Lead Catering Engineer in Manchester

Build Something That Doesn't Exist Yet

There are roles you step into, and then there are roles you build. This is the second kind. STSUK are creating a catering engineering capability from the ground up in partnership with a leading hospitality design and fit-out business, working with some of the most recognised operators in the North West. There is no inherited team, no legacy processes exist, just a blank sheet and the right person to shape it.

Maybe you are the engineer who has quietly been thinking about going on your own. You’ve got the ability, the reputation, probably even a few clients who would follow you but the reality of running a business pulls you back. The paperwork. The risk. The quiet months. You don’t actually want a job. You want ownership just without the downside.

Or perhaps you’re the one everyone already goes to. The person colleagues call when something isn’t straightforward. You’re training others without the title, carrying more than your fair share, and starting to wonder what the next five years looks like if nothing changes. You’ve hit your ceiling even if no one has said it out loud.

You might already be on your own, doing good work, but spending too much time chasing it. Quoting, invoicing, managing cashflow, doing everything and missing being part of something bigger. You didn’t get into engineering to sit behind a laptop.

Or you could be working for a manufacturer or FM contract. Technically excellent, but stuck in repetition. Same equipment, different sites. Same expectations, regardless of how good you actually are. You know you’ve got more to give than this.

What this actually is:

This is not a fill a van and attend jobs role. This is the foundation of an entire division. You will be the first catering equipment engineer within STSUK.

• Set the technical benchmark for the business
• Build the working procedures, standards and training framework
• Work directly with high-profile hospitality clients
• Mentor and develop the engineers who join after you
• Shape how this division grows not just how it runs

And over time, step into a clear pathway: Lead Engineer, Training Lead, Operations Director.

The part most roles don’t offer:

You won’t be asked to fit into something that already exists. You’ll be asked to build it. Everything you create in the first year—the standards, the training, the way things are done—that becomes the blueprint. Your name is on it.

What matters here:

This will suit someone who:

• Takes pride in doing things properly even when no one is watching
• Diagnoses, doesn’t guess
• Cares about the outcome, not just completing the job
• Naturally brings others up to their level
• Wants to build something they can look back on and say, 'I created that'

The technical bar is high—it needs to be—but mindset is what will define success in this role.

Package:

• £40,000 - £50,000 basic (depending on experience)
• Share option potential within the new venture
• Private medical, pension, and enhanced holiday
• Up to 150 hours training per year
• Fully equipped van, tools, and support infrastructure
• Most importantly, a genuine route into senior leadership

Most roles ask you to maintain something, very few ask you to create it. If you’ve ever thought there must be a better way of doing this, then this is your opportunity to prove it.