Controls Engineering Manager
Electrical & Software Engineering Leadership | Global Automation OEM | £70,000 - £90,000+
Role Controls Engineering Manager
Location Flexible - Yorkshire, NW, NE, East & West Midlands
Salary £70,000 - £90,000+ | Dependent on Experience
Sector Industrial Automation | Packaging Machinery | Pharmaceutical
Type Permanent | Full-time
Managed by Alexander Daniels Global (Exclusive)
About Our Client
Our client is a global leader in automation and packaging solutions with over 100 years of engineering heritage. Headquartered in North Yorkshire, Our client designs and builds highly complex, bespoke automation systems for world-leading pharmaceutical, medical, food and beverage organisations. Every machine they produce is built to exact customer specification - this is not a standard product business. Their engineering teams work on some of the most technically demanding projects in the UK automation sector, with a project pipeline increasingly weighted towards pharmaceutical and medical applications.
The Opportunity
This is a senior leadership appointment at the heart of our client's engineering function. As Controls Engineering Manager, you will lead both the Electrical Engineering team (3 engineers) and the Software Engineering team (12 engineers), with Principal Engineers from each discipline reporting directly to you. The role reports directly to the Head of Engineering and sits as a peer to the Mechanical Engineering Manager - together, the two of you shape the overall engineering function's performance, culture, and delivery capability. This is a strategic, people-first position, not a hands‑on technical role.
This role is currently held by someone on secondment - Our client is proactively building a shortlist ahead of the vacancy formally opening. If you are the right person, now is the time to register your interest.
What You'll Be Doing
Leadership & Resource Management
* Lead and manage both Electrical and Software Engineering teams – strategic direction, resource planning and day‑to‑day operational management
* Allocate engineering resources across both teams, ensuring capacity aligns with active project demands
* Monitor departmental utilisation, balance workloads and proactively identify capacity constraints before they impact delivery
* Mentor and develop Controls and Software Team Leaders – building the next generation of engineering leadership within the business
Quality, Compliance & Continuous Improvement
* Drive improvement of engineering processes, ensuring best practices and regulatory standards are consistently met
* Ensure both teams maintain a clear focus on functional safety and compliance – IEC, ISO, CE marking
* Oversee management of electrical and software non‑conformances and cost‑of‑poor‑quality (COPQ)
* Lead continuous improvement initiatives that raise the performance bar across the department
Cross‑functional Collaboration
* Collaborate with Project Responsible Engineers (PREs) to ensure engineering workstreams align with project milestones
* Support the pre‑sales process by reviewing and optimising engineering lead times for prospective projects
* Work as a genuine peer with the Mechanical Engineering Manager – joint ownership of the engineering function's success
What We're Looking For
Essential
* Proven people management experience leading engineering teams in a project‑based, industrial automation or capital equipment environment
* Background in controls, electrical or software engineering – you need to earn the respect of 15 engineers across two disciplines
* Experience managing cross‑functional relationships with Project Management and peer engineering leadership
* Track record of driving continuous improvement in engineering processes and quality metrics
* Strong commercial awareness – able to engage credibly in pre‑sales lead time conversations
Desirable
* Background in pharmaceutical, medical, food & beverage or packaging automation OEM – our client's core markets
* Familiarity with functional safety standards: IEC 61508/62061, ISO 13849
* Experience with COPQ management and engineering non‑conformance processes
* Degree in Engineering or related discipline
Why This Role?
A 15‑person engineering function. 100+ years of OEM heritage. A direct line to the Head of Engineering. And a project pipeline in two of the fastest‑growing automation sectors in the UK.
This is not a role for someone who wants to manage tickets. It's for an engineering leader who wants to shape the direction of a function – and have the authority to do it.
* Senior leadership mandate at a globally recognised automation OEM with a century of engineering heritage
* Strategic scope – lead a combined 15‑person Electrical and Software Engineering function
* Peer‑level collaboration with Mechanical Engineering Manager – genuine joint leadership of the engineering department
* Active and growing project pipeline in pharmaceutical and medical automation
* Flexible location – Our client has successfully employed engineers based across Yorkshire, the North West, North East, and Midlands
* Report directly to the Head of Engineering – close proximity to strategic decisions from day one
* Established, experienced team – strong foundations to build on, not a rebuild project
Application Process
This role is being exclusively managed by Alexander Daniels Global. All applications are handled in strict confidence.
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