Reliability and Maintenance Engineer in Bedford

As a Reliability and Maintenance Engineer, you will lead a small team of Support Engineers focused on enhancing product reliability and maintainability across our GSE product range. This role is critical to ensuring our products perform consistently in demanding operational environments. You will play a key role in supporting customers, identifying potential failure modes, developing and implementing test protocols, and carrying out reliability validation campaigns. The position also involves cross-functional collaboration with Design, Quality, Production, and Field Support teams. Reporting to the Engineering Manager, a wider multi-disciplinary engineering team (mechanical, electrical and software) will also support you. Your mission: deliver best‑in‑class products through continuous improvement of reliability and customer value.

Responsibilities:

• Lead a small team of Support Engineers, providing guidance, mentoring, and performance feedback.
• Develop, document, and implement reliability test protocols for both new and existing products.
• Organise and conduct tests (shopfloor and field) to validate design robustness and product reliability.
• Monitor Warranty Claims, and long-term feedback.
• Perform root cause analysis of field failures and recommend design or process improvements.
• Work closely with customer support teams to investigate and resolve reliability-related issues in the field.
• Monitor and own Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to equipment reliability and maintenance.
• Support the implementation of predictive and preventive maintenance strategies.
• Contribute to design reviews, focusing on failure mode elimination, maintainability, and lifecycle cost.
• Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturing teams to resolve component reliability concerns.
• Set-up the objectives for the team members and perform the annual appraisals.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 2+ years’ experience in product development, product engineering, or project engineering in manufacturing—ideally within heavy equipment, industrial systems, or aviation ground support.
• Proven ability to manage stakeholders.
• Hands-on experience with test planning, data collection, and interpretation.
• Proven ability to have a vision for the development of a product and leading that vision to implementation.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a structured approach to root cause analysis (e.g., 8D, Ishikawa, 5 Whys).
• Customer-oriented mindset with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Comfortable working in a cross-functional and international environment.
• Willingness to travel occasionally to customer sites and test locations.

Preferred Skills:

• Exposure to aviation ramp/GSE domain or aerospace manufacturing standards.
• Background in industrial equipment or heavy-duty vehicle product development.
• Familiarity with regulatory compliance and customer acceptance criteria.
• Experience integrating power-system components (e.g. GPUs, frequency converters) or eco‑friendly technologies into mechanical product designs.

TLD is a world‑leading industrial company specializing in the design, manufacture, distribution, and after‑sales support of aviation Ground Support Equipment (GSE). With operations in more than 10 manufacturing facilities and over 45 service offices across the globe, TLD offers its customers “Local Support, Total Commitment”—delivering robust, reliable, and efficient solutions to airlines, airports, cargo handlers, and military operators worldwide. Our portfolio includes towbarless tractors, belt loaders, baggage tractors, air starters, steps, and ground power units. The site of Powervamp, in Bedford, specialises in Ground Power Unit both mobile and fixed, pioneering advanced solid‑state 28 V DC battery carts and 400 Hz frequency converters. Powervamp is valued for its eco‑friendly, zero‑emission performance and low operating costs. Our innovative solutions support aircraft from small general‑aviation types up to wide‑body airliners, with our equipment deployed across 60+ countries.