Head of Engineering

Head of Engineering

Dorset
Up to £80,000 + Car Allowance + Bonus

Are you an experienced Engineering Manager looking for a role where you can lead, influence and make a real impact?
Do you want the freedom to shape engineering strategy, elevate reliability and drive performance across a high‑volume manufacturing site?

A market‑leading FMCG manufacturer is exclusively working with Yolk Recruitment to appoint a high‑calibre Head of Engineering who will take full ownership of engineering performance at a major production facility in Dorset.

Reporting directly to the Site Director, this is a key senior leadership position where you'll shape the future of the site, build a high‑performing engineering culture and drive long‑term improvements to reliability and operational excellence.

Why This Role?

• Strategic leadership role reporting into the Site Director
  * Influence long‑term asset care, engineering strategy and site performance
  * Lead, develop and strengthen an established engineering team
  * Ownership of reliability, continuous improvement, maintenance excellence and capital investment
  * A genuine opportunity to make lasting, measurable change across the site

The Role

As Head of Engineering, you will be responsible for engineering performance, reliability and compliance across a large-scale FMCG manufacturing operation.
Working closely with Operations and Senior Leadership, you'll set engineering direction, build a robust maintenance strategy and enhance overall site reliability.

Key responsibilities include:
* Leading, coaching and developing the engineering team, driving a culture of safety, ownership and performance
* Improving maintenance strategy, asset care and plant reliability
* Ensuring compliance with HSE, environmental and engineering standards
* Managing engineering budgets, maintenance expenditure and contractor performance
* Delivering capital projects and wider site improvement initiatives
* Driving continuous improvement using structured problem solving and RCA
* Ensuring effective use of CMMS and maintenance planning processes
* Working closely with Production to maximise uptime, OEE and operational efficiency

The Person

You will bring:
* Strong leadership experience within a manufacturing engineering environment
* Background as an Engineering Manager, Head of Engineering or senior engineering leader
* Experience within FMCG or other fast‑paced, high‑volume industries
* Expertise in maintenance strategy, asset reliability and engineering performance improvement
* Experience managing teams, budgets, contractors and engineering KPIs
* Solid understanding of CMMS and metrics such as OEE, MTBF, MTTR
* Engineering qualifications (Apprenticeship, HNC, HND or Degree in electrical/mechanical discipline)

You'll be a confident, influential engineering leader who can inspire teams and elevate site performance.

Package

• Up to £80,000 salary
  * Generous car allowance paid on top of salary
  * Generous annual bonus also paid on top of salary
  * 33 days holiday
  * Private healthcare & life assurance
  * Pension scheme
  * Ongoing professional development and long-term career opportunities

You'll be joining a successful, well‑invested manufacturing organisation with strong financial performance and a long-term growth strategy.

Ready for your next challenge?

This role is being exclusively managed by Yolk Recruitment, with engineering specialist Liam Reid leading the process.
For a Private & Confidential discussion, please apply with an up‑to‑date CV - and feel free to include a cover letter detailing your suitability.

We also operate a referral scheme - if you know someone ideal for this role, please get in touch.

Due to high application volumes, if you have not been contacted within 7 days, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. Please check our website for future opportunities.