Head of Engineering – Regional Role – 12 month Project Role

Head of Engineering (Deli) – Chilled Food Manufacturing

Regional Hybrid Role, with travel across assigned UK Sites

Competitive Senior Level Salary and Benefits

12 Month Project Role

Lead. Transform. Elevate.

Are you a visionary engineering leader ready to shape the future of the UK's fastest growing chilled food manufacturing companies across your assigned multiple UK sites? 

The Compleat Food Group are seeking a dynamic Head of Engineering – (Deli) to spearhead strategic development, governance, and operational delivery of our Asset Care function — driving performance, compliance, and capability growth that fuels a business with BIG ambition across a fixed project of 12 months.

This is more than a leadership role. It’s a chance to champion food and people safety, embed a culture of continuous improvement and deliver capital investments that make a measurable impact. If you thrive at the intersection of strategy and hands-on execution, this is your platform to lead our Engineering function boldly.

What You’ll Be Doing

As Head of Engineering, you’ll be the driving force behind:

• Engineering Strategy & Governance: Embed our Group Asset Care Performance Model across your assigned sites, raising standards and ensuring consistency.

• Capital Investment Leadership: Shape and deliver the regional capital agenda with a sharp eye on ROI and strategic alignment.

• Performance & Compliance: Ensure engineering excellence supports food safety, SHE, reliability, sustainability, and operational efficiency.

• People Development: Build a high-performing engineering culture through structured development, succession planning, and capability uplift.

Responsibilities:

Food Safety & Quality

• Set and uphold hygienic design standards across all sites.

• Lead audit readiness and embed GMP – aligned engineering practices.

• Govern engineering inputs into capital projects to ensure product protection.

Health, Safety & Environment

• Champion a safety-first culture and ensure full regulatory compliance.

• Drive sustainability through energy efficiency and waste reduction initiatives.

Asset Performance

• Standardise CMMS usage and preventative maintenance programmes.

• Lead reactive maintenance excellence and root cause elimination.

• Foster cross-site collaboration to reduce downtime and enhance reliability.

Financial Management

• Own engineering budgets and capital expenditure planning.

• Optimise contractor spend and apply life-cycle cost thinking to all decisions.

Resource Leadership

• Align engineering resources to strategic and operational needs.

• Drive performance reviews, onboarding, and technical development.

• Cultivate a culture of recognition, accountability, and high performance.

Governance & Control

• Benchmark engineering governance and challenge deviations.

• Oversee capital governance, documentation standards, and audit compliance.

Who we are looking for:

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering discipline.

• Chartered Engineer status (or working towards it) preferred.

• NEBOSH/IOSH and project management certification (PRINCE2/APM) a plus.

Experience

• Proven leadership in multi-site food manufacturing or similar industrial environments.

• Track record of engineering performance improvement and capital project delivery.

• Expertise in CMMS, asset care frameworks, and regulatory compliance.

• Passion for developing engineering talent and building future leaders.

Skills

• Strategic thinker with commercial acumen and financial fluency.

• Inspirational leader with strong communication and stakeholder influence.

• Analytical problem-solver with a relentless drive for improvement.

• Methodical, organised, works with autonomy and governance-focused.

Why Join Us?

At The Compleat Food Group, we believe our people are the heart of our success. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your lifestyle, wellbeing, and career growth:

Financial & Lifestyle Benefits

• Senior level competitive Salary 
• Competitive Car Allowance
• Company Bonus Scheme recognising performance and contribution
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes – including Electric Vehicles, Home & Tech, Cycle to Work, and SMART Pension
• 33 days’ annual leave (including bank holidays) with the option to purchase extra
• Holiday Discounts Available via our online retail discount platform
• Access to enhanced retail discounts online and in-store
• Free product handouts across our sites, so you can sample and enjoy our delicious products first hand
• EV charging points – available at selected sites
• Health & Wellbeing
  • 24/7 access to GroceryAid for free financial, emotional, and practical support
  • Physical Wellbeing Hub – free on-demand exercise programmes, online classes and multiple gym discounts
  • Free diet & nutrition advice with access to thousands of meal plans and healthy recipes
  • Online wellbeing support – from mindfulness to lifestyle resources
  • Financial wellbeing tools – including mortgage calculators, budgeting tools, and financial aid
  • 
    
    Career Growth & Development
  • Access to a personalised online learning platform (LMS)
  • Formal and informal training opportunities tailored to your role
  • Performance Development Plans and regular Career Conversations
  • Industry leading company Mentoring Scheme to add depth and really support your career journey
  • Recognition through Club Compleat rewards portal

• Community & Culture

  • 2 paid volunteering days per year to give back to causes that matter to you
  • Charity initiatives and fundraising events
  • Team socials to connect and celebrate together
  • Employee networks & support groups – including Women @ Compleat
  • New baby gift for new parents.
  • 
    What You Should Know About How We Recruit
    At The Compleat Food Group, we believe great teams are built on difference. We create an inclusive, respectful environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and are able to be themselves at work.
    We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect. If you need a reasonable adjustment at any stage of our recruitment process, just let us know, we’ll support you — confidentially and with care.
    We hire the best people for our roles, not the same people. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, we focus on what you do and the impact you could make in our business. Our recruitment process is fair, accessible, and designed to give everyone an equal chance.
    You’ll also find benefits that support people at every life stage, plus active internal networks — including Women @ Compleat, LGBTQIA+, and Neurodiversity

This is a rare opportunity to lead and shape a scaling Engineering function across a varied region of sites, and leave a legacy of operational excellence. You’ll work alongside passionate professionals, in a fast growing business that values safety, innovation, integrity, and impact.

Ready to engineer a better future? Apply now and let’s build something extraordinary together.

Recruitment Agencies: 
We have a small, active and trusted Preferred Supplier List to assist us if required. We do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions. We only accept CV submissions for roles released to you directly by our Talent Acquisition team.