Head of Manufacturing Infrastructure & Maintenance

Role Objectives:

The Head of Manufacturing Infrastructure & Maintenance is responsible for leading and overseeing all manufacturing maintenance & CAPEX operations within Breadfast to ensure optimal equipment reliability, safety, and efficiency. This role manages a team of Managers & Engineers, plans preventive and corrective maintenance, controls maintenance & CAPEX budgets, and ensures compliance with safety and quality standards. The Head of Maintenance supports production needs by minimising machines downtime, improving machine performance, and implementing continuous improvement initiatives.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Set the long-term maintenance strategy for all Breadfast manufacturing facilities, (Factories & Kitchens) ensuring alignment with business objectives, production expansion plans, and operational excellence targets.
• Develop the annual and multi-year maintenance master plan, including asset lifecycle management, reliability strategy, and performance KPIs (MTTR, MTBF, OTIF for maintenance, downtime reduction, energy optimization).
• Provide strategic leadership to all manufacturing maintenance teams, building structure, capabilities, and succession planning to ensure readiness for future growth.
• Oversee the maintenance of all factories, utilities, HVAC, calibration, and critical production assets, ensuring maximum equipment reliability and uninterrupted operations.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, TPM, and Six Sigma methodologies to reduce breakdowns, optimize PM schedules, and improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Lead major engineering projects, including facility upgrades, new equipment installation, and commissioning activities, ensuring on-time, on-budget execution and compliance with Breadfast standards.
• Manage external contractors, service providers, and partnerships to ensure high-quality service, cost efficiency, and adherence to technical and safety requirements.
• Establish and enforce safety, health, and environmental controls within maintenance activities, driving a zero-incident culture and compliance with regulatory standards.
• Optimize manufacturing maintenance budgets and spending, controlling engineering stocks, spare parts, inventory accuracy, and procurement cycles, while identifying cost-saving opportunities and applying e-auction strategies.
• Act as the technical escalation point for complex equipment failures, operational bottlenecks, and factory performance challenges.
• Build strong cross-functional collaboration with Production, Quality, EHS, and Projects to accelerate issue resolution, improve OTIF, and support new product launches.
• Perform capability building for the maintenance organization, including training plans, skill assessments, performance appraisals, and leadership development for supervisors and technicians.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS:

• Bachelor's degree (Engineering: Mechanical or Electrical field).
• 10+ years of experience in the same field – preferably in FMCG.
• Safety practices and principles related to maintenance activities, Corrective and Preventive Maintenance.
• Proven track record in leading large-scale maintenance teams across multiple sites or factories.
• Demonstrated experience in asset lifecycle management, reliability engineering, CAPEX planning, and major engineering project execution.
• Strong understanding of MTTR, MTBF, OEE, OTIF, and manufacturing performance KPIs.
• Excellent Command of both Spoken and written Arabic and English.