Engineering Manager

Henderson Brown Recruitment; Moulton; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Bonus up to 12%

Job summary

Henderson Brown Recruitment partners with a leading FMCG manufacturer to appoint an experienced Engineering Manager to lead the site's engineering function and set the strategy for safety, reliability and efficiency.

Based in Northamptonshire, you will coach the engineering team, develop maintenance strategies, manage capital projects and drive improvements across OEE and asset availability. This is a senior leadership role offering a car allowance and up to 12% bonus.

Qualifications

• Experience leading an engineering or maintenance function in FMCG/manufacturing environments.
• Strong understanding of asset reliability and maintenance strategies.
• Proven track record improving plant availability and reducing downtime.
• Experience using Root Cause Analysis (RCA), FMEA and condition monitoring for reliability.
• Commercial awareness with budgets, capex and external contractors.
• Proven ability to develop engineering talent and lead high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Proactive, results-driven with balance of strategic and operational priorities.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across the site's engineering function.
• Lead, coach and develop the engineering team, building technical capability and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Develop and optimise maintenance strategies to improve equipment reliability and maximise asset availability.
• Own major equipment breakdowns, ensuring effective troubleshooting and sustainable corrective actions.
• Ensure all engineering activities comply with PUWER, PSSR, LOLER, LEV and Permit to Work.
• Manage engineering projects, capital investment and installations, delivering safely and reliably.
• Track performance using KPIs such as OEE, downtime, maintenance compliance and asset availability.
• Build relationships across Production, Quality, Health & Safety to drive site improvements.

Skills

Leadership

Maintenance management

Asset reliability

Continuous improvement

Budget management

Stakeholder management

People leadership

Communication

Job description

We are partnering with a leading FMCG manufacturer to appoint an experienced Engineering Manager to lead the engineering function. This is a senior leadership opportunity with responsibility for setting the engineering strategy, improving maintenance and asset performance, and ensuring high standards of safety, reliability and operational efficiency across the site.

Engineering Manager

Salary: Up to £65,000 + car allowance + up to 12% bonus

Location: Northamptonshire

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across the site's engineering function, ensuring engineering priorities align with production and business objectives.
• Lead, coach and develop the engineering team, building technical capability, accountability and a culture focused on continuous improvement.
• Develop and optimise maintenance strategies to improve equipment reliability, reduce downtime and maximise the availability of critical production assets.
• Take ownership of major equipment breakdowns, ensuring effective troubleshooting, root cause identification and implementation of sustainable corrective actions.
• Ensure all engineering activities comply with relevant legislation, statutory requirements and company standards, including PUWER, PSSR, LOLER, LEV and Permit to Work.
• Manage engineering projects, capital investment and new equipment installations, ensuring projects are delivered safely, effectively and with long‑term asset reliability in mind.
• Track engineering performance using key measures such as OEE, downtime, maintenance compliance, asset availability and engineering expenditure.
• Build effective relationships across Production, Quality, Health & Safety and wider business functions to deliver improvements in site performance.

Key Requirements

• Previous experience leading an engineering or maintenance function within a fast‑paced FMCG, manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Strong technical understanding of engineering maintenance, asset reliability, equipment performance and continuous improvement principles.
• Proven track record of improving plant availability, reducing downtime and implementing robust preventative and predictive maintenance programmes.
• Experience using structured problem‑solving techniques, including Root Cause Analysis, FMEA and condition monitoring, to improve equipment reliability.
• Commercially aware, with experience managing engineering budgets, capital expenditure, resources and external contractors.
• Strong people leadership experience, with the ability to develop engineering talent, support apprentices and create a high‑performing team environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder‑management skills, with the confidence to influence colleagues across different functions and levels.
• A proactive and results‑driven approach, with the ability to balance strategic engineering initiatives with the demands of a busy manufacturing operation.