Graduate Project Engineer

apetito UK; Trowbridge; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food supplier in the UK is seeking a Project Engineer to manage Capital Investment projects and contribute to energy efficiency initiatives. This role combines hands-on factory engagement with project management office work, requiring a degree in Engineering or related fields. The ideal candidate will develop key skills in leadership and data analysis, collaborating across various departments to drive innovation and improvements in manufacturing processes.

Benefits

Competitive salary

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Option to purchase additional holiday

Discretionary annual bonus

Employer-matched pension contributions

Life assurance scheme

Subsidised canteen

Free parking

Free holiday turkey or voucher

Salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

Qualifications

• Must achieve a 2:2 or higher by August 2025.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly with data management.
• Ability to lead discussions and ideas across departments.

Responsibilities

• Manage Capital Investment projects from concept through to deployment.
• Contribute to energy saving initiatives.
• Investigate new technologies for net-zero commitments.

Skills

Organisational skills

Time management

Attention to detail

Team collaboration

Decision-making

Leadership

Education

Degree in Engineering/Mathematics/Sciences or equivalent

Tools

2D CAD software

Job description

Overview

You will be supporting the project engineering team and manufacturing to deliver improvements to equipment and operations. You will be working on a variety of projects that add value to the business and can make a real difference in every aspect of it, being given responsibility to drive business improvement. You will be predominantly leading and managing Capital Expenditure projects, particularly involving manufacturing equipment. You will also be involved in energy saving projects and data analysis of key factory process operations. This role balances time on the factory floor—speaking to the team and evaluating current operations—with office work—holding discussions across departments, developing project specifications and business cases. You will develop skills in project management, leadership and data analysis, with exposure to wider business functions including product development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing. Our parent and sister brands serve the health and social care sectors and produce meals designed for care homes, healthcare and education settings. apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to these sectors. Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier.

Responsibilities

• Manage Capital Investment projects from concept phase through to deployment.
• Contribute towards energy saving initiatives to drive forward energy reduction.
• Investigate new technologies to contribute towards net-zero company commitment.
• Work across the business to identify key opportunities for downtime reduction.
• Contribute to defining clear KPIs for projects you work on.
• Help define how we bring innovation to apetito, from processes to tools, to continually improve manufacturing performance.
• Maintain accurate records, including writing specification documents and taking minutes in meetings.
• Build and maintain effective, collaborative working relationships.

Past Projects (Graduates)

• Capital investment in new equipment in excess of £100k
• Writing detailed project scopes and business cases
• Researching potential suppliers and equipment available on the market
• Managing structured tendering processes and evaluating quotations
• Organizing installation of new equipment and training for staff

Specific Projects

• Food Waste Reduction Equipment Upgrade: analyzing quantity of food waste from inefficient equipment; researching alternative designs that minimise waste; developing equipment specifications and supplier selection; leading and coordinating the project for new equipment installation.
• Freezer Temperature Optimisation: identify areas for energy savings; conducting trials to compare temperature of food and surroundings; research available technologies; installation of temperature probe covers to optimise freezer temperatures.
• New Boiler Installation: environmental permit applications; contact management; building design with architect support; installation and commissioning.

Hours

As our factory runs 7 days a week, flexibility to support projects outside office hours, including evenings and weekends, will be required.

Essential

• Hold, or be studying towards, a degree in Engineering/Mathematics/Sciences-related discipline with the expectation to achieve a 2:2 or higher (graduating by August 2025).
• Organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to make rational and logical decisions quickly.
• Able to make and keep accurate records.
• Strong attention to detail, including ability to manage data.
• Team player, able to work with others to achieve shared objectives.
• Able to collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Confident to lead discussions and bring ideas together from different departments.
• Passion for food manufacturing.

Desirable

• Project management experience.
• Confidence with 2D CAD modelling.
• Experience working in a food production environment.
• Experience taking minutes in meetings.
• Understanding of project life cycles.

Personal Qualities

We are looking for someone who is passionate about learning and developing in manufacturing, specifically in food, and who will deliver quality products for customers. This role requires time on the shop floor to understand problems, so you should be comfortable being hands-on and talking to production operators and management. This will help ensure engagement and understanding of projects being introduced. The successful applicant will be a self-starter who would rather be too busy than not busy enough. If you find something that doesn’t feel right, you’ll ask why or what you can do. You’ll need to speak to teams on the shop floor to understand their problems and feed these up to resolve them. You should be able to work well in a team and have a structured approach to work, communicating effectively in meetings, presentations and written reports.

Benefits

• Competitive salary; accredited Living Wage employer
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme – employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• Apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

About apetito

As a family-owned business, we pride ourselves on making a real difference and delivering outstanding meals. We develop products to enhance health and well-being for all our customers. We are driven by service, dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people. We support British food and farming and aim for Net Zero by 2040. Our ethical standards are recognised by ETI and we are a Living Wage employer. We embrace inclusion and are committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.