Associate Director, Maintenance & Reliability

Northern Germany, approx. 1 hour from Bremen

This is a rural location . Ideal if you prefer that lifestyle.

If you’re more city-based, a weekly commute is likely more realistic than daily travel .

A leading global manufacturer within the regulated manufacturing sector is looking to appoint a Associate Director, Maintenance & Reliability to lead and develop a critical engineering function at one of its key European production sites.

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for an experienced maintenance and reliability professional who wants to move beyond day-to-day operations and play a strategic role in shaping the future of a manufacturing organisation.

You’ll inherit responsibility for maintenance, reliability, planning, scheduling, and spare parts strategy across a complex production environment, while also helping drive culture change, team development, and long-term operational improvement initiatives.

The business is investing heavily in strengthening the site’s engineering capability, making this a genuinely exciting opportunity to build, influence, and create lasting impact.

The Opportunity

You will:

Lead and develop a multidisciplinary maintenance and reliability team
Drive preventative, predictive, and corrective maintenance strategies
Improve asset reliability, equipment performance, and long-term maintenance planning
Implement reliability improvement initiatives including RCA and FMEA methodologies
Own maintenance planning, scheduling, and spare parts strategies through SAP PM / CMMS systems
Partner closely with Production, Quality, HSE, and Engineering leadership teams
Play a key role in strategic engineering decisions and succession planning at site leadership level

This role offers significant visibility, autonomy, and long-term progression potential within a large international organisation.

What We’re Looking For

We’re interested in speaking with individuals who bring:

Strong maintenance and reliability leadership experience within a manufacturing environment
Experience operating in regulated industries such as pharmaceutical, biotech, food, chemical, or similar sectors
Strong knowledge of SAP PM or equivalent CMMS platforms
Experience driving reliability, asset performance, and continuous improvement initiatives
Proven people leadership capability, including team development and culture building
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Fluent German and English communication skills

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

Newly created leadership position with genuine influence
Opportunity to shape team structure, culture, and strategy
Strong long-term career progression potential
Highly collaborative international environment
Attractive location close to the coast
Excellent compensation and benefits package

If you’d be interested in discussing the opportunity confidentially, please get in touch directly.

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Stanley Cowton International