Melbourne is heading into the coldest weeks of winter. Yokohama is heading into summer.
Specialised Management Group is looking for an Engineering & Maintenance Mobilisation Lead to stand up engineering and maintenance operations at a biotech site in Yokohama, Japan. Three months, fully site-based, starting as soon as we can get you on a plane.
This is a proper mobilisation. You will implement the site CMMS from the ground up, build preventive and corrective maintenance from scratch, bring laboratory and process equipment under control, coordinate a bench of specialist subcontractors and OEMs, and lead a small site team through all of it. If you have done a mobilisation before, you already know it is one of the more satisfying jobs in engineering. If you have done one inside a GMP environment, keep reading.
Then there is the part where you live in Japan for three months. Japan is now the number one international destination for Australian travellers, and you would be based there through summer and into the autumn that people plan entire holidays around. On someone else's dime.
And then it is Friday
Yokohama sits about 30 km south of central Tokyo, which puts you within easy reach of most of the country. Monday to Friday belongs to the site. The rest is yours.
- Central Tokyo in about 30 minutes by train, so a Friday night in Shibuya is a normal decision, not a logistical event
- The Shinkansen from Shin-Yokohama: Kyoto in a little over two hours, Osaka in under three, Hiroshima before dinner
- Hakone and the Fuji Five Lakes on your doorstep, along with some of the best onsen towns in Japan
- Ramen taken seriously enough that Yokohama built a museum about it, and Chinatown a few stops away when you want something else
- Autumn colour from late October, which in Japan is a national event rather than a change in the weather
What you will be doing
- Lead the mobilisation and implementation of the site CMMS
- Establish and coordinate preventive and corrective maintenance activities
- Oversee maintenance of laboratory, process and facility equipment
- Manage specialist subcontractors, OEMs and service providers
- Lead a small site-based engineering and maintenance team
- Support asset data, maintenance task development and work order processes
- Keep maintenance activities aligned with GMP, quality and compliance requirements
- Monitor maintenance priorities, backlog, performance and delivery
- Provide practical site leadership throughout the mobilisation period
What you will bring
- Around 10 years' experience in biotech, pharmaceutical or GMP-regulated manufacturing
- Strong maintenance and CMMS experience
- Experience leading engineering or maintenance mobilisation activities
- Direct responsibility for a small team and multiple subcontractors
- A practical understanding of GMP maintenance, calibration, qualification, change control and audit-ready documentation
- Strong stakeholder, contractor and service-provider management skills
- A chemical or process engineering qualification, or a related engineering discipline
Experience in medical devices, food manufacturing or another regulated industry will also be considered. Previous experience working in Japan or the broader Asia-Pacific region is a plus, not a requirement. Japanese language capability is welcome, also not a requirement.
The assignment
- Fully site-based in Yokohama, approximately 30 km south of central Tokyo
- Initial three-month contract, immediate start, subject to travel and work authorisation
- Standard Monday to Friday working week, with occasional additional hours during mobilisation
- Open to suitably qualified candidates from Australia and other countries
- Engagement is flexible and will most likely be through Specialised Management Group
What is on offer
- AUD $120 to $180 per hour, depending on experience
- Return flights
- Furnished accommodation
- Local transport support
- Living expenses
- Work-authorisation support as required
Sounds like you?
This one suits an experienced engineering or maintenance leader who wants a technically demanding short-term international assignment and is not going to overthink the fact that it starts almost immediately.
Apply with your CV or reach out for a confidential conversation. We are moving quickly on this.
Specialised Management Group. Complexity simplified.