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 opportunitiesYou'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