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.