Engineering Manager

This is not a typical Engineering Manager role.

You will join the founding leadership team of a brand-new greenfield food-grade rPET facility in Ellesmere Port. The plant will process up to 35,000 tonnes of post-consumer PET bottles and trays every year, turning them into high-quality food-grade rPET pellets.

Hot commissioning is scheduled for November/December 2026, with full capacity aimed for the start of 2027. We want you to be a part of this.

All equipment is new. You will design, implement and own the full engineering and reliability strategy from day one – taking the plant safely through commissioning into world-class planned maintenance performance.

What you’ll be doing as Engineering Manager

• Founding leadership seat with direct access to senior decision-makers
• Own the complete transition from construction to stable operations
• Build a true planned-maintenance culture (target 80-85% planned / 15-20% unplanned) using RCM and TPM principles
• Permanent senior standalone role — strategy, systems, continuous improvement and build/hire your team around your needs for the plant.
• Genuine opportunity with the senior management team, to shape how a major UK circular-economy facility operates for years to come
• You will lead the Engineering & Reliability function through hot commissioning and into reliable full-capacity operation while establishing a world-class planned maintenance system.

Hot Commissioning, Start-up & Early Operations

• Lead and coordinate hot commissioning of all new plant equipment (Nov/Dec 2026)
• Support partial operation and ramp-up to full capacity (early-mid 2027)
• Establish commissioning procedures, punch-list management, as-built documentation and operator training support
• Act as Site Custodian for the Permit to Work system and implement rigorous Lockout-Tagout (LOTO) across all four shifts

Planned Preventive Maintenance, RCM & TPM

• Design and implement a comprehensive PPM programme across all assets and shifts
• Apply Reliability-Centred Maintenance (RCM) to prioritise critical assets and select the right strategy for each
• Embed Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) principles, including operator autonomous maintenance
• Drive and measure a high planned-to-unplanned work ratio (world-class target 80-85% planned)

Reliability, Systems & Continuous Improvement

• Select, configure and embed a CMMS supporting work planning, scheduling, history, spares and reporting
• Develop and use key reliability KPIs (MTBF, MTTR, planned vs unplanned ratio, schedule compliance, backlog health)
• Lead root-cause analysis and ensure corrective/preventive actions stick
• Manage stores, critical spares strategy and OEM/vendor relationships
• Ensure full compliance with statutory inspections, pressure systems, LOLER, PUWER and UK H&S legislation

People, Leadership & Culture

• Build and develop a lean engineering team that will grow with the operation
• Create a culture of ownership, competence and continuous improvement
• Work closely with Operations so maintenance is planned around production needs
• Be a visible, hands-on leader during the critical start-up phase

What we’re looking for in an Engineering Manager:

• Significant experience as Engineering Manager, Maintenance Manager or senior Engineering Lead in manufacturing, process or industrial environments (continuous process, plastics, recycling or similar preferred)
• Hands-on experience of plant commissioning, start-up or major equipment handover (ideally hot commissioning of new process plant)
• Proven track record of leading planned preventive maintenance programmes and achieving a high planned-to-unplanned ratio
• Demonstrable experience managing Permit to Work systems, contractor safety coordination and LOTO in heavy manufacturing
• Practical experience of RCM and/or TPM, including operator autonomous maintenance
• Strong understanding of CMMS systems, work planning & scheduling, spares management and reliability KPIs

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