Engineering Team Leader-Kendal

Kendal Nutricare Ltd.; Kendal; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holiday

Pension matched

Health cash plan

Gym membership

Life assurance

EAP programme

Product freebies

Referral scheme

Job summary

Kendal Nutricare Ltd. is seeking an experienced Engineering Team Leader to provide day-to-day leadership of our Shift Engineering team in a busy 24/7 manufacturing environment.

You will coordinate engineering activity, keep breakdowns under control, plan maintenance, ensure compliance and health and safety, and develop your team on the factory floor.

Qualifications

• Recognised mechanical, electrical or multi-skilled engineering qualification, or equivalent experience.
• Strong maintenance, troubleshooting and fault-finding experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading, supervising or mentoring engineering teams.
• Experience managing both planned and reactive maintenance in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of permits to work, isolations, LOTO and safe working practices.
• Experience with maintenance records and systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead planned, preventative and reactive maintenance activities.
• Support Production by resolving breakdowns and driving root-cause solutions to reduce downtime.
• Manage engineering resources including holidays, sickness, overtime and shift cover.
• Lead, coach and develop engineers through regular one-to-ones, objectives and training.
• Coordinate engineering improvements and projects from planning through to commissioning.
• Ensure compliance with EHS, permits to work, LOTO, FDA and BRC requirements.
• Manage change controls and support audits and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain effective communication between Engineering, Operations, Quality and management.
• Promote safe working practices and take ownership of Product Legality, Quality and Authenticity.

Skills

Leadership

Maintenance

Fault-finding

Problem-solving

Communication

Education

Engineering qualification (mechanical/electrical/multi-skilled)

Tools

Maintenance management systems

Job description

Salary: up to £50,000 per annum
Working hours: Monday -Friday 8am -4pm

About us:

Join one of Europe’s fastest-growing nutrition success stories.

Kendal Nutricare creates world-class nutrition for every stage of life — from Kendamil infant and toddler formula to Kendalife adult nutrition. We’re a family-owned, purpose-driven business with big global ambitions.

In 2025, we were ranked the UK’s fastest-growing food and drink company, with Kendamil now one of the fastest-growing baby brands in the world, the No.1 Organic formula in both the UK and USA, and available in 40+ countries (and counting).

As the only British infant formula manufacturer, we’re proud to produce our award-winning products here in the UK using British full-cream milk, with no palm oil or unnecessary additives — trusted by families worldwide.

We’re on an exciting path – join us!

The role:

We are looking for an experienced Engineering Team Leader to provide day-to-day leadership to our Shift Engineering team within a busy 24/7 manufacturing environment.

Working closely with the Maintenance & Reliability Manager, you will coordinate engineering activity across the shift, ensuring breakdowns, planned maintenance, compliance requirements and plant issues are managed safely, efficiently and effectively.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will remain technically credible and visible on the factory floor, providing support and guidance when required. However, your primary focus will be on setting priorities, leading and developing your team, maintaining standards and ensuring engineering activity is completed effectively.

You will work closely with Operations, Quality and the wider Engineering team to balance production requirements with health and safety, regulatory compliance and long‑term plant reliability.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead and coordinate planned, preventative and reactive maintenance activities.
• Support Production by resolving breakdowns and driving root-cause solutions to reduce downtime.
• Manage engineering resources including holidays, sickness, overtime and shift cover.
• Lead, coach and develop engineers through regular one‑to‑ones, objectives and training.
• Coordinate engineering improvements and projects from planning through to commissioning.
• Ensure compliance with EHS, permits to work, LOTO, FDA and BRC requirements.
• Manage change controls and support audits and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain effective communication between Engineering, Operations, Quality and management.
• Promote safe working practices and take ownership of Product Legality, Quality and Authenticity.

What you’ll need:

• Recognised mechanical, electrical or multi-skilled engineering qualification, or equivalent experience.
• Strong maintenance, troubleshooting and fault‑finding experience in a manufacturing or process environment.
• Previous experience leading, supervising or mentoring engineering teams.
• Experience managing both planned and reactive maintenance in a fast‑paced environment.
• Good knowledge of permits to work, isolations, LOTO and safe working practices.
• Experience with maintenance management systems and accurate engineering records.
• Strong problem‑solving and root‑cause analysis skills.
• Confident communicator with strong leadership and people‑management skills.
• Able to remain calm and decisive under production pressure.
• Technically hands‑on, while able to delegate, develop and hold team members accountable.

What you’ll get from us:

The opportunity to work for the fastest growing infant milk brand in Europe, alongside a young talented team dedicated to serving thousands of passionate customers.

We offer to all our employees:

• 33 days holiday (incl. bank holidays), pro rata to start date and FTE.
• Pension Scheme by Aegon, the Employer will match contributions up to a maximum of 5%
• Free health cash plan
• Free Gym Membership*
• Life Assurance at 2 x basic salary after 6 months of service
• EAP Programme
• New parents enjoy up to £350 worth of Kendamil products (excluding Stage 1 formula)*
• Employee Referral Scheme*

*Further details are available from the HR department.