Senior Manufacturing Technician at Abbott Laboratories in Kilkenny

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION: Senior Manufacturing Technician Abbott Diabetes Care – Kilkenny IDA Ireland Kilkenny Business & Technology Park, Kilkenny R95 A02A Build Your Future. Improve Lives. Grow with Abbott. At Abbott, we don’t just manufacture products — we change lives. Our Kilkenny facility is one of the most advanced manufacturing sites in Europe, producing FreeStyle glucose monitoring technology that supports millions of people living with diabetes worldwide. We are now expanding our team with high-impact Manufacturing Technicians who bring deep expertise, strong ownership, and the ability to drive real improvements in a fast-paced, automated environment. Why Abbott? Security. Opportunity. Purpose. At Abbott, you'll enjoy the stability of a global healthcare leader alongside genuine opportunities to develop your career while contributing to products that improve lives every day. What We Offer Competitive salary with attractive shift premium Comprehensive healthcare benefits Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providing confidential wellbeing, financial and lifestyle support for employees and their families Fully equipped onsite gym Structured training and development programmes Opportunities to progress into senior technical, engineering and leadership roles A modern, highly automated manufacturing environment The opportunity to help manufacture life-changing healthcare technology Shift Pattern & Hours Work 7 x 12-hour shifts across a 14-day cycle Rotating day shifts (7am-7pm) and night shifts (7pm-7am) Includes two weekends per month Mix of short weeks (2 shifts) and long weeks (5 shifts) Built-in extended time off throughout the month The Role As a Senior Manufacturing Technician, you will take ownership of equipment performance, technical problem-solving, and continuous improvement within a highly automated production environment. This is a hands-on, high-impact role requiring deep technical expertise, strong autonomy, and the ability to influence both people and processes. What You’ll Do Lead advanced troubleshooting and fault diagnosis across mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic systems Perform and optimise preventative maintenance strategies to improve uptime and reliability Drive root cause investigations using data, trends, and structured problem-solving methodologies Monitor and improve OEE, yield, cycle time, and equipment performance Use CMMS and equipment data to proactively identify and eliminate recurring issues Lead and implement continuous improvement initiatives across equipment and processes Support and influence equipment installation, validation, and upgrades Act as a technical point of contact, guiding and supporting other technicians and operators Train and certify manufacturing associates, elevating team capability Coordinate and oversee external contractors and technical interventions Ensure all activities meet safety, quality, and regulatory standards What You’ll Bring Core Technical Capability Level 6 qualification (or higher) in engineering or a related technical discipline 4+ year of related experience in a regulated manufacturing environment Very high level of hands-on experience with automated manufacturing equipment Strong expertise across mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic systems Proven ability to work directly on complex, high-speed production equipment Troubleshooting & Problem Solving Advanced, systematic troubleshooting capability Experience conducting root cause analysis and implementing sustainable fixes Data-driven mindset with ability to interpret performance metrics and trends Manufacturing Experience Candidates must have demonstrated experience in a regulated manufacturing environments Strong understanding of OEE, yield optimisation, and continuous improvement principles Strong working knowledge of compliance standards, with demonstrated ability to adhere to and uphold GMP practices. Autonomy & Ownership Operates independently with full accountability for equipment performance Leads