Engineering Manufacturing Lead - Cocoa Bean Process Plant

Duration: 6-month FTC, potential to extend or move to permanent position

Hourly rate: £39.10 - £48.87 p/h INSIDE IR35 (Via Umbrella Solutions)

Hours:

36 hours per week

We are seeking an experienced and driven Engineering Lead to oversee all engineering operations within our manufacturing process plant.

This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for driving operational excellence, implementing lean manufacturing techniques, and transforming our maintenance strategy from a reactive model to a robust preventative and predictive maintenance programme.

The successful candidate will lead a multidisciplinary engineering team and play a central role in improving plant reliability, efficiency, and safety.

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of engineers, technicians, and maintenance professionals across mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation disciplines.
• Set clear performance objectives, conduct regular reviews, and foster a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
• Manage resource planning, shift coverage, and skills development to ensure optimal team capability.
• Act as the senior technical authority on-site, providing guidance on complex engineering challenges.

• Champion the adoption and embedding of lean manufacturing principles across all engineering and maintenance activities.
• Lead the implementation of lean tools and methodologies including 5S, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, SMED, TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), and Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
• Identify and eliminate waste in engineering processes, reducing downtime, material costs, and inefficiencies.
• Establish and track KPIs aligned with lean objectives: GE (Global Efficiency inc OEE), MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), and MTTR (Mean Time to Repair).
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops and training sessions to build lean capability across the wider plant team.

• Develop and execute the strategic roadmap to transition the plant from reactive maintenance model to a structured preventative and predictive maintenance programme.
• Continue to implement a Computerised Maintenance Management System (SAP) to schedule, track, and optimise all maintenance activities.
• Develop condition-based monitoring techniques (e.g., vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis) to predict equipment failures before they occur.
• Establish preventative maintenance schedules for all critical assets based on manufacturer recommendations, historical failure data, and risk assessments.
• Target a measurable reduction in unplanned downtime (e.g., 30-50% reduction within the first 18 months).
• Build a culture where maintenance is viewed as a value-adding function rather than a cost centre.

• Own the plant's asset management strategy, ensuring long-term reliability and lifecycle cost optimisation.
• Lead failure investigations and root cause analyses for significant breakdowns, implementing corrective and preventive actions.
• Drive capital expenditure (Cap Ex) projects for equipment upgrades, replacements, and process improvements.
• Collaborate with Production, Quality, Health & Safety, and Supply Chain teams to align engineering priorities with business objectives.

• Ensure all engineering activities comply with relevant health, safety, and environmental regulations and industry standards.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation including P&IDs, SOPs, risk assessments, and equipment records.
• Support internal and external audits and always ensure engineering readiness.

• A high level of experience in an engineering or maintenance…