Engineering Manager

Knauf; Cwmbran; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Enhanced Holiday Pay

Sick Pay after 16 weeks

Group Income Protection

Pension Scheme

Staff Bonus Scheme

Wellbeing Initiatives

Employee Purchase Scheme

On-site Gym

Job summary

Knauf Insulation is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead the site’s engineering function in a one-team, one-vision approach. The role focuses on maximizing plant resource utilization and fostering a safety-first culture across the team.

You will drive performance management, support cross-functional collaboration, and push continuous improvement initiatives to sustain competitive advantage. The role sits on the site’s Management Team and requires strong leadership and change-management

Qualifications

• Leadership experience managing engineering teams
• Strong people development and coaching capabilities
• Proven track record in continuous improvement and process optimization
• Experience driving change across cross-functional teams
• Strategic mindset with ability to align engineering goals to wider business objectives

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for the site’s engineering function and drive cross-functional collaboration
• Manage performance development for direct and indirect reports, aligning with contractual obligations and Knauf Values
• Maintain best practice in engineering and plant assets, driving site improvement and benchmarking
• Oversee recruitment into the engineering function to maintain talent pools for future challenges
• Represent engineering in on-site meetings for HSE and Knauf Values development and external networking
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across the production function and management team

Skills

Leadership

People management

Continuous improvement

Change management

Strategic thinking

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent

Job description

Job Title: Engineering Manager

Knauf stands for opportunity. We know that opportunity looks different to each person, and we are proud that we see opportunity in everyone. This exciting role within Knauf Insulation in the Engineering Team could be the perfect next opportunity for you to build a unique career, in a values-led culture with a clear purpose of making tomorrow a home for all of us. We are a global manufacturer of construction materials and within our Group, our 41,500 team members in 90 countries across 300 sites provide a huge opportunity for anyone with ambition and energy. We value everyone's contribution equally and we ask that you bring your whole self to work, to enrich the business further, as together we achieve more in a safe and inclusive environment.

Knauf Insulation is proud to be part of the Knauf Group. ….. To learn more about the business, click here.

Can you say ‘yes’?...

• Do you always have the customer in mind?

• Do you treat your colleagues with respect?

• Do you enjoy leading and motivating others?

• Do you act with safety as a priority?

As our Engineering Manager, you will provide leadership for the site’s engineering resource with a “one team, one vision” approach, ensuring the business achieves best utilisation of all plant resources, in a working environment where behaviours are underpinned by the Knauf Values. Role purpose is undertaken as part of site’s Management Team, utilising all sources of functional expertise.

What you’ll be doing…

Leadership

Provide leadership in the engineering function to ensure the engineering resource at the plant work together to exceed in all applicable functional and business targets. When required, extend this leadership beyond the engineering function in the pursuit of excellence. Understand the need to make cultural change within an established cross functional engineering team.

Personnel Performance Management

Ensure all direct and indirect reports are engaged in skills development in terms of technical skills, problem solving skills and Knauf Values based behavioural development. When necessary engage with HR function, either directly or indirectly via extended team leadership, to ensure all employees fulfil both the spirit and the letter of their contractual obligations.

Engineering Best Practice

Maintain a close relationship with all site functions, either directly or indirectly via plant interactive measures, ensure all plant assets and equipment are capable and resourced to deliver as required. Ensure Cwmbran plant is continually improving via global benchmarking and the interaction of best practice.

Recruitment

Involvement in all recruitment into the engineering function, ensuring the Cwmbran site has a pool of personnel capable of meeting the future challenges in the business.

Functional Representation

Provide functional representation in on-site meetings for HSE development, Knauf Values development, Management - Trades Union relations, etc., together with external Knauf networking meetings.

Continuous Improvement

Provide leadership, in terms of the site’s production function and the site’s management team, in the drive for an environment of sustainable improvement utilising best practice Continuous Improvement tools and techniques.

A full role profile is available upon request from HR/Talent Acquisition.

What we’d love for you to have:

We are interested in you as a person, your attitude, behaviours and values. If you have the willingness to learn anything you need for the role that you don't already have, we'd love to speak to you.

If you have any of the following – this would be an added advantage:

• Degree qualified in a relevant engineering discipline, or able to demonstrate equivalent level of technical knowledge.

• Previous managerial experience ( 5 years) within Engineering

• Able to demonstrate experience of leading from the front and provide hands on leadership

• Clear and demonstrable record of personal development following graduation.

• Substantial experience (2 years minimum) of continuous process plant operation, with a tangible reference to process improvement, utilising people engagement, made during that period.

• Engineering Management experience in a 24/7 unionised process production environment.

• Leadership and communication style which is approachable and motivating, being engaging to both individuals and teams.

• Capable of demonstrating the importance of a Values based fully aligned policy deployment to achieve demanding business targets.

• A demonstrable passion for Continuous Improvement and the ability to example cultural change within an engineering team.

• Experienced in applying Performance Management process.

• An understanding of the fundamental principles of Continuous Improvement and knowledge of the full range of tools and techniques. Beyond this an understanding of the importance of providing the correct environment, in terms of culture and behaviours, to sustain improvement, and experience in creating such an environment.

We'll provide:

• Enhanced Holiday Pay – 33 days including bank holidays plus the opportunity to purchase more

• 16 weeks Company Sick Pay after 3 months of service

• Group Income Protection

• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption packages

• Life Assurance – 4 x annual salary

• Defined Contribution Pension Scheme

• Staff Bonus Scheme

• Career Progression Routes

• Employee Assistance Programme through Health Assured

• Westfield Health Cash Plan

• Perkbox

• Access to Costco Membership

• Wickes Employee Purchase Scheme

• On site Gyms

• Wellbeing Initiatives and Mental Health First Aiders

• Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme

• Cycle to work scheme

• On site Car Charging Points

What happens next?

We appreciate that your time is precious and applying for a new job can be a lengthy process, so we will reply to your application ASAP.

Knauf Insulation welcomes applications from everyone and is committed to treating everyone equally, regardless of: age; sex; disability; ethnicity; gender identity; religion/belief; sexual orientation; marriage/civil partnership or pregnancy/maternity. In particular, we encourage applications from people from a minority background or from demographics that are underrepresented in the manufacturing industry.

We are a Disability Confident Leader (Level 1) and take care to ensure good EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) practices in all our operations. If you are invited to an interview, a member of our team will be in touch via email to enquire about any access requirements or reasonable adjustments that we can make for your interview.