Engineering Manager in Harlow

Location – Harlow + 2 other sites (onsite)

Salary – DOE (£60K to £70K)

Benefits – Great benefits package

I'm delighted to be partnering with a highly respected and well-established manufacturing business that is recognised as a leader within its field. With a strong reputation for quality, innovation and operational excellence, they are now looking to appoint an experienced Engineering Manager to lead the engineering function across three manufacturing sites in Essex.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a proven engineering leader to join a successful and growing organisation, where you'll play a pivotal role in driving reliability, continuous improvement, engineering compliance and long-term operational performance. Reporting directly to the Operations Director, you'll have the opportunity to shape engineering strategy, lead a talented team and make a visible impact across the business.

Role Overview

The Engineering Manager is responsible for leading the engineering function across Three sites in Essex. This includes two flour mills and an ingredient mixing plant. Reporting to the Operations Director, the role ensures safe, reliable and efficient operation of plant, equipment, services and engineering projects. The role combines technical engineering expertise, people leadership, legal compliance and continuous improvement to support operational performance, maintenance standards, insurance requirements, DSEAR compliance and long-term asset reliability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the engineering team, setting clear objectives and maintaining high standards of performance, safety and accountability.
• Manage planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance and engineering support to minimise downtime and improve equipment reliability.
• Plan and deliver engineering projects, capital improvements and equipment upgrades on time, within budget and to agreed technical standards.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety, statutory, environmental and quality requirements across all engineering activities.
• Take responsibility for engineering compliance across all sites, ensuring legal, statutory and insurance inspection requirements are understood, planned, completed and documented.
• Maintain technical knowledge of DSEAR requirements and ensure relevant plant, equipment, processes and hazardous area controls are managed safely and in line with site obligations.
• Work closely with Operations, Production, Quality and Supply Chain teams to support production targets and resolve technical issues.
• Coordinate engineering priorities across flour milling and ingredient mixing operations, balancing production needs, maintenance windows, safety requirements and business priorities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including root‑cause analysis, reliability improvement, energy efficiency and lean engineering practices.
• Manage contractors, suppliers and service providers, ensuring work is completed safely, efficiently and to specification.
• Develop and manage engineering budgets, spare parts strategy, critical asset registers and maintenance KPIs.
• Maintain accurate engineering documentation, maintenance records, risk assessments and standard operating procedures.
• Support new equipment introductions, process changes and site improvement programmes from concept through to handover.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong mechanical, electrical or multi-skilled engineering knowledge within a manufacturing, processing or industrial environment.
• Confident leadership style with the ability to motivate teams, manage performance and build capability.
• Excellent fault‑finding, problem‑solving and root‑cause analysis skills.
• Strong understanding of preventative maintenance systems, reliability engineering and asset care.
• Good project management, planning, budgeting and organisational skills.
• Clear communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior managers, engineers, operators and external contractors.
• Must be a strong team player, able to collaborate effectively across departments and communicate clearly with colleagues at all levels of the business.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to balance cost, quality, safety and operational priorities.
• Working knowledge of health and safety legislation, risk assessment and safe systems of work.
• Technical understanding of DSEAR, hazardous area controls, legal compliance, statutory inspections and engineering‑related insurance requirements.

Experience and Qualifications

• Degree, HNC/HND or equivalent qualification in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or a related discipline.
• Proven experience in an engineering leadership or maintenance management role.
• Experience managing engineering teams, contractors, maintenance systems and engineering budgets.
• Knowledge of continuous improvement methods such as Lean, 5S, Kaizen or Six Sigma would be advantageous.
• Experience within a manufacturing, FMCG, food production, utilities, logistics or industrial environment is desirable.
• Experience working across multi‑site manufacturing operations, ideally including flour mills, ingredient mixing plants or similar food production environments.
• Knowledge of food safety, food manufacturing standards, hygiene requirements and audit expectations would be beneficial.
• Professional registration or membership of a relevant engineering body is beneficial but not essential.

Key Performance Indicators

• Improved equipment reliability and reduced unplanned downtime.
• Completion of maintenance plans, inspections and statutory checks on schedule.
• Full completion of statutory, legal, DSEAR and insurance‑related engineering inspections and corrective actions within required timescales.
• Engineering projects delivered safely on time and within budget.
• Reduction in repeat failures through effective root‑cause analysis and corrective action.
• Strong team performance, engagement, training compliance and succession planning.
• Positive audit results for safety, quality, maintenance records and engineering standards.

If you would like some more information about this role or a confidential conversation, please call Claire on 0207 408 0424