Engineering Manager in Sunderland

We are Tradebe, a global environmental services company with four distinct business units operating across industrial and Life Science sectors. This role sits within our Life Science business unit, specifically in the Purification division, which supports highly regulated operations focused on environmental compliance, safety, and operational excellence. Through our work, we contribute directly to more sustainable and efficient waste management and resource recovery solutions.

We are seeking an experienced Engineering Manager to lead the engineering function at our Sunderland site. This is a key leadership role responsible for ensuring the safe, compliant, and cost-effective operation of plant and equipment within a highly regulated environmental services environment. The successful candidate will play a critical role in driving plant reliability, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency, directly impacting site performance, risk reduction, and service delivery.

Role Overview: To lead and manage the engineering function at the Sunderland site, ensuring safe, compliant, and cost-effective operation of plant and equipment. The role ensures maximum plant reliability, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency, directly contributing to site profitability, risk reduction, and safe delivery of waste management services.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead a team of 4 direct reports; and 9 indirect reports.
• Define and enforce engineering standards aligned with HSE and environmental compliance requirements.
• Ensure strong housekeeping practices with focus on DSEAR compliance and audit readiness.
• Develop and manage planned maintenance schedules, breakdown response, and project work with the Engineering Supervisor.
• Monitor, analyse, and report departmental KPIs to the Site Manager.
• Manage COSHH, risk assessments, and hazard controls, ensuring documentation and training are up to date.
• Control Permit to Work systems in line with internal procedures and legal requirements.
• Drive optimisation of plant and equipment to improve efficiency and profitability.
• Ensure safe execution of engineering tasks including isolations, process break-ins, and decontamination procedures.
• Lead CAPEX project planning and delivery, coordinating with suppliers and stakeholders.
• Manage CDM-regulated projects, including compliance, planning, and duty holder appointments.
• Approve SAP purchase orders and manage engineering budgets effectively.
• Track and forecast departmental spend, reporting variances to Site Management.
• Develop engineering team capability through training, competency management, and succession planning.
• Act as Site Incident Controller (SIC) in the event of a Major Accident Hazard scenario.

Requirements:

• Proven experience in engineering management within industrial or process environments.
• Strong business and budget management experience.
• Experience in project management, including CDM regulations.
• Experience managing maintenance, reliability, or plant engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of HSE legislation, COSHH, and Permit to Work systems.
• Experience with CAPEX projects and supplier management.
• Proficiency in SAP or similar enterprise systems.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent leadership and team development capability.
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal).

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary.
• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays).
• Contributory pension scheme.
• Career development and international opportunities within a global organisation.
• On-site role with standard operational hours.
• Opportunity to work in a sustainability-focused environmental sector.

If you are an experienced engineering leader looking to drive performance, safety, and operational excellence in a regulated industrial environment, we would love to hear from you.