Engineering Manager

Industry: Pharmaceutical / FMCG / Manufacturing

A leading manufacturing organisation is seeking an experienced Head of Engineering to lead engineering operations, utilities management, maintenance strategy, and capital projects within a highly regulated production environment.

This is a senior leadership role suited to a technically strong engineering professional with extensive experience in manufacturing operations, utilities, reliability engineering, and regulatory compliance.

You will be responsible for ensuring the continuous, reliable, and compliant operation of all engineering systems, utilities, and production equipment across the site.

The role focuses on operational continuity, engineering excellence, equipment reliability, compliance, project delivery, and leadership of a high-performing engineering function.

• Ensuring continuous availability and reliability of production equipment and utilities
• Supporting production efficiency, uptime, throughput, and OEE targets
• Providing engineering support during start-ups, line changes, and product introductions
• Managing critical breakdown escalation processes and engineering incident response

• Managing core site utilities, including:
  • Steam boilers
  • Compressed air systems
  • HVAC systems
  • Chilled water systems
  • Purified/pharmaceutical water systems
  • Wastewater treatment
  • Electrical distribution systems
• Driving optimisation initiatives around energy efficiency, water consumption, and utility performance
• Ensuring operational procedures and control philosophies are documented and maintained

• Developing and managing preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programmes
• Driving CMMS-based maintenance planning and backlog control
• Implementing condition-based and predictive maintenance practices including:
  • Vibration analysis
  • Thermography
  • Oil analysis
• Leading shutdowns, maintenance turnarounds, and reliability improvement initiatives
• Driving root cause analysis and continuous improvement programmes

• Leading engineering input for capital projects, upgrades, and equipment installations
• Managing project scope, budgets, commissioning, and qualification activities
• Ensuring projects are delivered safely, on schedule, and within budget
• Managing contractor performance and engineering handovers

• Ensuring compliance with:
  • cGMP
  • SAHPRA
  • ISO quality standards
  • SHE requirements
• Supporting equipment qualification, calibration, and validation processes
• Collaborating with Quality Assurance on deviations, CAPAs, and change controls
• Maintaining audit readiness and supporting regulatory inspections
• Managing engineering Opex and Capex budgets
• Driving cost optimisation and lifecycle cost management
• Managing staffing, contractor resources, and engineering capacity planning
• Supporting procurement and critical spares management

• Leading and developing multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Driving performance management, coaching, and succession planning
• Developing technical training and competency programmes
• Building a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement

• Degree / Diploma in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
• GCC (Government Certificate of Competence) – Mandatory
• Minimum 10 years' progressive engineering experience
• Minimum 5 years' experience in a senior engineering or maintenance leadership role
• Strong experience within:
  • Pharmaceutical manufacturing
  • FMCG
  • Highly regulated manufacturing environments
• Utilities and facilities
• Reliability engineering
• Large engineering teams
• Capital projects and budgets
• Strong…