Engineering Manager

Breath HR; South Kesteven; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Lincolnshire Herbs is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead a small engineering team in a fast-paced fresh food manufacturing environment. You’ll roll up your sleeves, solve problems with the team and drive improvements that keep production moving.

The role combines hands-on leadership with strong technical expertise in mechanical and electrical engineering, maintenance planning and project delivery. You’ll partner with Production and Operations to optimise performance.

Qualifications

• Previous Engineering Management or Engineering Supervisor experience in food manufacturing or other fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong mechanical and electrical engineering knowledge.
• Experience managing maintenance systems and PPM programmes.
• Excellent fault-finding and problem-solving skills.
• Experience leading engineering teams and developing people.
• Hands-on approach to engineering challenges.
• Good commercial awareness with experience managing engineering budgets.
• Strong organisational and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the engineering and maintenance team.
• Take a hands-on approach to breakdowns and fault finding when required.
• Drive Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) to maximise equipment reliability.
• Manage engineering projects from concept through to completion.
• Look after site utilities including electrical infrastructure, heating systems, environmental controls, fire systems and water management.
• Manage engineering contractors and statutory inspections.
• Control engineering budgets and identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Improve plant performance, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency.
• Work closely with Production, Growing and Operational teams to support the wider business.
• Champion a strong culture of safety, compliance and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Mechanical engineering

Electrical engineering

Maintenance planning

Fault finding

Budget management

Communication

Job description

Engineering Manager
Lead. Improve. Deliver.
Location: Bourne, Lincolnshire
Hours: Sunday – Thursday (Flexibility required)
Reporting to: Operations Manager

Ready to lead from the front?

At Lincolnshire Herbs, we’re not looking for someone who sits behind a desk.

We’re looking for an Engineering Manager who enjoys rolling up their sleeves, solving problems alongside their team, and driving improvements that keep our business moving.

This is a fantastic opportunity to lead a small engineering team within a fast-paced fresh food manufacturing business where no two days are the same. From production equipment and utilities to exciting capital projects and site improvements, you’ll play a key role in shaping the future of our engineering function.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll be responsible for ensuring our engineering operation is safe, reliable and continually improving by:

• Leading and developing our engineering and maintenance team
• Taking a hands‑on approach to breakdowns and fault finding when required
• Driving Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) to maximise equipment reliability
• Managing engineering projects from concept through to completion
• Looking after site utilities including electrical infrastructure, heating systems, environmental controls, fire systems and water management
• Managing engineering contractors and statutory inspections
• Controlling engineering budgets and identifying cost‑saving opportunities
• Improving plant performance, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency
• Working closely with Production, Growing and Operational teams to support the wider business
• Championing a strong culture of safety, compliance and continuous improvement

About You

We’re looking for someone who can bring both leadership and technical expertise.

You’ll ideally have:

• Previous Engineering Management or Engineering Supervisor experience within food manufacturing or another fast‑paced manufacturing environment
• Strong mechanical and electrical engineering knowledge
• Experience managing maintenance systems and PPM programmes
• Excellent fault‑finding and problem‑solving skills
• Experience leading engineering teams and developing people
• A practical, hands‑on approach to engineering challenges
• Good commercial awareness with experience managing engineering budgets
• Strong organisational and communication skills

Experience with environmental control systems, utilities or glasshouse operations would be an advantage, but isn’t essential.

Why Join Lincolnshire Herbs?

We’re a growing business investing heavily in our people, facilities and future.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Make a real impact across the business
• Lead exciting engineering improvement projects
• Influence long‑term engineering strategy
• Develop and grow your team
• Work with a supportive Senior Leadership Team
• Help shape the future of our engineering function

Our Values

Everything we do is guided by our values:

If these values resonate with you, we’d love to hear from you.

If you’re an engineering leader who enjoys making things better, solving problems, and leading by example, we’d love to hear from you.

Please note: this is a hands‑on leadership role. While you will lead the engineering function, you’ll also be expected to support the team on the shop floor, particularly during breakdowns, major projects and periods of peak activity.