Lead Engineer
We rise to challenges together
Salary: Competitive
Benefits: Life Assurance (1 x salary), MyBargains Discount Platform, A Range of voluntary benefits (holiday purchase scheme, additional life assurance, dental & hospital cash plans)
Location: Highbridge, TA9 4JR
Ways of Working: Site based
Shift Pattern: 4 on 4 off rotating days and nights / 06:00 - 18:00 - 18:00 - 06:00
Contract: Permanent
Why join us?
We're ready for anything. We thrive on challenge and change. The undeniable pressure and pace of our 24/7 operation keeps us on our toes and offers a variety of career pathways and options to explore and pursue. We encourage everyone to work hard, push further and show resilience. And it's exciting. Because only by mentoring and role modelling our success and innovation, will we continue to diversify, grow as individuals and succeed together.
About the role
Take the lead in a dynamic engineering role where you'll ensure production assets run at peak performance.
You'll drive planned, predictive, and reactive maintenance, support machinery setups and changeovers, and collaborate across teams to deliver continuous improvement.
With a focus on fault diagnosis, technical leadership, and hands-on problem solving, this role offers the chance to make a real impact in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.
What we do
We're the market leader in the UK fresh prepared food industry - supplying meals, salads, desserts, pizza and bread to leading grocery retailers including Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. Our Bakkavor site in Highbridge, which is one of our four Desserts sites in the UK, specialises in Cheesecake and Tarts, working closely with our sister site in Devizes that specialise in baked goods.
Role Accountabilities:
Perform planned, predictive, and reactive maintenance on production assets
Diagnose and resolve faults across electrical, mechanical, and automation systems
Support machinery setups, changeovers, installations, and removals
Manufacture and repair components for processing and packaging equipment
Lead and contribute to continuous improvement projects
Maintain accurate engineering documentation and asset records
Mentor and support technical development of team members
Ensure tools and equipment are available and functioning
Act as point of contact during weekends or manager absence
Escalate issues to senior engineering management when required
Participate in internal and external audits
About you
To excel in this role, you'll bring a strong foundation in engineering, supported by Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths and English (or equivalent) and a recognised apprenticeship such as C&G, EAL NVQ Level 3/4 or the OAL FDEM Diploma.
Your hands-on experience with fault diagnosis, maintenance, and multi-skilled capabilities - especially with an electrical bias - will be key.
You'll be confident working with CMMS systems, control circuits, PLCs, and a range of mechanical and automation technologies, while applying safety, hygiene, and food industry standards.
This is a brilliant opportunity to apply your technical expertise in a role that offers real impact, ownership, and career growth - where your skills won't just be valued, they'll be vital to driving innovation and performance in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment.
What you'll receive
As an equal opportunity employer, we're committed to providing a safe and rewarding environment for you to thrive in. This is why we work hard to deliver benefits, rewards and wellbeing offerings that are important to you.
You'll enjoy:
Life Assurance (1 x salary)
25 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays as standard (may vary by role)
Private medical insurance (after 5 years' service)
Staff Shop
Stakeholder Pension Scheme
Discount & cashback platform
Personal Accident Insurance
Free health check
Employee Assistance Programme
A range of voluntary benefits (holiday purchase scheme, additional life assurance, dental & hospital cash plans)
Salary sacrifice car lease scheme
Free independent mortgage advice
Discounted tutoring for children
Access to financial learning tools and affordable loans via your salary
Free car parking
Plus, a commitment to your wellbeing that includes emotional, physical and financial support services delivered by our fantastic team of wellbeing champions.
Proud to be Bakkavor
We're proud to be the market leader in the UK fresh prepared food industry. We're proud to supply meals, salads, desserts, pizza and bread to leading grocery retailers including Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. We're driven by the hard work and passion of our people and are delighted to offer a wide range of careers across our business - come and join our dedicated Bakkavor team!
At Bakkavor, we are committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive, and we believe that diversity makes us stronger. We welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds and ensure fair, transparent recruitment practices. Learn more about our commitment in our Inclusion and Diversity Policy ( Inclusion & Diversity Policy ).
Find out more and apply.
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