Site Engineering Manager
We’re excited to be recruiting a Site Engineering Manager to lead our engineering function at our Thirsk manufacturing site. This is a senior and highly influential role where you will shape the site engineering strategy, drive asset performance, and lead a high-performing engineering team to deliver operational excellence. You’ll be responsible for ensuring full legislative compliance, improving equipment reliability, delivering capital projects, and embedding a strong continuous improvement culture. This is the perfect opportunity for an experienced engineering leader who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and wants to make a meaningful impact on performance, safety, and future capability. If you’re forward-thinking, proactive, and ready to lead a critical function within the site leadership team, we’d love to hear from you.
About Us
INSPIRED Pet Nutrition is an innovative, well-established, and award-winning pet food manufacturer employing over 1,200 colleagues across the UK and Europe. Our family of brands includes Harringtons, Wagg, Barking Heads & Meowing Heads, AATU, Blink, Butcher's, Classic, Pro-Nutrition, and Ultra Premium Direct, along with a number of partner brands that trust us to produce food on their behalf. Our kitchens in Thirsk, Kinmel, and Crick produce a wide range of dry, wet, and baked foods enjoyed by dogs and cats all over the world. Our ambition is simple: to become a global leader in pet nutrition.
Our Purpose: To Create Happiness
We’re on a mission to set a new standard of workplace happiness within the pet nutrition industry—one that looks like no other and feels like no other. Our culture is built on INSPIRED’s unique behaviours and colleague experience, creating an environment that excites, empowers, and puts people and pets at the heart of everything we do.
Key Accountability
* Provide inspirational leadership to the engineering team, ensuring colleagues are safe, engaged, developed, and delivering high-quality engineering support.
* Establish structures, processes, and standards that ensure full site and legislative compliance, verified through regular auditing.
* Create and deliver a site engineering strategy aligned to site and business plans.
* Lead and manage engineering operations to improve asset reliability, reduce downtime, and increase site capacity.
* Drive continuous improvement across maintenance, capital planning, and technical standards.
* Plan, justify, and deliver capital projects that enhance efficiency, capability, and long-term compliance.
* Ensure robust management of asset care, engineering budgets, and cost performance.
* Support sustainability and energy-reduction initiatives, ensuring delivery of actions and project plans.
* Collaborate as part of the Site Leadership Team and the wider Engineering Leadership Team to deliver business objectives.
About You
* Degree calibre in Engineering (or equivalent experience), ideally with membership of a recognised professional body.
* Proven experience leading an engineering department within a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
* Strong understanding of engineering best practice: CMMS, reliability, RCM, TPM, CBM, and world‑class maintenance.
* NEBOSH qualification with strong behavioural safety awareness.
* Experience driving a lean engineering culture with a continuous improvement mindset.
* Confident managing engineering budgets, asset planning, and CapEx programmes.
* Strong project management capability (relevant certification advantageous).
* Ability to lead, coach, and develop engineers across all levels.
* Excellent communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.
* HACCP and Legionella awareness (or willingness to undertake training).
What are we offering?
* Annual performance bonus
* 8% employer pension contribution
* Electric car salary‐sacrifice scheme
* Cycle‐to‐work scheme
* Enhanced colleague discounts
* Private medical cover options
* Life assurance
* Free onsite parking
* Dog‐friendly offices
* A wide range of wellbeing, lifestyle, and development benefits
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
INSPIRED Pet Nutrition is committed to building an inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of the colleagues and communities we serve. We believe everyone should feel valued, respected and able to be themselves at work.
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We make hiring decisions based on talent, potential and the experience you bring.
We are also committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace, ensuring equitable access and opportunity for all. If you need any adjustments or support to take part in our recruitment process, please contact recruitment@ipn.co.uk.
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Location: Thirsk, England, United Kingdom
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