Site Engineering Manager

Westmill Foods Limited; Trafford; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Incentive Plan

Holiday purchase option

Electric vehicle and cycle to work

Employee Assistance Programme

Extra Spice discounts

Volunteering day

Job summary

Westmill Foods Limited, based at the Trafford Park site, is seeking an engineering leader to direct a team across maintenance and capital projects. You will shape the engineering function, drive reliability, and balance immediate operational needs with long-term site strategies.

You will bring a track record of leading engineering teams in manufacturing, with strong mechanical and electrical expertise, budget management, and a collaborative approach to cross-functional delivery.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading engineering or maintenance in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong mechanical and electrical engineering knowledge with maintenance and project background.
• Ability to manage budgets, prioritise competing demands and make sound decisions under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Build a stronger engineering team by setting clear goals and coaching.
• Improve equipment reliability and performance through planned maintenance and data-focused improvements.
• Develop and deliver engineering, maintenance and capital plans aligned with site needs.
• Lead safe working practices and maintain standards for engineering, contractors and compliance.
• Collaborate with production, suppliers and contractors to deliver lasting improvements.
• Identify skills gaps and support succession planning for future capability.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Electrical engineering

Team leadership

Budget management

Maintenance & projects

Data-driven improvement

Education

Engineering degree (mechanical/electrical)

Tools

CMMS

Job description

Build a team that delivers. Shape the engineering behind our success.

Great engineering starts with great leadership. At Westmill’s Trafford Park site, we’re looking for someone who can give an engineering team clear direction, develop its people and turn ambitious plans into better performance. You’ll bring the technical credibility to lead engineers and the people skills to help them succeed. Setting meaningful goals, holding effective one-to-ones, coaching individuals and following through on performance will be central to your impact.

The opportunity

Reporting to the Site General Manager, you’ll lead engineering across our Trafford manufacturing site, where we produce and pack noodles for UK and European markets. This is an opportunity to influence how the site runs today and how it develops for the future. From improving equipment reliability to delivering capital projects, you’ll have a broad remit and work closely with colleagues in Operations, Technical, Safety and Project Engineering. You’ll also connect with engineering colleagues across Westmill and the wider Associated British Foods group, sharing ideas and learning from other sites.

What you’ll make happen

• Build a stronger engineering team. Set clear expectations and goals, hold regular, purposeful one-to-ones and provide coaching, feedback and development that help people perform.
• Improve reliability and performance. Strengthen planned preventative maintenance, tackle recurring breakdowns and use engineering data to focus improvement where it matters.
• Turn plans into progress. Develop and deliver engineering, maintenance and capital plans, balancing immediate priorities with the site’s longer-term needs.
• Keep standards high. Lead safe working practices and maintain engineering, contractor and compliance standards.
• Bring people together. Work with production teams, suppliers and contractors to solve problems and deliver lasting improvements.
• Develop future capability. Identify skills gaps, support succession planning and help build the next generation of engineering talent.

What you’ll bring

Proven team leadership is essential. We want to hear how you’ve helped engineers develop, improved team performance and created accountability through clear goals, effective one-to-ones and consistent follow up.

You’ll also have:

• Experience leading engineering or maintenance within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong mechanical and electrical engineering knowledge, backed by experience in maintenance and projects.
• The ability to manage budgets, prioritise competing demands and make sound decisions under pressure.
• Experience using maintenance management systems and performance measures to drive improvement.
• A recognised mechanical or electrical engineering degree, or a time-served engineering background with HND-level education.

Your experience does not have to come from food production. We welcome engineering leaders from other manufacturing sectors who can bring relevant experience, fresh thinking and the ability to learn the requirements of a food manufacturing environment.

Why Westmill?

You’ll have the opportunity to shape a site engineering function, develop your team and see the difference your decisions make on the factory floor, with the wider ABF engineering network to learn from.

Our benefits include:

• Annual Incentive Plan.
• The option to buy additional holiday.
• Electric vehicle and cycle to work salary sacrifice schemes.
• A confidential, 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• Retail and leisure discounts through our Extra Spice benefits platform.
• A day dedicated to volunteering in your local community.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities and are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process.