Engineering Manager

SF Partners; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

Pension salary sacrifice

Private health insurance

Job summary

SF Partners is seeking an Engineering Manager to build and lead a multi-site engineering function across the UK. You will report to the Managing Director, travel to depots, and shape a long-term strategy while overseeing maintenance, safety compliance, and capital projects.

They value a hands-on leader with extensive experience in regulated industrial settings, ideally chemical-related, capable of reducing external costs and improving asset reliability.

Qualifications

• Significant engineering leadership experience in a regulated industrial environment.
• Experience in chemical manufacturing or distribution is a plus.
• Ability to develop and implement maintenance strategies and roadmaps.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engineering function across multiple UK sites and set technical direction.
• Develop long-term asset management plans and preventative maintenance programs.
• Manage and mentor a small team of engineers and work with senior leadership.
• Oversee CAPEX projects and infra upgrades, ensuring safety and compliance.
• Standardise processes and drive continuous improvement across sites.
• Travel regularly to depots to assess equipment and operational challenges.

Skills

Engineering leadership

COMAH knowledge

Project management

Stakeholder management

Willingness to travel

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Engineering Manager

Northwest based (Travel Required) | £60,000 - £70,000 + Company Car + Excellent Benefits

A rare opportunity to build, shape and lead an engineering function within a long-established, market-leading business.

Are you an experienced Engineering Manager looking for a role where you can genuinely make your mark?

We're partnering with a well-established UK business that has been a leader within the chemical sector for generations. With multiple sites across the UK and Ireland, a reputation for exceptional staff retention and ambitious plans for future, they are now investing in a brand-new Engineering Manager position to transform how engineering is delivered across the business.

This isn't a role where you'll simply inherit established processes. Instead, you'll have the opportunity to build the engineering function from the ground up, driving consistency across multiple locations, reducing reliance on external contractors, and creating a long-term engineering strategy that will support the business for years to come. If you're someone who enjoys improving infrastructure, leading projects, influencing senior stakeholders and implementing change, this is the kind of opportunity that doesn't come around often.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, you'll take ownership of engineering activity across several UK sites, becoming the technical lead for all engineering and maintenance operations. Initially, you'll spend time travelling with senior leadership to understand each depot, its equipment, infrastructure, and operational challenges before developing your own engineering roadmap and long-term improvement strategy. You'll oversee engineering standards across every location, introducing consistency, improving asset reliability, and implementing preventative maintenance programmes that reduce downtime and improve operational performance. Alongside the strategic aspects of the role, you'll also lead engineering projects ranging from equipment upgrades and infrastructure improvements through to civil and electrical works, ensuring projects are delivered safely, efficiently and in line with business objectives.

You'll also manage a small engineering team, supporting existing engineers while helping develop future engineering capability across the business.

• Lead the engineering function across multiple UK sites.
• Report directly to the Managing Director, providing strategic engineering direction.
• Manage and develop a team of engineers across the business.
• Implement a company-wide preventative maintenance strategy.
• Develop long-term asset management plans for ageing plant and equipment.
• Identify opportunities to reduce external engineering costs by strengthening internal capability.
• Lead engineering, infrastructure, and CAPEX projects across multiple depots.
• Oversee installations including mechanical, electrical, and civil works.
• Standardise engineering processes across all locations.
• Conduct regular site visits to review plant condition, maintenance standards, and future investment requirements.
• Work closely with the Technical department to ensure compliance with COMAH regulations, HSE legislation, MAPP requirements, and industry best practice.
• Drive continuous improvement, reliability, and operational efficiency across the engineering function.

About You

You'll be an experienced engineering professional who enjoys taking ownership, influencing change, and building engineering functions rather than simply maintaining them. You'll be comfortable operating strategically whilst remaining hands-on enough to understand plant, equipment and engineering challenges across a busy operational environment.

We're particularly interested in individuals with experience within chemical manufacturing, chemical processing, chemical distribution, or other highly regulated industrial environments.

You'll ideally have:

• Significant engineering leadership experience (typically around 10+ years).
• Experience within the chemical industry or chemical distribution sector.
• An Engineering qualification (Chemical Engineering degree advantageous).
• Strong understanding of COMAH regulations and highly regulated environments.
• Experience implementing preventative maintenance systems.
• Proven project management experience delivering engineering improvements and infrastructure projects.
• Leadership experience with the ability to develop engineering teams.
• Strong knowledge of plant, process equipment, storage systems, and industrial machinery.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the confidence to work closely with senior leadership.
• A willingness to travel regularly across UK sites, with occasional travel to Ireland.

What's on Offer?

• £60,000 - £70,000 salary (DOE)
• Company car (premium vehicle provided)
• Company credit card for all business travel and expenses
• Pension salary sacrifice scheme
• Private health insurance
• Employee discount platform
• The chance to create and shape an engineering function with genuine backing from senior leadership

Why Apply?

Opportunities like this are incredibly rare. This isn't replacing an existing Engineering Manager or stepping into a well-defined role- it's a chance to create one. You'll have the support of an experienced senior leadership team, the autonomy to shape engineering strategy across multiple locations and the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on a business that genuinely invests in its people and takes pride in long-term careers. If you're looking for a role where your ideas will be listened to, your experience will be valued and your work will genuinely influence the future direction of the business, we'd love to hear from you