Engineering Manager in Ellesmere Port Town, Cheshire West and Chester

Engineering Manager | Ellesmere Port, CH65 7BF

£55,000–£65,000 | Permanent, full-time

Join the founding leadership team of a brand-new manufacturing plant in Ellesmere Port. All equipment is new. Hot commissioning is planned for November/December 2026, with full capacity targeted for early 2027.

You will design, implement and own the engineering and reliability strategy from day one — taking the site safely through commissioning into stable, planned-maintenance operation. The asset base runs from heavy engineering (conveyors, granulators and similar plant) through to process automation (Profibus, SCADA) and everything in between.

The role

You will lead Engineering & Reliability through start-up and into full operation, with a clear brief to build a planned-maintenance culture (target 80–85% planned / 15–20% unplanned) using RCM and TPM.

Commissioning and start-up

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

Planned maintenance, RCM and TPM

• Design and implement a PPM programme across mechanical, electrical and automation assets
• Apply RCM to critical assets and select the right maintenance strategy for each
• Embed TPM, including operator autonomous maintenance
• Drive and measure a high planned-to-unplanned work ratio

Reliability, systems and improvement

• Select, configure and embed a CMMS for planning, scheduling, history, spares and reporting
• Own reliability KPIs (MTBF, MTTR, planned vs unplanned, schedule compliance, backlog health)
• Lead root-cause analysis and make corrective actions stick
• Manage stores, critical spares and OEM/vendor relationships
• Ensure compliance with statutory inspections, pressure systems, LOLER, PUWER and UK health and safety law

Leadership

• Build and develop a lean engineering team that grows with the plant
• Work closely with Operations so maintenance is planned around production
• Be a visible, hands-on leader through the start-up phase

What you will need

• Significant experience as Engineering Manager, Maintenance Manager or senior Engineering Lead in manufacturing, process or industrial environments
• Breadth across heavy engineering (conveyors, granulators and similar) and process automation (Profibus, SCADA)
• Hands-on plant commissioning, start-up or major equipment handover (hot commissioning of new process plant ideal)
• Proven delivery of planned preventive maintenance and a high planned-to-unplanned ratio
• Experience managing Permit to Work, contractor safety and LOTO in heavy manufacturing
• Practical RCM and/or TPM experience, including operator autonomous maintenance
• Strong CMMS, work planning, spares management and reliability KPI capability

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