Principal Utilities Engineer

Location: Hamble, Southampton, UK

Working Hours: Mon – Fri, 37.5 hours per week

Cooper Vision is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses with a presence in over 100 countries. Being part of Cooper Vision means helping improve the way people see each day. It’s more than making contact lenses, it’s about giving lens wearers freedom and confidence to move about their daily lives. We’re all about bright futures – for our people and those who wear our contact lenses.

Principal Utilities Engineer

UK Manufacturing

This role will have a direct and measurable impact on operational efficiency, cost control, sustainability performance, and site resilience. Annual utility expenditure at UKM exceeds $15 million, and the role is expected to drive significant and sustained improvements in energy and utility efficiency, reducing cost and emissions per lens on an ongoing basis. In addition, the role will play a key part in strengthening utility resilience and enabling future site capacity expansion to support business growth.

The Principal Utilities Engineer is responsible for the reliable provision, efficient operation, and continuous optimisation of all essential utility supplies supporting site infrastructure, plant, and process equipment across Cooper Vision Manufacturing in the UK. The role is accountable for improving and reporting on the reliability, efficiency, and sustainability performance of utility systems, reducing primary and secondary utility demand through operational optimisation, user engagement, and targeted capital projects.

The post holder will use these interventions to drive measurable reductions in utility consumption and emissions per lens, supporting manufacturing performance, cost control, and sustainability commitments.

• Maintaining efficient and reliable provision of critical utilities of water, electricity, and gas to plant and process equipment. Monitoring utility usage to ensure they are to plan on HVAC, compressed air, chilled water, and production process equipment.
• Develop strategies and lead actions to implement new or alternative technologies and ways of working that affect user behaviours and that improve resilience, drive efficiency and enable future growth for UK Operations.
• The postholder will work closely with maintenance staff, engineers, environmental health and safety teams as well as production staff and management to educate and raise awareness of utility savings and usage and will champion behaviours that support effective change and continuous improvement.
• This role will be the UKM Electrical duty holder and Senior Electrical Authority responsible for all aspects of electrical safety and compliance across our UKM sites.
• Responsible for producing monthly reports on utilities usage. Reporting cost savings and efficiencies to finance, global facilities and global sustainability groups along with providing monthly reports to the Senior Management Team on progress and compliance.
• Producing reports on utility usage to national agencies and trade bodies, ensuring compliance with ESOS obligations and maintaining Cooper Vision's commitment to our climate change agreement.
• Collaborates with other site facility managers and principals across global operations to enable benchmarking and deliver monthly reporting of project performance and metrics to VP level, supporting VIP and VMOST cost, sustainability, and growth initiatives.
• Proactively identify and leverage industry trends, innovations, and challenges, in sustainable practices, smart technologies, and regulatory changes affecting utility operations, to drive improvements in utility performance and sustainability.
• Drive change through engaging with GTIG, our key vendors and service providers to deliver continuous efficiency improvements through innovation and enhanced reliability across automation, plant, and utilities.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and development to technical staff in utility competencies, and lead education across UK operations to promote safe and efficient utility provision and use.
• Ensure…