Graduate Project Engineer

You will be supporting the project engineering team and manufacturing to deliver improvements to equipment and operations.

You will be working on a variety of projects that add value to the business and can make a real difference in every aspect of it, being given responsibility to drive business improvement.

You will be predominantly leading and managing Capital Expenditure projects, particularly involving manufacturing equipment. As well as this, you will be involved in energy saving projects, and data analysis of key factory process operations.

This role involves a balance of spending time in the factory – speaking to the team and evaluating current operations, as well as working in the office - holding discussions across departments, developing project specifications and business cases.

With this role, you will develop skills in project management, leadership and data analysis. You will have exposure to wider business functions including product development, manufacturing, distribution, marketing and learn about how the business operates.

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

• Manage Capital Investment projects from concept phase through to deployment.
• Contribute towards Energy saving initiatives to drive forward energy reduction.
• Investigate new technologies to contribute towards net-zero company commitment.
• Work across the business to identify key opportunities for downtime reduction.
• Contribute to defining clear KPIs for projects you work on.
• Help us define how we bring innovation to apetito. From processes to tools, our aspiration is to continually improve the performance of the manufacturing facilities.
• Maintain accurate records, including writing specification documents and taking minutes in meetings.
• Build and maintain effective, collaborative, working relationships.

• Capital investment in new equipment in excess of £100k.
• Writing detailed project scopes and business cases.
• Researching potential suppliers & equipment available on the market.
• Managing structured tendering processes and evaluating quotations.
• Organizing installation of new equipment and training for staff.
• Food Waste Reduction Equipment Upgrade – Analysing quantity of food waste from inefficient equipment; researching alternative designs that minimise waste; developing equipment specifications and supplier selection; leading and coordinating the project for new equipment installation.
• Freezer Temperature Optimisation – Identify areas for energy savings; conducting trials to compare temperature of food and surroundings; researching available technologies; installation of ‘food mimicking’ temperature probe covers to optimise freezer temperatures.
• New Boiler Installation – Environmental permit applications; contact management; building design with architect support; installation and commissioning.

As our factory runs 7 days a week, flexibility to support projects outside office hours, including evenings and weekend, will be required.

• Hold, or be studying towards, a degree in Engineering/Mathematics/Sciences related discipline with the expectation to receive a 2:2 or higher (graduating by August 2025).
• Organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to make rational and logical decisions quickly.
• Able to make and keep accurate records.
• Strong attention to detail, including ability to manage data.
• Team player, able to work with others to achieve shared objectives.
• Able to collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Confident to lead discussions and bring ideas together from different departments.
• Passion for food manufacturing.

• Project Management experience.
• Confidence 2D CAD modelling.
• Working in a food production environment.
• Experience taking minutes in meetings.
• Understanding of…