Engineering Technician in Manchester

Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you.

As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits.

To succeed at pladis you need to be purpose-led, resilient and positive to succeed here because we expect pace and agility, we insist on collaboration and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact.

Role Title: Engineering Technician

Shift pattern: You will work four 12 hour shifts per week (two days followed by two nights), which will include some weekends. We may occasionally require flexibility in your working hours to support training, project work, or cross shift collaboration. Any changes to shift patterns will always follow the terms set out in your contract of employment.

Site Introduction: Established in 1917, our Manchester site stands as one of pladis UK’s key manufacturing hubs, a place where tradition meets innovation. With a talented team of around 500 colleagues, the site proudly produces some of the nation’s most iconic treats, including Jaffa Cakes in a variety of flavours, Chocolate Digestives (Dark, Milk, White and more), Penguin, Hobnobs, and soon, Club and Gold Bars.

Manchester’s rich heritage includes landmark moments like the arrival of Penguin in 1969, the launch of its chocolate refinery in 1989, and the introduction of the first automated Jaffa Cake line in 1992. Celebrating its centenary in 2017 and earning the title of pladis Factory of the Year in 2024, the site continues to evolve, most recently with a £21 million upgrade. It’s more than just a factory, it’s a community of passionate people working together to deliver joy through every bite, across the UK and beyond.

What will this role achieve? This role is an essential part of our fast paced manufacturing operations team in Manchester. The Shift Engineering Technician will be a proactive, motivated, and collaborative contributor, with experience in driving performance, delivering improvements, and developing maintenance strategies.

Engineering Technicians provide expertise to carry out planned maintenance, repairs, refurbishments, installations, and improvements to equipment and services. This ensures we maximise plant performance and maintain our equipment to the highest standards.

You will complete all engineering tasks in line with Engineering, Quality, Safety, and Hygiene requirements and support the wider engineering team as we continue our journey towards World Class standards. You will also work closely with production colleagues, under the leadership of the Area Engineering Managers, as part of a multi functional team, contributing to the overall success of the site.

Key deliverables:

• Provide comprehensive technical engineering support to production colleagues under the guidance of the Area Engineering Manager.
• Use your specialist knowledge of biscuit and cake manufacturing equipment and bespoke control systems.
• Maintain excellent standards of hygiene and housekeeping.
• Work with team managers and AEMs to determine the best approach during major breakdowns.
• Prioritise and manage your own workload effectively.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives using Speedy Kaizen / MBR and other methodologies.
• Contribute to plant reliability through effective downtime management, PPM compliance, engineering planning, use of SAP PM, and responsible use of the engineering budget.
• Liaise with third party contractors and ensure safe and effective control of the Permit to Work (PTW) system.

Bring your experience:

Essential: This is a multiskilled role requiring strong mechanical engineering knowledge, with some electrical experience. You should be comfortable working in a variety of situations and environments. While experience in an FMCG manufacturing setting is ideal, we welcome interest from engineers in other sectors.

You thrive in a fast moving environment, work well under pressure, and make sound decisions. You are proactive and solutions focused, with a commitment to embedding continuous improvement across the site.

You will have a recognised engineering qualification — such as City & Guilds Level 3, NVQ Level 3, or equivalent — in a mechanical and/or electrical discipline, along with hands on experience.

You work well as part of a team and independently when needed, and you communicate clearly and confidently to support and empower colleagues in building their engineering skills.

Desirable: SAP PM experience.

Interview process:

• Initial Telephone call with Talent Acquisition
• 1st stage interview – 45 minutes competency-based interview based on our company values and your experiences.
• 2nd stage interview – 60 minutes – a technical interview to understand your skill set/case study or presentation interview.

pladis does also use both Psychometric and Aptitude tests to support our processes so you may be asked to complete these as part of your process. Some processes may differ, but we will keep you updated!

What does pladis offer you?

• Competitive Salary
• Enhanced parental leave and a supportive phased return-to-work program to help colleagues balance family and career.
• Stakeholder Pension Scheme
• Life Assurance Cover ~ upon enrolment to Stakeholder Pension Scheme
• Holiday Enhancement Scheme
• 1 Volunteering Day per year
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discount and Cashback Scheme – make your everyday spending work hard for you on major high street brands, supermarkets and services
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial Wellbeing Support
• Access to great training and development opportunities

Values:

• Purpose led – We’re energised and guided by our purpose to bring happiness with every bite
• Agile – We’re ever evolving, we never stand still, always improving for our customers and our consumers.
• Positive – We’re highly motivated optimistic, courageous, and we inspire each other to be better
• Resilient - We’re persistent in the face of setbacks, quick to adapt, learn and move forward
• Collaborative – We gain strength from operating as one pladis, winning and succeeding together

pladis is an equal opportunities employer, like every great recipe we’re a thoughtful mix. A happy and inclusive place to work that’s as diverse as our consumers and the communities we support, live and work in, all around the world. Where every voice is heard, and difference is celebrated. Where fresh perspectives and new ideas help us grow and thrive.

Accessibility at Manchester: Presently, our Manchester site does not have step-free access or lifts between floors. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, and where possible to perform key job functions.

pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.