ENGINEERING TEAM LEADER

Whitworths Ltd; Irthlingborough; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Whitworths Ltd is seeking an Engineering Team Leader at our Irthlingborough site. You will lead a hands-on shift team, coordinate maintenance activities, and keep production running safely and efficiently. You’ll apply strong technical skills and people leadership to improve reliability and minimize downtime.

You’ll work a 42-hour week across 07:00–19:00 or 19:00–07:00, on a visible factory floor role where practical support and coaching are essential to team performance.

Qualifications

• Experience as a fully qualified Maintenance Technician.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing systems, controls and instrumentation.
• Solid electrical fault-finding and general engineering maintenance skills.
• Ability to diagnose complex problems and deliver practical solutions.
• Proactive approach to planned and preventive maintenance.
• Ability to organise workloads and set priorities, holding others accountable.
• Clear communication and confidence to work with colleagues at all levels.
• Leadership one-to-one coaching and development of team members.

Responsibilities

• Lead, organise and support the shift engineering team.
• Respond decisively to breakdowns and minimise downtime.
• Deliver the planned preventive maintenance programme.
• Identify recurring faults and implement lasting improvements.
• Coordinate with Operations to plan repairs around production needs.
• Maintain high health and safety standards and safe systems of work.
• Coordinate contractors and issue permits to work when required.
• Ensure accurate engineering records and maintenance activity are documented.

Skills

Leadership

Problem solving

Maintenance planning

Electrical fault finding

Communication

Education

Engineering apprenticeship or equivalent qualification

Tools

PLC knowledge

Process controls

Packaging equipment

Job description

Not SpecifiedNot Specified

Irthlingborough

All Locations is a required fieldPermanent full timeNot SpecifiedEngineering

About The Role

Engineering Team Leader

Lead the team. Solve the problem. Keep Whitworths moving.

Great production depends on great engineering—and great engineering teams need clear direction, sound decisions and someone who is prepared to get stuck in.

We’re looking for a hands-on Engineering Team Leader to coordinate our shift engineering team and keep our manufacturing site running safely, reliably and efficiently. You’ll combine strong technical knowledge with practical people leadership, helping your team respond quickly to breakdowns, deliver planned maintenance and improve the long-term reliability of our equipment.

Shift pattern: 42 hours per week, working 07:00–19:00 or 19:00–07:00.

Your mission

Working closely with Operations, Planning and the wider Engineering team, you’ll:

• Lead, organise and support the shift engineering team
• Respond decisively to breakdowns and minimise production downtime
• Deliver the planned preventive maintenance programme
• Identify recurring faults and turn reactive fixes into lasting improvements
• Work with Operations to plan repairs and maintenance around production requirements
• Maintain high standards of health and safety and safe systems of work
• Coordinate contractors and issue permits to work when required
• Ensure engineering records, machine settings and maintenance activity are accurately documented
• Manage critical spares and maintain appropriate stock levels
• Support machinery modifications and continuous improvement projects
• Coach and develop your team through regular feedback, one-to-ones and performance reviews
• Build strong relationships across the site and provide a responsive, professional engineering service

This is a visible role. You’ll be on the factory floor, close to your team and ready to provide practical support when the pressure is on.

What you’ll bring

You may already be leading an engineering team, or you could be an experienced Maintenance Technician ready to take the next step. Either way, you’ll need the technical credibility to guide others and the confidence to make clear decisions.

We’re Looking For

• Experience working as a fully qualified Maintenance Technician
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing systems, controls and instrumentation
• Sound electrical fault-finding and general engineering maintenance skills
• The ability to diagnose complex problems and deliver practical solutions
• A proactive approach to planned and preventive maintenance
• The ability to organise workloads, set priorities and hold others accountable
• Clear communication skills and the confidence to work with colleagues at every level
• A supportive leadership style with a genuine interest in developing others
• Good IT, administration and record-keeping skills
• A strong commitment to health, safety and high engineering standards

A time-served apprenticeship or BTEC, ONC, HNC or City & Guilds qualification in an engineering discipline would be advantageous. Experience within manufacturing - particularly food production - along with knowledge of PLCs, process, packaging or service equipment would also be beneficial.

Why Whitworths?

You’ll join a busy, ambitious manufacturing business where Engineering has a direct impact on safety, quality and performance every day. You’ll have the opportunity to influence how we work, build the capability of your team and help shape a more reliable and efficient site.

For someone with ambition, the role also offers a strong platform for future progression within Engineering and Site Services.

Different experiences and perspectives make our teams stronger. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds who share our STAR values: finding Solutions, working through Teamwork, taking Accountability and treating everyone with Respect.

If you can lead from the front, stay calm under pressure and turn engineering challenges into lasting improvements, we’d love to hear from you.

About You

About Us

We’re on an exciting mission here at Whitworths – to help boost the nutrient intake of the nation, improving general health of families using the goodness found in our delicious products. We’re the only brand that gives a credibly nutritious boost to breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, baking and beyond.

There are obviously many other reasons to come and work with us, but the biggest reason is so that you have a job you love and a company you are proud to say you work for. You will receive a competitive salary, 33 days holiday, a workplace pension, and in addition, you’ll also have access to a number of family friendly, health and lifestyle benefits. Culturally, we believe strongly in investing in our people, developing them in role and developing their careers within Whitworths. Don't just take our word for it, our people say the same, as demonstrated by our recent accreditation from Investors In People.