Engineering Lead

At Saputo, we bring good to the table by making high-quality products, investing in our people, and supporting communities around the world . As a top 10 global dairy processor, we value contributions that matter and strive to foster an inclusive, growth-driven work environment. Ready to bring your best?

ENGINEERING LEAD

Wensleydale Creamery

Hawes, Yorkshire Dales, UK
Full Time | Permanent

ABOUT SAPUTO

Saputo Dairy UK are the company behind Wensleydale cheese, and other iconic British dairy brands including Cathedral City, Clover, Country Life, Frylight and Davidstow — household names loved by millions.

Saputo Dairy UK is part of Saputo Inc., a top ten global dairy company, offering the best of both worlds: the agility and warmth of a dedicated UK business with the support and resources of a global group.

We pride ourselves on our inclusive, collaborative culture, where people are valued, supported, and empowered to make a difference. Our commitment to sustainability, innovation, and quality makes us a leader in the UK food industry.

ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY

As Engineering Lead for the Wensleydale Creamery site in Hawes, you will take responsibility the leadership, organisation, control and development of the Engineering team at the Hawes site, who are responsible for maintaining the plant, buildings and other facilities in an effective and safe manner.

You will sit on the PLT and play an integral part supporting with company strategy and delivering against EBITDA. 

You will provide your team with clear leadership, communication, guidance, and support to ensure the right process and procedures are followed, and performance metrics are achieved.

YOU’LL MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT MATTER BY…

• Ensuring appropriate organisation and allocation of resources to deliver the production plan to time, cost, quality and service with due regard to environmental, food safety and HSE regulations
• Driving site performance improvement through development and delivery of the site’s maintenance plan, following Best Practice and Continuous Improvement methodologies  
• Enhancing people development and engagement to support delivery of the plant’s long-term goals. 
• Building strong working relationships as an integral part of the Plant Leadership Team
• Delivering improvements in site efficiencies and key performance indicators
• Taking governance responsibility and being accountable for all statutory and regulatory requirements
• Overseeing the training & development of skills, as required for all engineering staff
• Developing and managing the R&M budget
• Ensuring there is current criticality analysis for the site and equipment with suitable plans in place to mitigate serious failures, including a rigorous PPM schedule
• Implementing the equipment maintenance strategy with the asset owner utilising our Manufacturing Performance System (MPS)
• Driving Asset Care strategy and standard setting to help implement autonomous maintenance approach

YOU’RE BEST SUITED FOR THE ROLE IF YOU…

• Are qualified to degree/chartered engineer or equivalent level - Minimum HND qualified
• Have at least 5 years senior management experience within FMCG / food manufacturing or similar
• Act decisively
• Demonstrate resilience & flexibility 
• Have strong attention to detail
• Work on your own initiative
• Think systematically and inspire change
• Contribute your own views and listen to the views of others
• Have excellent communication and people management skills at all levels

• Are a dynamic achiever, able to think “outside of the box”
• Have a good working knowledge of process/packaging and associated legal requirements, ideally within an FMCG environment, or have worked in other similar industries
• Use problem solving techniques including LEAN, TPM or Continuous improvement methodologies
• Can demonstrate excellent coaching and influencing skills
• Are able to motivate your team to deliver outstanding results
• Have proven budgetary control skills and good IT literacy
• Have strong Health & Safety, Food Safety, GMP and Environmental Knowledge (NEBOSH desirable)
• Are able to utilise CMMS data to drive performance and reliability improvement

WE SUPPORT AND CARE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES BY PROVIDING YOU WITH…

• 5% Annual bonus
• 3% Employer pension contribution
• Private Medical Insurance that covers you and family members
• Access to Thrive 24-hours a day - a leading and NHS clinically approved app which focuses on general wellbeing
• Life assurance
• Subsidised staff restaurant
• Discounted branded products
• My Staff Shop - access to exclusive benefits, free advice and savings - providing great discounts from thousands of the UKs largest retailers & service providers
• Free, onsite parking
• Autonomous and inclusive working environment.
• Opportunities for progression within the UK and overseas

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AT SAPUTO

We support employment equity. Saputo strives to embed diversity and inclusion in its operations and invites candidates from all horizons to join our team.

To enable you to bring your best we will ensure you are provided with any physical or non-physical adjustments to support your participation in the job application and interview process.

Agencies - Thank you for your interest in working with Saputo Dairy UK. We do not pay fees or acknowledge any CV’s supplied to Saputo Dairy UK unless you have been briefed on the role by a member of the Talent Acquisition Team.

#SDUK2026

In the UK, Saputo is a producer of leading British food brands and value-added ingredients. We manufacture a range of cheeses, dairy spreads, and dairy-free products, with a portfolio of well-loved brands including Cathedral City, Clover, Country Life, Frylight and Wensleydale.

Whether your expertise lies in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, sales, quality assurance, or in any other function, your role is integral to our success.

You will make contributions that matter, all while working alongside colleagues who genuinely care about your success and who will roll up their sleeves to help.