Mechanical Day Craft Engineer
Location: Kemsley Paper Mill, Kent
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm
£52,792.38
About the Role
At DS Smith, we’re looking for a skilled and motivated Mechanical Day Craft Engineer to join our Engineering team at Kemsley Paper Mill. This is an excellent opportunity to play a key role in maintaining and improving the reliability, performance, and safety of one of the UK’s largest paper manufacturing facilities.
Working as part of a highly experienced maintenance team, you will be responsible for carrying out planned and reactive mechanical maintenance activities across a diverse range of plant and equipment, ensuring maximum uptime and operational efficiency.
Key Responsibilities
- Carry out mechanical maintenance, fault finding, and repair activities on site equipment.
- Execute planned preventative maintenance (PPM) tasks in line with maintenance schedules.
- Diagnose and resolve mechanical faults efficiently to minimise production downtime.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives to enhance equipment reliability and performance.
- Work safely and in accordance with company procedures, health & safety standards, and engineering best practices.
- Assist with shutdown activities, plant upgrades, and project work as required.
- Accurately complete maintenance records and documentation using site systems.
- Collaborate effectively with operations, engineering colleagues, and contractors.
About You
We’re looking for someone who is:
- Time-served Mechanical Engineer or holds a recognised Mechanical Engineering apprenticeship.
- Experienced in a heavy industrial, manufacturing, process, or production environment.
- Skilled in fault finding, repairs, and maintenance of mechanical plant equipment.
- Knowledgeable in bearings, pumps, conveyors, gearboxes, hydraulics, and rotating equipment.
- Safety-focused with a proactive and reliable approach to work.
- A strong team player with excellent problem-solving skills.
- Committed to continuous improvement and high engineering standards.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Opportunity to work within a large, complex manufacturing environment.
- Ongoing training and development opportunities.
- Pension scheme and employee benefits.
- A supportive and collaborative engineering team.
If you’re looking to develop your engineering career within a leading sustainable packaging business and make a real impact on site performance, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply today and help shape the future of packaging with DS Smith.
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Skills Required
- Mechanical Engineering apprenticeship or equivalent experience
- Experience in heavy industrial, manufacturing, or production environments
- Skilled in fault finding and repairs
- Knowledge of bearings, pumps, conveyors, gearboxes, and hydraulics
- Proactive and safety-focused work approach
DS Smith Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about DS Smith and has not been reviewed or approved by DS Smith.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered okay to good across many roles, with some plants indicating competitive or above‑market hourly rates for operators and similar positions. This supports a broadly fair perception of base pay even as experiences vary by site.
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Healthcare Strength — U.S. offerings include day‑one medical/vision and dental, employer HSA contributions, and 100% company‑paid life and short/long‑term disability, alongside an EAP. Some role descriptions also highlight mental‑health and fertility options.
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Retirement Support — Packages commonly reference a 401(k) with company match and, in some locations, pension eligibility or company‑funded retirement contributions. This positions retirement benefits as a meaningful component of total rewards.
DS Smith Insights
What We Do
DS Smith provides innovative packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services with a commitment to sustainability and a circular economy. Our core purpose is to Redefine Packaging for a Changing World, and our expert teams work closely with like-minded partners to incorporate renewable resources for products that minimize our environmental impact, reduce complexity and increase profitability through supply chain optimization
