Head of Engineering

Morgan McKinley; Waterford; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan McKinley is assisting a major food manufacturing business in Waterford to recruit a Head of Engineering. This senior leadership role owns the Engineering and Maintenance functions, shaping strategy, driving asset reliability and continuous improvement across a modern site.

You will lead the engineering team, oversee capital investments, optimise equipment, and implement best-in-class maintenance systems to maximise plant performance.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering or related technical discipline.
• Senior engineering leadership experience in food manufacturing or highly automated environments.
• Proven track record in improving asset reliability, maintenance and efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Engineering and Maintenance teams with safety and continuous improvement at the core.
• Develop and execute the site's engineering strategy aligned with business goals.
• Drive improvements in equipment reliability, OEE, and plant efficiency.
• Deliver capital projects from concept to commissioning on time and within budget.
• Oversee preventative and predictive maintenance programs and CMMS development.
• Coach and develop engineering capability, supporting succession planning.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

CMMS systems

Capital projects

Lean / Operational Excellence

Communication

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

CMMS

Job description

Job Description

Head of Engineering

Location: Waterford

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Head of Engineering to join a well-established and growing food manufacturing business in a newly created senior leadership role. This is a strategic appointment offering the opportunity to shape and lead the engineering function, driving operational excellence, asset reliability and continuous improvement across a modern manufacturing site. Reporting directly to senior leadership, you will have full ownership of the Engineering and Maintenance functions and play a key role in supporting the site's future growth and performance.

The Role As Head of Engineering, you will be responsible for developing and executing the site's engineering strategy while ensuring the highest standards of equipment reliability, maintenance performance and technical capability. You will lead the engineering team, oversee capital investment projects, optimise manufacturing equipment, and implement best-in-class maintenance systems to maximise plant performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Engineering and Maintenance teams, fostering a high-performance culture built on safety, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Develop and implement the site's engineering and asset management strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Drive improvements in equipment reliability, OEE, plant efficiency and production performance.
• Establish and enhance preventative and predictive maintenance programmes, including CMMS development and maintenance planning.
• Lead root cause analysis initiatives to reduce downtime and improve asset performance.
• Deliver capital projects from concept through commissioning, ensuring projects are completed safely, on time and within budget.
• Identify opportunities for automation, process optimisation, energy efficiency and manufacturing innovation.
• Partner closely with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain and Health & Safety to support production objectives.
• Manage engineering budgets, contractors and statutory compliance while maintaining the highest engineering standards.
• Develop engineering capability through coaching, succession planning and technical leadership.

About You

You are an experienced engineering leader who combines strong technical expertise with excellent leadership and commercial awareness.

You'll bring:

• A degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Significant senior engineering leadership experience within food manufacturing, FMCG or another highly automated manufacturing environment.
• A proven track record of improving equipment reliability, maintenance performance and operational efficiency.
• Experience leading engineering and maintenance teams within a complex manufacturing operation.
• Strong knowledge of preventative maintenance, reliability engineering and CMMS systems.
• Experience delivering capital investment projects and engineering transformation initiatives.
• A continuous improvement mindset with experience driving Lean or Operational Excellence programmes.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills.

Why Apply?

This is a rare opportunity to take ownership of a newly created leadership position where you can make a lasting impact on engineering strategy, plant performance and future business growth. You'll join a successful manufacturing business that is investing in its people, assets and long-term operational capability.

Skills: Engineering Management Manufacturing TPBN1_IJ