Maintenance Fitter

About the Role

Maintenance Fitter

Panda are seeking a Maintenance Fitter to support the safe, reliable and efficient operation of our plant, machinery and site equipment.

As a Maintenance Fitter at Panda, you ll carry out planned and reactive maintenance, fault finding, repairs and mechanical improvements across a busy recycling and processing environment. This is a hands-on role where safety, reliability and operational uptime are key.

You ll work closely with the Maintenance Supervisor and wider site team to keep equipment running effectively, reduce downtime and ensure all work is completed in line with health, safety, environmental and quality standards.

The Role

This Maintenance Fitter role is ideal for someone with strong mechanical maintenance experience gained in recycling, waste processing, heavy industry, quarrying, manufacturing, or another process-led environment.

You ll be involved in maintaining and repairing a wide range of equipment, including shredders, separators, trommels, conveyors, balers, hoppers, silos, gear reducers, clutch systems, hydraulic and pneumatic systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Carry out mechanical maintenance, inspection, fault diagnosis and repair across plant, machinery, equipment, installations and buildings on site.
• Support planned and reactive maintenance activity in line with the operational and maintenance plan.
• Identify faults, analyse root causes and complete repairs, adjustments, refurbishments and improvements to agreed standards.
• Maintain and repair waste processing machinery including shredders, separators, trommels, conveyors, balers and associated bulk handling equipment.
• Service, diagnose and rectify hydraulic and pneumatic systems using drawings, manuals and technical information.
• Carry out general bench fitting, including fitting of keys, shaft pulleys, gears, couplings, rolling element bearings and plain bearings.
• Install, inspect, condition monitor and maintain gear reducers, clutch systems and drive equipment.
• Complete basic MIG and MMA welding and fabrication where required, including equipment guarding and safety fencing.
• Plan, rig and sling simple lifting operations, acting as banksman where trained and competent.
• Operate powered hoists or pendant-type lifting equipment where trained and authorised.
• Ensure all maintenance work is completed safely, efficiently and in a timely manner.
• Record work completed on the maintenance management system and report updates to the relevant Supervisor.
• Keep work areas clean, safe and organised, ensuring unused or waste materials are returned to stores or disposed of correctly.
• Maintain tools and equipment in good condition, reporting defects immediately.
• Follow and promote all company health and safety policies, safe systems of work, isolation procedures and relevant legislation.
• Carry out other reasonable duties requested by the Maintenance Supervisor or management team.

What You ll Bring

• A recognised Mechanical Engineering apprenticeship, City & Guilds Mechanical qualification or relevant NVQ Level 3.
• Previous mechanical maintenance experience in recycling, heavy industry, quarrying, process operations, manufacturing or similar.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and the ability to safely use hand tools and portable electrical equipment.
• Experience with general bench fitting, fabrication and mechanical repair.
• Basic MMA and MIG welding experience.
• Knowledge of safe systems of work, equipment isolation and permitting processes.
• Experience removing, fitting and maintaining rolling element bearings.
• Understanding of basic engineering standards and mechanical fitting principles.
• Basic computer skills, including the ability to input maintenance data onto standard systems.
• Good communication skills and a practical, team-focused approach.
• A positive attitude towards working safely and maintaining high standards.
• Flexibility, adaptability and willingness to learn.
• Good personal organisation and administration.

Desirable Experience

The following would be advantageous, but are not essential:

Rigging and slinging.

MEWP / IPAF training.

Working at height / harness training.

Abrasive wheels training.

Forklift or telehandler training.

IOSH Working Safely.

Alignment of drives including motors, fans and gearboxes.

Conveyor belting repair.

Fault finding on mechanical process equipment.

Basic condition monitoring techniques for medium or heavy industrial equipment.

Hydraulic and pneumatic circuit knowledge.

Ability to read and interpret 2D equipment drawings and hydraulic / pneumatic circuit drawings.

Why Join Panda?

This is a great opportunity for an experienced Maintenance Fitter who enjoys practical problem solving, working with heavy industrial equipment and helping keep a busy operational site running safely and efficiently.

You ll be joining a team where your work has a direct impact on plant reliability, operational performance and the safety of the people around you.

About Us

We are Panda. We value waste.

We re in the business of waste management but that doesn t just mean collecting bins. Behind every collection is a passionate team of people finding smarter, safer, and more sustainable ways to recycle and repurpose materials that would otherwise go to waste.

Over the past 30 years, Panda has grown into a leading resource recovery business, bringing together almost 3,000 people across multiple brands, united by a shared vision and strong values. While our operations are diverse, our purpose is clear: to protect our people, support our customers, and create positive impact for the communities and environments we serve.

At Panda, people are at the heart of everything we do. We work as one team, combining different skills, experiences, and perspectives to achieve shared goals. We care for each other s wellbeing, encourage development, and support growth because we know we re stronger together.

We expect excellence in how we operate. High standards, bold thinking, and continuous improvement drive our passion for innovation. We challenge the ordinary, put safety first, and embrace new ideas while delivering practical, cost-effective solutions that move our business forward.

We own what we do. From day-to-day tasks to major projects, we take pride in our work and responsibility for the outcome. We don t walk past problems we address them together. Our expertise, reliability, and care reflect who we are and the difference we make.

And above all, we act with trust and integrity. Trust is built through open communication, honesty, and accountability. It allows us to move quickly, make confident decisions, and deliver results knowing our people are empowered to do the right thing.

Our journey depends on talented, committed people who want to make an impact.

Take the first step and join us on the journey.

Panda is committed to attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we operate and the people we serve.
(DE&I Policy Statement)