Lead Maintenance Engineer

Kingston Barnes Ltd; Stonehouse; On-site; GBP 47,700 - 58,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Long-term career development

Work‑life balance

Leadership role

Job summary

Kingston Barnes Ltd in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire is recruiting a Lead Maintenance Engineer for a well‑established food manufacturing business. The role blends leadership with hands‑on engineering to drive reliability, continuous improvement and engineering excellence across the site.

Reporting to the Site Manager, you will lead the engineering function (approximately 70%) while providing hands‑on support (≈30%).

Qualifications

• Leadership of engineering team in a food manufacturing/FMCG environment.
• Strong electrical bias and multi‑skilled engineering capability.
• Proven track record in improving engineering performance and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop the site engineering team.
• Develop and implement the site's engineering strategy.
• Drive improvements in KPIs: breakdown reduction, maintenance completion, cost control.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Electrical bias

Maintenance management

CAPEX budgeting

Continuous improvement

BRC knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree (advantageous)

Job description

Lead Maintenance Engineer

Stonehouse, Gloucestershire

£53,000 + Benefits

Days | Permanent

Are you an experienced Engineering Team Leader, Supervisor or Lead Engineer looking to take the next step in your career? Do you have a strong background within food manufacturing or FMCG and enjoy leading teams while remaining technically involved?

We are recruiting for a Lead Engineer to join a well-established food manufacturing business. This is a fantastic opportunity for an electrically biased, multi‑skilled engineer who can combine strong leadership with hands‑on engineering support to drive reliability, continuous improvement and engineering excellence across the site.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Site Manager, you will lead the engineering function, developing the site's engineering strategy while ensuring equipment reliability, legal compliance and continuous improvement. This is a predominantly leadership-based role (approximately 70%) with around 30% hands‑on engineering support when required.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop the site engineering team.
• Develop and implement the site's engineering strategy.
• Drive improvements in engineering KPIs, including breakdown reduction, maintenance completion and cost control.
• Manage engineering budgets and expenditure.
• Oversee and continuously improve the planned preventative maintenance (PPM) programme.
• Ensure the CMMS is fully utilised to plan, record, and monitor engineering activities.
• Manage engineering compliance across all relevant statutory areas, including LOLER, electrical systems, pressure systems, refrigeration, boilers, calibration, asbestos, legionella and change management.
• Manage engineering stores and spare parts.
• Ensure site services remain reliable and capable of supporting future production growth.
• Manage contractors and external service providers.
• Lead capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects, including equipment upgrades and site improvements.
• Provide technical guidance and hands‑on support to engineers during complex breakdowns when required.

The Ideal Candidate

• Previous experience leading an engineering team within a food manufacturing or FMCG environment.
• Multi‑skilled engineer with a strong electrical bias preferred.
• Proven experience improving engineering performance and driving continuous improvement.
• Strong knowledge of engineering compliance and maintenance best practice.
• Experience managing engineering budgets and CAPEX projects.
• Good understanding of BRC and UK food manufacturing standards.
• Excellent leadership, communication and organisational skills.
• Degree qualified would be advantageous but is not essential.
• Dairy or cheese manufacturing experience would be beneficial but is not required.

What's on Offer

• £53,000 salary.
• Days‑based position offering an excellent work‑life balance.
• Opportunity to lead and shape the engineering function.
• Long‑term career development within a successful and growing food manufacturing business.
• A varied role combining leadership, strategy and hands‑on engineering.