Head of Cold End Engineering

Location: Rotherham

Salary: £50,000 rising to £57,000 after 6 months

Hours: Days only, Monday–Friday

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for an experienced engineering leader to take responsibility for the Cold End function within a fast-paced manufacturing environment. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in FMCG settings, enjoys developing teams, and is confident taking ownership of engineering performance, safety, and continuous improvement.

The Role

As Head of Cold End Engineering, you will lead and develop a team of Cold End Engineering Technicians, driving high standards across maintenance, reliability, safety, and compliance. You will be responsible for planning workloads, managing breakdowns, improving maintenance processes, and ensuring all equipment is maintained to a high standard.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you will work closely with your team, provide technical guidance, manage budgets, and contribute to ongoing engineering projects and improvements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and develop Cold End Engineering Technicians
• Ensure all Health & Safety requirements and company policies are consistently met
• Oversee time and attendance, training plans, and skills development
• Carry out on-the-job coaching and knowledge transfer
• Ensure quality standards of work and completion of relevant documentation
• Deliver toolbox talks and safety briefs as required
• Plan and schedule work using CMMS and ensure accurate reporting
• Manage breakdowns and communicate updates to relevant stakeholders
• Monitor performance, review reports, and attend daily engineering meetings
• Manage departmental budgets and labour allocation
• Provide technical support for day engineers and shift teams
• Participate in call-out rota and offer out-of-hours telephone support
• Lead and implement improvements, including PPM development
• Assist with engineering projects, RFAs/CEAs, and equipment upgrades
• Manage contractors, RAMS checks, and permit issuing
• Undertake risk assessments and support compliance-related activities
• Promote a strong H&S culture and contribute to JSI reviews and improvements

Person Specification

Essential:

• FMCG maintenance background
• Electrical engineering qualification (Apprentice trained)
• HNC/HND in Engineering
• Strong PC skills including Microsoft Word & Excel
• Good standard of Maths, English and Science

Desirable:

• Experience with glass inspection equipment
• Conveyor systems knowledge
• Palletisation and robotic systems experience
• SMED or lean methodology exposure
• ILM Level 5 or equivalent leadership qualification