Engineering & Reliability Lead

QUINTESSENTIAL BRANDS UK GROUP LTD; Penrhyndeudraeth; On-site; GBP 68,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Heler Foods is seeking an Engineering & Reliability Lead to drive engineering priorities across a busy cheese packing facility in Minffordd, UK. You will lead day-to-day engineering activities, ensure timely response to breakdowns and plan maintenance with a focus on reliability.

You will collaborate with Production, Asset Care and the Reliability Manager to deliver improvements, manage audits, and develop people. This hands-on leadership role requires strong technical and people skills.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in engineering, maintenance or reliability in manufacturing.
• Experience coordinating engineering teams and workloads.
• Strong technical understanding of mechanical and electrical systems.
• Experience with Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM).
• Experience with OEMs, contractors and external suppliers.
• Experience in food manufacturing or regulated production environments.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day engineering workload and priorities.
• Allocate resources for breakdowns and planned maintenance.
• Collaborate with Production to align priorities.
• Drive completion of planned maintenance and reliability improvements.
• Lead and mentor Shift Engineering and Asset Care teams.
• Coordinate OEMs and contractors for planned work.
• Support engineering audits, documentation and compliance.
• Maintain engineering systems and processes.
• Provide cover for Engineering Stores and Administration.
• Escalate high-value expenditures and risks to Reliability Manager.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Maintenance planning

Reliability engineering

Team coordination

Fault finding

PPM execution

OEM coordination

Auditing/compliance

CMMS experience

Lean/CI training

Strong communication

Organisational skills

Education

HNC in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering

Tools

CMMS

Job description

• Location Unit 6 Business Park,Minffordd,Penrhyndeudraeth, LL48 6LD,United Kingdom

Description

Engineering & Reliability Lead

At Heler Foods, our people are part of our extended Heler Family — the driving force behind everything we do. From crafting award-winning cheeses to delivering service that sets new standards, we work together to shape the future of food.

CHEESEMAKERS. FUTURE SHAPERS. CHANGEMAKERS.

Rooted in tradition and growing into the future, we’re bold, ambitious and proud of where we’re going next.

Every colleague has a voice here — and every step you take helps move us forward.

Proud to be one of the UK’s leading cheese packing facilities, with BRC AA accreditation and Red Tractor certification, Heler Foods Packing sets the standard for quality in every block, slice and portion we pack.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We’re looking for a proactive and people-focused Engineering & Reliability Lead to join our team at Minffordd.

This is a key operational role within our Engineering function, responsible for making sure our engineering priorities are clearly understood, effectively coordinated and delivered.

Working closely with Production, Shift Engineering, Asset Care and the Reliability Manager, you’ll provide day-to-day leadership across the Engineering team — ensuring we have the right resources in place to respond to breakdowns, complete planned work and keep our equipment running reliably.

You’ll be someone who enjoys being close to the operation, building strong relationships with Production and making sure engineering is visible, responsive and focused on delivering results.

In this role, you will:

• Coordinate the day-to-day Engineering workload, ensuring priorities are clearly communicated and followed through
• Allocate engineering resource effectively to support breakdowns, planned maintenance and operational requirements
• Work closely with Production to understand priorities, provide effective engineering support and improve collaboration between the two teams
• Drive the completion and continual review of Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM), identifying opportunities to improve equipment reliability and maintenance effectiveness
• Review recurring breakdowns and equipment failures, working with the team to identify practical opportunities for improvement
• Support and develop the Shift Engineering and Asset Care teams, providing guidance, coaching and day-to-day leadership
• Coordinate OEMs, contractors and suppliers where required, ensuring work is planned, managed and completed effectively
• Support engineering audits, documentation, compliance and maintenance standards across the site
• Help ensure engineering systems, processes and priorities are consistently followed
• Provide cover and support for Engineering Stores and Administration when required
• Escalate higher-value expenditure, significant technical issues and wider engineering risks to the Reliability Manager
• Provide cover for the Reliability Manager when required, helping maintain the effective day-to-day running of the Engineering function
• Be flexible to provide engineering leadership and support outside normal working hours when required

You’ll be joining a workplace where collaboration and curiosity are encouraged. Where questioning “how it’s always been done” is part of daily life. And where discovering better ways of working is simply what we do.

ABOUT YOU

We want to work with people who are bold, ambitious and ready to shape the future — people who share our values and bring energy, ideas and commitment.

You’ll bring:

• Proven experience in an engineering, maintenance or reliability role within a fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Experience of coordinating engineering teams, workloads or maintenance activities, with the ability to prioritise effectively in a busy operational environment
• Strong technical understanding of mechanical and electrical engineering, with experience of fault finding and supporting breakdown resolution
• Experience of Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM), maintenance planning and improving equipment reliability
• The confidence to work closely with Production and build strong relationships across operational teams
• Experience of working with OEMs, contractors and external suppliers
• HNC (or equivalent) in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering or a related discipline
• Good organisational and communication skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple priorities and ensure actions are followed through
• A practical, hands-on approach and the ability to make sound decisions under pressure
• A commitment to developing people, improving standards and taking ownership
• Behaviours aligned to our values: Be Better, Be Collaborative, Be Inquisitive, Be Yourself, Take Ownership.
• Previous experience in an engineering leadership, supervisory or team leader position
• Experience within food manufacturing, FMCG or another highly regulated production environment
• Experience using CMMS or maintenance management systems
• Knowledge of reliability improvement techniques, RCA and continuous improvement
• Experience supporting engineering audits, compliance and technical documentation
• Lean Manufacturing or Continuous Improvement training

You’ll also be someone who isorganised, resilient and approachable, with the confidence to lead from the front, challenge when needed and bring people together around a common priority.

Most importantly, you’ll be someone who takes ownership and makes sure things get done.

WHY JOIN HELER FOODS?

Because we don’t just offer jobs — we shape careers.

Whether you’re just starting out, stepping up or bringing years of experience, we invest in our people so they can thrive and grow.

Here, you’ll find:

• Strong training foundations
• Clear, meaningful paths to progress
• A workplace where curiosity is celebrated
• A supportive, dynamic team environment
• A culture where continuous improvement is part of daily life

This is a place where you’ll feel empowered to make a change — and confident to take bold steps.

JOIN THE EXTENDED HELER FAMILY

If you’re ready to help us shape the future of Heler Foods — we’d love to hear from you.

You can learn more about who we are, what we stand for and where we’re going at:

Heler Foods: Rooted in tradition. Growing into the future