Head of Engineering | Engineering Manager

Head of Engineering | Engineering Manager Interim appointment (6-12 months) with permanent candidates considered

• Department: Engineering, Maintenance & Facility
• Hours: Full-time
• Location: Manchester, UK

Lead a critical Site function, strengthen Engineering capability and leave a lasting operational legacy.

While this position is initially being offered as a 6 to 12-month interim appointment, we are also open to considering an exceptional candidate seeking a permanent opportunity. Our priority is to appoint the individual best able to provide strong engineering leadership, develop capability within the team and support the Site’s longer-term succession plans.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced, hands-on Engineering leader to provide stability, direction and practical support at our Manchester manufacturing site. This is a high-impact Interim role, offering genuine breadth and influence, for someone who can quickly understand a complex operation, build confidence across the site and ensure our plant, utilities, equipment and facilities remain safe, compliant and reliable.

You will play a hands-on role within our Senior Leadership Team, lead a small Engineering & Maintenance Team, develop internal capability, and work closely with colleagues across SHE, Production, Process Research and Development, Quality, and other support functions.

You will also support delivery of the site's capital (CapEx) plan and help ensure that there is ongoing technical support for, and development of, the site’s engineering, maintenance and automation control systems strategy.

What you'll be doing

As our (Interim) Head of Engineering , you will balance immediate operational priorities and practical problem-solving with longer-term sustainable improvements, applying sound judgement and practical expertise to create solutions that are safe, proportionate and built to last.

You will manage the varied workload of the Engineering and Maintenance team in a highly regulated, yet collaborative manufacturing environment, balancing planned preventative maintenance activities and emergency repairs with emerging operational priorities. You will support the Engineering & Maintenance Team in implementing safe, effective, pragmatic and sustainable solutions.

• Provide visible leadership for the Engineering & Maintenance Team, setting clear priorities and goals, supporting colleagues and strengthening capability, succession and ways of working.
• Identify and help to facilitate suitable training and development opportunities and requirements for Engineering & Maintenance Team members.
• Act as the site’s senior engineering authority, ensuring statutory, process safety and engineering compliance across plant, utilities, equipment and facilities.
• Maintain safe, reliable operations by balancing planned maintenance, emergency response and emerging production priorities.
• Ensure that all statutory regulations (PSSR, PUWER, LOLER, PED, DSEAR/ATEX, L8) are complied with and that management systems are in place to demonstrate compliance.
• Strengthen maintenance and reliability performance through effective use of the CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management System), asset strategy, condition monitoring and clear performance measures.
• Ensure all Engineering activity is conducted in accordance with relevant regulations, with changes controlled through the site Management of Change (MOC) process and supported by appropriate qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) and documentation.
• Maintain mechanical integrity and statutory inspection programmes, including pressure systems, lifting equipment, cryogenic vessels, hazardous areas and water systems.
• Plan and lead site shutdowns, coordinating internal teams, contractors and production requirements to deliver safely and effectively.
• Provide technical leadership for electrical, control and instrumentation systems, including the site’s PLC, SCADA and HMI estate, resilience and data integrity.
• Ownership of the Site Engineering Budgets (planning and forecasting), and support the Site Director in preparing the capital plan (CapEx), taking projects from business case and specification through installation, commissioning and qualification, ensuring control of project expenditure against the approved budget.
• Select, appoint and manage contractors and service providers, including RAMS review, permit to work control, induction and on-site supervision.
• Ensure contractors and service providers are selected and managed safely, compliantly and with a clear focus on quality, value and performance.
• Develop and embed a culture of continuous improvement within the Engineering & Maintenance Team.
• Deliver Site energy reduction and sustainability targets through utilities optimisation, asset replacement and low carbon technology.
• Manage Site facilities, building fabric and infrastructure, including workspace planning and site security arrangements.
• Provide Engineering input to Site emergency arrangements as a member of the Site Incident Response Team.
• Provide Engineering support to due diligence, feasibility and integration activity for site expansion and acquisition.
• Work with Global Engineering functions to align Site practice with Group standards and to share best practice across sites.
• Preparation and provision of reports including engineering KPI and performance reporting,
• Contribute as a collaborative Site Leadership Team member, providing clear engineering insight, incident response support and concise reporting on risk, performance and priorities.

What you will bring

You will be a credible and pragmatic engineering leader who is comfortable moving between strategic decisions, team leadership and hands-on problem-solving in a regulated manufacturing environment.

You will ideally bring:

Essential experience and knowledge

• Senior Engineering or Maintenance leadership experience within fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals or another highly regulated process-manufacturing environment
• Senior Engineering or Maintenance leadership experience within fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals or another highly regulated process-manufacturing environment
• Strong practical understanding of maintenance, reliability and equipment failure, with experience improving CMMS discipline and maintenance performance
• A sound working knowledge of relevant statutory and process-safety compliance and requirements, including major-hazard operations and ATEX/DSEAR environments (ideally within a solvent handling environment).
• Experienced in water systems and legionella Responsible Person duties.
• Proven experience delivering capital projects end to end, including business cases, budgets, contractor sourcing and management, service agreements, commissioning, qualification and supplier performance assessments.
• The judgement, flexibility and resilience to lead through Site / Plant incidents and unplanned events without compromising safety, quality or compliance.
• An inclusive, coaching leadership style and the ability to translate technical risk and maintenance investment strategies into clear commercial and operational priorities for different audiences.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to engage constructively with colleagues at different levels and across different functions
• Excellent attention to detail, organisation and time management, with the ability to manage competing priorities without compromising safety and quality
• A proactive and collaborative approach, with the ability to contribute positively to the Senior Leadership Team
• A genuine commitment to continuous improvement
• Electrical, control and instrumentation systems, including PLC, SCADA and HMI environments
• Lean, Six Sigma or another structured continuous-improvement methodology
• Facilities, utilities, energy reduction or sustainability projects
• Experience of Root Cause Analysis

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred in Mechanical or Electrical, Control & instrumentation related disciplines.
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) status, or working towards, with membership of a relevant professional institution (e.g. IET, IMechE) desirable.

Search Terms:

Head of Engineering | Engineering Director | Engineering Manager | Site Engineering Manager | Plant Engineering Manager | Engineering and Maintenance Manager | Maintenance and Reliability Manager | Head of Maintenance | Interim | Contract | Permanent |

Why CARBOGEN AMCIS?

This is an opportunity to become part of a business where quality, safety and innovation is at the heart of everything we do. You'll work alongside experienced Engineers, Scientists and Technical specialists, directly contribute to a diverse range of projects, and play an important role in helping to deliver a wide range of products and services that make a real difference to our customers. You’ll have the opportunity to make a real contribution to our local site, whilst having the benefit of being part of an International organisation.

Our Company vision is to bring science to life by providing innovative solutions in products and services, contributing to the well‑being of people and the planet.

Why Join Us?

At CGAM, we recognise that our colleagues are our greatest asset. In addition to a rewarding and varied role, you'll benefit from a comprehensive package designed to support your financial wellbeing, health, career development and work-life balance.

6% employer contribution pension, free parking, free on site gym and other wellbeing benefits, private health and life insurance cover, free travel insurance, discounted retail vouchers, a wide range of salary sacrifice options (with Mintago), Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and access other external support options 24/7, including access to Financial Advisors and financial wellbeing tools, a broad selection of training and development opportunities, colleague recognition scheme and 'jubilee' rewards, colleague social events and CSR activities, plus a great workplace environment, a collaborative culture, and a range of other benefits.

Our people make the difference. We're proud of our supportive culture, commitment to wellbeing, and focus on helping colleagues develop and succeed.

If you are an experienced Engineering leader who can bring clarity, pace and practical expertise to an important interim assignment, we would be pleased to hear from you.

• CARBOGEN AMCIS is a leading service provider in the area of product and process development, including the commercial production of active ingredients for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. We have 4 facilities across Switzerland (Aarau, Hunzenschwil, Bubendorf, and Vionnaz), as well as locations in St-Beauzire (FR), Manchester (UK), Shanghai (CN) and Veenendaal (NL). Our success is based on the high professional and personal competence of our employees. Learn more about careers opportunities at CARBOGEN AMCIS at:

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