence and commitment across a range of work groups rather than simply with own department.
• Data driven & Result focused. Strives to make the change.
• Flexible to carry out any task as requested within their capability (training, competence)
• Flexible in terms of travel, break & finish times to suit the needs of the business (Percentage of travel: 30%).

We will provide:

As this is a central, international position, the package and associated benefits will be those of the contract's host country. Our common criterion was to build a comprehensive salary package that stands out in the market.

On top of that, a dedicated time for personal development and potential for leadership training will be provided.

What happens next?

We appreciate that your time is precious and applying for a new job can be a lengthy process - so we have committed to replying to your application within five working days.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion (D&I) reinforces our Knauf Insulation values of Making Tomorrow a Home for all of us. We are committed to creating a workplace where we all can thrive, whoever we are, and inspiring a culture of inclusion and innovation that will drive future business success. We do our best to make sure being at work feels like home. To learn more about our business and culture go here (People & Culture - Knauf Insulation Western Europe)