Engineering Lead, Operations Management, Maintenance Technician ​/ Mechanic

Lead Engineer

£53,000 + Benefits | Monday-Friday | Gloucestershire

An established food manufacturing business is looking to appoint a Lead Engineer to take ownership of the engineering function at one of its production sites. Reporting directly to the Site Manager, you will lead a team of engineers, drive engineering performance, manage budgets and projects, and play a key role in improving site reliability and compliance.

• Lead, motivate and develop a team of five engineers.
• Develop and implement the site's engineering strategy.
• Drive improvements across engineering KPIs including breakdown reduction, PPM completion and maintenance expenditure.
• Manage the engineering budget and control departmental spend.
• Ensure a robust planned preventative maintenance programme is in place and continuously improved.
• Take ownership of the site's CMMS, ensuring all maintenance activities are accurately recorded and managed.
• Ensure engineering legal compliance across all statutory inspections, plant systems and duty holder responsibilities.
• Manage engineering stores and contractor performance.
• Deliver reactive maintenance standards whilst driving a proactive maintenance culture.
• Develop and manage CAPEX projects, equipment upgrades and future engineering investment.
• Work closely with production and senior management to improve operational performance and minimise downtime.
• Provide technical support and remain hands‑on when required.

• Engineering qualification (Electrical, Mechanical or Multi‑Skilled).
• Previous experience leading an engineering team within food, beverage or FMCG manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of engineering compliance and maintenance best practice.
• Experience managing engineering budgets and CAPEX projects.
• Knowledge of CMMS systems and maintenance planning.
• Familiar with BRC and food manufacturing standards.
• Confident communicator with a proactive leadership style.
• Continuous improvement mindset with experience driving reliability and operational performance.