Corvin Fox Ltd
Head of Engineering
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Head of Engineering
Newry area, Northern Ireland
£65k-£75K + Bonus and package
About the Role
Build an engineering function that's ready for the next stage of growth.
You've probably come across engineering functions and thought there was a better way of doing things but not had the autonomy to do it. This role gives you the opportunity to put those ideas into practice.
You will join a family-owned food manufacturer that has grown to around £40m turnover and has clear growth plans to reach £100m by 2030 through organic growth, investment and acquisitions.
As the business grows, they're looking for someone who can put the right engineering structure in place to support it.
You'll take on a team of one Engineering Manager and four Shift Engineers, currently propped up by contractors with no structured planned maintenance in place. Your first job will be turning a reactive maintenance culture into a proactive one and building the standards, systems and capability the site needs to support its growth.
You won't be walking into a finished model, you’ll have the freedom to build one that works.
You'll also play a key role in modernising the site, building on recent investment in automation and continuing to identify new opportunities to improve performance using data and smart technology.
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You'll also help shape future capital investment, influencing equipment selection and ensuring engineering decisions support the long-term direction of the business.
Not everyone in the current team will find change easy, and you'll need the presence and influence to bring people with you rather than just impose it. You'll have real backing from the COO to do it, but this is a genuine turnaround, not a caretaker role.
The Business
This is a privately owned food manufacturer producing branded chilled food-to-go products for some of the UK's largest retailers and food service brands, as well as wholesale and travel retail customers.
The site covers chilled and frozen production, bakery and R&D, with its own logistics operation supporting deliveries across the country, creating a genuinely varied engineering environment.
With multiple manufacturing disciplines operating under one roof, the engineering team supports a broad range of equipment, processes and technologies, ensuring no two days are the same.
Here's What You'll Need
- You've led engineering teams in food manufacturing or a similar production environment, and know what good looks like
- You've helped move a site from reactive to proactive, whether that's introducing planned maintenance, reducing downtime, or getting a better grip on budgets
- If you've built a structure from the ground up, or worked with Lean, automation or smart technology, that'll help you hit the ground running, though it's not essential
- Food manufacturing background is ideal, but if you've come from beverage, pharmaceutical or another relevant manufacturing environment, we'd still love to hear from you
- Above all, you enjoy improving how engineering works, developing people and building something that lasts
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What Next
I know you are more than your CV and may not have one up to date at the moment, send what you have now we can worry about refining it later.
Let’s first have an informal chat.
Please email Evie at evie@corvinfox.co.uk and we can line up that first conversation.
Corvin Fox is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our mission is to welcome everyone and create inclusive teams. We celebrate difference and encourage candidates from all backgrounds and walks of life to apply.
Whilst we aim to respond to all applicants, there are times where this is not possible due to the high number of applicants we receive. If you haven’t heard back from us within 10 working days of your application, you have unfortunately been unsuccessful.
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