Head of Equipment

The new Multipurpose Terminal in the Port of Trieste for Container, RoRo, General Cargo and Project Cargo. The terminal, located in the heart of the Adriatic, is to accommodate growing demand and to become the future interchange platform between sea and rail on the intersection of Baltic, Adriatic and Mediterranean railway.

Your gateway in the Adriatic to Europe.

Head of Equipment

Description of the position:

The Head of Equipment & Maintenance is accountable for the end‑to‑end governance, availability, safety, lifecycle optimisation, and cost efficiency of all terminal equipment and technical assets at HHLA PLT Italy.

The role provides strategic and operational leadership over engineering, maintenance, and technical projects, ensuring alignment with HHLA Group standards, local regulatory requirements, and terminal operational objectives. The position acts as the single point of accountability for equipment reliability, CAPEX planning, outsourced maintenance performance, and technical risk management, reporting directly to the COO.

Equipment Strategy & Asset Lifecycle Management

• Define and implement the terminal equipment strategy, covering acquisition, utilisation, maintenance, refurbishment, and end‑of‑life.
• Own and continuously update the Asset Roadmap, ensuring alignment with volume growth, service mix, and LG expansion.
• Ensure optimal balance between owned, leased, and rented equipment, maintaining operational flexibility.
• Drive standardisation in line with HHLA Group technical guidelines.

Maintenance Governance & Reliability

• Establish and enforce preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance frameworks.
• Approve and monitor annual maintenance plans, ensuring equipment availability targets are met.
• Ensure strict governance of outsourced maintenance providers, including KPIs, SLAs, cost control, and contractual compliance.
• Act as final authority for technical deviations, emergency repairs, and equipment availability trade‑offs impacting operations.

Safety, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with HSSE regulations, HHLA safety standards, and applicable ISO frameworks (9001, 14001, 45001).
• Own technical risk assessments related to equipment, including:
  • Approval of deviations to risk assessments and SOPs
  • Switching of mains and critical technical interventions
  • Lead technical incident and near‑miss investigations, ensuring root cause analysis and systemic corrective actions.
  • Actively contribute to the Safety Culture implementation, particularly in maintenance and contractor environments.

Digitalisation & Performance Management

• Ensure correct and consistent use of asset and maintenance management systems (e.g. CMMS/MMS).
• Drive data‑driven equipment performance management through:
  • Availability, MTBF, MTTR, cost, and safety KPIs
  • Dashboards and reporting to HHLA PLT Management and HHLA International Management
  • Support integration with terminal systems (TOS, planning, HSSE tools).

Strategic Projects & Expansion

• Lead and govern technical and equipment‑related projects, including:
  • New equipment introduction
  • Infrastructure interfaces
  • Modernisation, automation, and sustainability initiatives
• Coordinate closely with the LG expansion project, ensuring technical readiness and operational integration.
• Ensure smooth handover of projects into operational maintenance.

Financial Accountability

• Own CAPEX and OPEX related to equipment and maintenance.
• Prepare and justify investment proposals, lifecycle cost analyses, and replacement strategies.
• Monitor budget performance, identify variances, and implement corrective actions.
• Drive cost optimisation without compromising safety, compliance, or service quality.

Stakeholder & Group Coordination

• Act as primary interface with:
  • COO and HHLA PLT Management
  • HHLA International / HIG technical functions
  • OEMs, service providers, and regulatory bodies
• Contribute to Group‑wide technical initiatives, benchmarking, and standardisation.

People Management & Industrial Relations

• Develop technical leadership capability within the team.
• Ensure competency development, succession planning, and performance management.
• Cooperate with HR on workforce planning and training strategies.
• Support management of industrial relations, particularly where maintenance activities interface with unions and contractors.

Key Performance Measures

• Equipment availability and reliability
• Maintenance cost vs budget
• Safety incidents and near‑miss trends (technical scope)
• CAPEX execution vs plan
• Vendor performance and SLA compliance
• Asset lifecycle cost performance

The Candidate

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering (Master’s preferred).
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in port, logistics, or heavy industrial maintenance environments.
• At least 5 years in senior leadership roles managing multidisciplinary technical teams and outsourced service providers.

Technical Skills & Knowledge Required

• Strong expertise in terminal equipment (Ro‑Ro, container, yard, rail).
• Proven experience in asset lifecycle management and CAPEX planning.
• Knowledge of ISO management systems and regulatory compliance.
• Strong understanding of maintenance digitalisation and performance systems.

Behavioral Competences Required

• Lead and govern technical and equipment‑related projects, including:
  • New equipment introduction
  • Infrastructure interfaces
  • Modernisation, automation, and sustainability initiatives
• Coordinate closely with the LG expansion project, ensuring technical readiness and operational integration.
• Ensure smooth handover of projects into operational maintenance.

Language Requirements

• Fluent Italian (spoken and written)
• Fluent English (spoken and written)

HHLA PLT Italy is part of HHLA Group, with over 6,400 employees worldwide. Success means different things to different people. Therefore, we try to make it possible for each employee working for us to be successful in their own way and develop professionally in accordance with our corporate goals.

Disclaimer: This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described and may be amended at any time at the sole discretion of the Employer.

HHLA-PLT is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Candidates’ data will be treated in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation 679/2016 (GDPR).