Posted by The expansion of advanced manufacturing operations in Portugal is creating opportunities for engineers with strong expertise in industrial equipment, automation, maintenance and production processes. Coloplast is hiring a Maintenance Engineer Specialist in Felgueiras, Portugal, for a technically demanding role focused on production equipment reliability, maintenance strategy and continuous improvement.
This position goes beyond routine maintenance. The successful engineer will help establish maintenance processes for new production lines, support equipment commissioning and validation, develop spare-parts strategies, troubleshoot complex technical problems and serve as a subject matter expert for assigned production processes.
The role is particularly suited to engineers with experience in mechanical or polymer engineering, thermoplastic extrusion or injection moulding, automation, robotics and precision manufacturing, especially those who have worked with structured problem-solving and continuous improvement methodologies.
Job Overview
- Job Title: Maintenance Engineer Specialist
- Company: Coloplast
- Location: Felgueiras, Portugal
- Job Family: Manufacturing
- Industry: Medical Devices / Manufacturing
- Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline
- Key areas: Maintenance, production equipment, polymer processing, automation, robotics and continuous improvement
What Does the Maintenance Engineer Specialist Do?
The Maintenance Engineer Specialist will support the Operations Technical team and play an important role in ensuring that production equipment operates reliably, safely and efficiently.
The position combines engineering, maintenance planning, equipment troubleshooting, process improvement and technical documentation.
Key responsibilities include:
- Supervising production equipment and machinery
- Planning and coordinating maintenance activities
- Ensuring scheduled maintenance is completed
- Maintaining maintenance programmes in the ERP system
- Troubleshooting equipment failures with technicians, operators and suppliers
- Supporting installation, assembly and commissioning of production equipment
- Improving technical processes, machines and equipment
- Supporting technicians with complex troubleshooting
- Maintaining equipment and maintenance documentation
- Supporting machine and process validation
- Managing shop-floor non-conformities and CAPA activities
- Coordinating spare-parts purchasing and inventory levels
- Creating work orders for spare parts, tools and equipment
- Working with the Tool Shop on parts that need to be produced
- Reviewing technical documentation through the document control system
- Providing technical support when production escalations occur
The engineer will also be expected to participate in meetings and provide support outside normal working hours when production-floor escalations require it.
Responsibilities During the Production Ramp-Up
A major component of this opportunity involves the ramp-up of new production lines and equipment at the Portuguese site.
During this phase, the engineer will be expected to:
- Learn the technical processes and production lines being introduced
- Participate in establishing maintenance processes
- Define appropriate spare parts and stock levels
- Ensure machines have the necessary documentation for validation
- Support validation of the initial production lines
- Help ensure equipment transitions successfully into production
- Participate in training maintenance technicians
- Ensure effective technical knowledge transfer
This makes the position particularly important during the establishment and optimisation of manufacturing operations.
Engineering Background Required
Coloplast is looking for candidates with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Polymer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related field, combined with relevant industrial experience.
Experience with thermoplastic extrusion and/or injection moulding is particularly relevant.
Candidates should also have experience with polymer-processing development and troubleshooting, including:
- Root cause analysis
- Design of Experiments (DOE)
- Process optimisation
- Definition of process windows
- Process parameter validation
- Process documentation
- Ensuring repeatability and industrial robustness
Production and Technical Documentation
The role also involves developing and maintaining technical documentation for equipment and production processes.
This can include:
- Line operation instructions
- Preventive maintenance plans
- Autonomous maintenance procedures
- Setup procedures
- Startup procedures
- Shutdown procedures
- Troubleshooting instructions
- Equipment documentation
- Maintenance documentation
The ability to translate technical knowledge into clear and usable procedures is therefore an important part of the role.
Continuous Improvement and Quality
Continuous improvement is another important element of the position.
Knowledge of tools such as the following is advantageous:
- Lean Manufacturing
- Six Sigma
- Statistical Process Control (SPC)
- Minitab
- Design of Experiments (DOE)
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
Experience working in regulated industries, particularly medical devices, automotive or other high-demand manufacturing environments, is also considered an advantage.
Automation, Robotics and Vision Systems
The role offers exposure to advanced manufacturing technologies.
Preferred qualifications include knowledge or experience in:
- Automation
- Robotics
- Vision systems
- AutoCAD 2D
- Autodesk Inventor 3D
- Vault database
These skills can be particularly valuable for engineers working with automated production lines and precision manufacturing equipment.
Maintenance Planning and Spare Parts Management
An important responsibility will be ensuring that production equipment has the parts and resources required to remain operational.
The engineer will help:
- Define spare-parts requirements
- Establish minimum stock levels
- Set reorder points
- Coordinate spare-parts purchasing
- Generate and monitor orders for parts and equipment
- Work with the Tool Shop to produce required components
Effective spare-parts planning can help reduce downtime and ensure production lines can return to operation quickly when failures occur.
Skills and Personal Qualities
In addition to technical qualifications, the role requires an engineer who can work effectively with different teams.
Important qualities include:
- Strong problem-solving ability
- Analytical thinking
- Attention to detail
- Good communication skills
- Ability to work with suppliers and technical teams
- Ability to train and support colleagues
- Organisational skills
- Ability to work independently
- Continuous improvement mindset
- Ability to respond effectively to production problems
- Good English communication skills
About Coloplast
Coloplast is a global medical device company that develops products and services designed to make life easier for people with intimate healthcare needs.
The company employs approximately 16,000 people and has products available in more than 143 countries.
For engineers interested in medical-device manufacturing, the company provides an opportunity to work within a highly regulated industry where equipment reliability, quality, documentation and process consistency are particularly important.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where is the Maintenance Engineer Specialist job located?
The position is based in Felgueiras, Portugal.
2. What degree is required?
Candidates should have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Polymer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related field, together with relevant experience.
3. Is experience with polymer processing required?
The position specifically seeks relevant experience in thermoplastic extrusion and/or injection moulding, as well as experience troubleshooting polymer-processing operations.
4. What maintenance responsibilities are involved?
The role includes maintenance planning, equipment troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, spare-parts management, equipment commissioning and maintenance documentation.
5. Is experience in the medical-device industry required?
Medical-industry experience is listed as desirable rather than mandatory. Experience in other regulated or high-demand industries, such as automotive, can also be valuable.
6. What continuous improvement skills are useful?
Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, SPC, Minitab, DOE and FMEA is considered advantageous.
7. Does the role involve automation?
Yes. Automation and robotics are among the preferred areas of knowledge, with vision systems also listed as an advantage.
8. Will the engineer work with production technicians?
Yes. The position involves supporting technicians with troubleshooting, organising technical training and ensuring effective knowledge transfer.
9. Does the position involve production-floor support?
Yes. The engineer will support production-floor escalations when required and may occasionally need to provide support outside normal working hours.
10. Is English required?
Good knowledge of English is listed among the essential qualifications.
How to Apply
Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience criteria should submit their application.
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