Maintenance Engineer
Also advertised as: Electrical Maintenance Engineer, Maintenance Engineer, Maintenance Technician, Mechanical Fitter, Multi-Skilled Engineer, Plant Engineer
Keeps machinery and plant running through planned maintenance and fast fault repair.
What the job involves
Maintenance engineers prevent and fix breakdowns in factories, warehouses and facilities. You carry out planned maintenance, diagnose mechanical and electrical faults under time pressure, and improve reliability. Multi-skilled engineers are in short supply and paid accordingly.
Typical responsibilities
- Carry out planned preventative maintenance
- Diagnose and repair breakdowns quickly
- Improve equipment reliability
- Maintain maintenance records and spares
- Work safely with isolation procedures
Common employers
- Food and drink manufacturers
- Automotive plants
- Distribution centres
- Utilities
- Facilities providers
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£28,000 – £34,000 a year
With experience
£40,000 – £55,000 a year
Typical hours
Shift based, often 4 on 4 off including nights
Working environment
Factory floor and plant rooms
Remote working
on_site
Demand for this work
high
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Mechanical fault finding
- Electrical fault finding
- PLC basics
- Preventative maintenance
- Safe isolation
Transferable skills you may already have
- Machine operating
- Practical repairs
- Shift working
Requirements employers ask for
- Mechanical fault finding
- Electrical fault finding
- PLC basics
- Preventative maintenance
- Safe isolation
- Level 3 engineering qualification or apprenticeship
Useful but not essential
- Machine operating
- Practical repairs
- Shift working
- 17th or 18th Edition
- PLC and automation training
- HNC in engineering
Helpful qualifications
- 17th or 18th Edition
- PLC and automation training
- HNC in engineering
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician (Level 3)
- Engineering Technician (Level 3)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Mechanical engineering
- Related subject: Electrical engineering
- Related subject: Mechatronics
Where this career can lead
next
Engineering Team Leader
next
Engineering Manager
next
Reliability Engineer
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Severe shortage means strong pay
- Shift patterns give long blocks off
- Skills transfer across industries
What people find hard
- Night shifts
- Pressure when the line is down
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a maintenance engineer?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a maintenance engineer earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £28,000 to £34,000 a year, rising towards £55,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Machine operating, Practical repairs, Shift working.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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