Utilities & Op Eng Manager

Worklane GmbH; Bridgwater; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual bonus opportunity

Life assurance

Enhanced holiday allowance

Career development and progression

Cheers benefits platform

Healthcare and wellbeing benefits

Online medical support

Company pension scheme

Lead a critical engineering function

Job summary

Refresco is seeking a Process & Utilities Engineering Manager in Bridgwater to lead the engineering teams and deliver safe, compliant, reliable and cost‑effective process plant and utility services.

You will guide the maintenance strategy, asset reliability, and continuous improvement, ensuring close collaboration with Production, Quality, HSE and Project teams to meet site objectives.

Qualifications

• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams in FMCG or regulated manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of process plant engineering and hygienic design principles.
• Proven ability to manage maintenance strategies and reliability improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead Process and Utilities Engineering teams and develop a high‑performing culture.
• Own maintenance and reliability strategies for process plant and utility assets.
• Ensure compliance with PSSR, PUWER, LOLER, DSEAR and Legionella requirements.
• Oversee budgeting, contractor performance and resource deployment.
• Drive planned, preventative and condition‑based maintenance to improve reliability.
• Lead root cause analysis after significant breakdowns and implement preventative actions.
• Monitor KPIs for reliability, energy, water use, costs and environmental performance.
• Lead projects from concept through commissioning and handover and support decarbonisation.

Skills

Leadership

Maintenance planning

Asset reliability

Continuous improvement

Contractor management

Regulatory awareness

Education

HNC/HND or Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Process, Chemical Engineering

Tools

PSSR

PUWER

LOLER

DSEAR

Legionella

Job description

This is an opportunity to lead a skilled engineering function, influence site-wide performance, and drive improvements that enhance product quality, asset reliability, sustainability, and operational excellence. If you're an experienced engineering manager looking to make a tangible impact within a fast-paced manufacturing environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Process & Utilities Engineering Manager

Bridgwater, Somerset

Days – Monday to Friday

What's in it for you?

• Competitive salary
• Annual bonus opportunity
• Life assurance
• Enhanced holiday allowance
• Career development and progression opportunities
• Access to Refresco's employee benefits platform, Cheers
• Healthcare and wellbeing benefits
• Free online medical support
• Company pension scheme
• Opportunity to lead a critical engineering function within a state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing facility

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Engineering, you will lead the Process and Utilities Engineering functions across the Bridgwater site, ensuring the delivery of safe, compliant, reliable, and cost‑effective process plant and utility services.

You will provide leadership to the Process and Utilities Engineering Team Leaders and their teams, while taking ownership of engineering performance, maintenance strategy, statutory compliance, asset reliability, resource efficiency, and continuous improvement activities.

This role is pivotal in connecting process plant performance with the utility services that support it, ensuring optimal product quality, operational performance, sustainability, and long‑term asset health.

What will you be doing?

• Leading and developing the Process and Utilities Engineering teams, creating a high‑performing and accountable engineering culture.
• Owning maintenance and reliability strategies for process plant and utility assets.
• Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and company standards, including PSSR, PUWER, LOLER, DSEAR and Legionella requirements.
• Managing engineering priorities, maintenance interventions, contractor performance and resource deployment.
• Driving asset reliability improvements through planned, preventative and condition‑based maintenance strategies.
• Leading root cause analysis activities following significant breakdowns and implementing preventative actions.
• Monitoring and improving KPIs relating to reliability, maintenance performance, compliance, energy, water usage, costs and environmental performance.
• Identifying opportunities to improve OEE, product quality, efficiency, yield and waste reduction.
• Managing specialist engineering contractors and service providers.
• Controlling maintenance budgets and contributing to capital investment planning.
• Leading engineering projects from concept through commissioning and handover.
• Supporting decarbonisation initiatives and sustainability improvements across the site.
• Working closely with Production, Quality, HSE, Environmental, Reliability and Project Engineering teams to achieve site objectives.

About You

We're looking for a proven engineering leader with significant experience within a high‑volume FMCG, food, beverage, or similarly regulated manufacturing environment.

You will have strong technical knowledge across both process plant and industrial utilities, coupled with a passion for developing people, driving performance, and delivering continuous improvement.

Key Requirements

• HNC, HND or Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Process, Chemical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Extensive experience within FMCG, food, beverage or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Strong knowledge of process plant engineering and hygienic design principles.

About Refresco

Refresco is the global independent beverage solutions provider for Global, National and Emerging brands, and retailers. We offer an extensive range of product and packaging combinations, producing everything from juices and carbonated soft drinks to mineral waters.

In the UK, we employ over 1,800 colleagues across six manufacturing sites, producing private‑label soft drinks and fruit juices for many of the country's leading retailers.

Our vision is simple:

Our drinks on every table.

Refresco believes that equal opportunity for all is fundamental to our company's values, and all applicants can expect fairness and transparency throughout our recruitment process.