PeopleWise Vietnam

Our strategic partner is a leading Vietnam-based manufacturer serving both domestic and international markets across the marine, aquaculture, agriculture, and industrial sectors. The company has built a strong reputation for operational excellence, product quality, innovation, and sustainable growth.

Job Responsibilities

Our strategic partner is seeking a Head of Engineering & Maintenance to lead engineering, maintenance, utility, and automation functions across four manufacturing facilities. This role is responsible for ensuring equipment reliability, safety, and operational efficiency, driving key performance indicators, managing maintenance strategies and technical infrastructure, and leading the Engineering & Maintenance team while partnering with international equipment suppliers to support continuous manufacturing operations.

Maintenance Strategy & Equipment Reliability:

• Develop and approve annual preventive maintenance plans across all manufacturing sites.
• Drive the transition from reactive maintenance to predictive maintenance approaches.
• Establish equipment effectiveness and reliability targets for production equipment.
• Coordinate maintenance schedules with Production to minimize operational disruption.
• Recommend equipment replacement and upgrade strategies for aging assets.

Team Leadership & Capability Development:

• Lead, mentor, coach, and evaluate the Engineering & Maintenance team.
• Provide technical guidance on reliability improvement and problem-solving methodologies.
• Communicate operational direction and business objectives to the team.
• Build and strengthen a safety-focused and continuous improvement culture.
• Develop succession plans and support talent development initiatives.

Spare Parts & Capital Investment Management:

• Manage critical spare parts inventory and spare parts procurement activities.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain teams regarding long-term equipment supplier agreements.
• Prepare and recommend capital investment proposals for equipment upgrades and new assets.
• Optimize spare parts inventory while supporting equipment recovery requirements.
• Collaborate with Finance on asset depreciation and capital planning.

Utilities & Technical Infrastructure Management:

• Manage utility systems including electrical, compressed air, water, and climate control infrastructure.
• Coordinate utility-related environmental and safety activities.
• Monitor utility consumption and implement energy management initiatives.
• Identify and execute energy-saving and infrastructure improvement projects.
• Ensure fire protection and emergency response systems remain fully operational.

Budget & Cost Control:

• Manage Engineering & Maintenance operating budgets, spare parts costs, and utility expenditure.
• Implement cost reduction initiatives related to maintenance and energy consumption.
• Review and optimize spending within approved budgets.
• Coordinate with Finance on operating and capital expenditure management.

Automation & Digital Transformation:

• Lead automation and digitalization initiatives across manufacturing operations.
• Deploy industrial control systems and automation solutions for new equipment.
• Implement monitoring technologies and condition-monitoring solutions.
• Collaborate with IT teams on operational performance dashboards and reporting systems.
• Develop technical procedures, maintenance standards, and engineering guidelines.

Safety, Compliance & HSE Coordination:

• Ensure compliance with occupational health, safety, and equipment regulations.
• Coordinate equipment safety inspections and regulatory compliance activities.
• Support lockout/tagout programs and incident reporting processes.
• Participate in investigations related to equipment and technical incidents.
• Ensure all engineering personnel complete required safety training programs.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Automation Engineering, Polymer Materials, or related disciplines.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in Engineering & Maintenance functions.
• At least 3 years of experience at Head of Engineering & Maintenance, Maintenance Manager, or equivalent leadership level.
• Experience in continuous manufacturing environments such as synthetic fiber, polymer, industrial textile, chemical manufacturing, or continuous FMCG production.
• Professional certification in Maintenance, Reliability Management, or equivalent disciplines such as TPM Certification (JIPM) or CMRP / SMRP.
• Business-level English with the ability to communicate with international equipment suppliers and review technical documentation.
• Proficiency in Office 365 applications, ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, CMMS, Power BI.
• Hands-on leadership approach with willingness to work directly on the production floor when required.
• Strong decision-making capability under pressure.
• Availability to support critical equipment issues outside normal working hours.