Job Description

Lead Engineer
We rise to challenges together
Salary: Up to 60,900 depending on experience
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 fast-paced, high-pressure environment of our 24/7 operation keeps us agile and offers a wide range of career opportunities to explore. We encourage everyone to push their limits, work hard, and demonstrate resilience. And it's thrilling. Because by mentoring and role modelling our success and innovation, we'll continue to diversify, grow as individuals, and succeed together. We're proud to offer you a career with significant potential for development.
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.
About the role.
We're looking for a Lead Engineer to maintain production assets to maximise efficiency through planned, predictive, and reactive maintenance. Support machinery setups, changeovers, and equipment installation or removal. Collaborate with teams to improve performance and drive continuous improvement.
Accountabilities:

• Prepare for food and drink maintenance work.

Conduct planned maintenance of food and drink processing and packaging assets.
Conduct predictive maintenance of food and drink processing and packaging assets (condition-based monitoring).
Respond to breakdowns of food and drink processing and packaging assets. Conduct reactive maintenance or corrective actions to resolve deviation.
Identify faults (electrical, mechanical, instrumentation, automation, and pneumatics) on food and drink processing and packaging assets, action as required.
Lead or support food and drink operational teams with machinery change overs and set ups.
Manufacture and repair component parts for food and drink processing and packaging assets.
Contribute to continuous improvement projects to optimise food and drink assets or processes. For example, participate in failure investigations to ensure process effectiveness and to contribute to and implement practical engineering solutions for efficiency and profitability.
Contribute to technical performance reviews in collaboration with other functions and stakeholders.
Maintain engineering documentation for food and drink maintenance work.
Support maintenance and operational team members in developing engineering technical competence.
Ensure availability and performance of maintenance tools and equipment.
Contribute to food and drink internal and external audits.
Point of contact at weekends and when the site Engineering Section Manager for Nights is on Holiday
To carry out escalation procedures to the Factory Maintenance Managers, and the site Engineering Manager when necessary.
About you.
Functional Skills: Level 2* in Maths & English at grade C or above*, achieve within 24 months. (*or equivalent).
Engineering apprenticeship (C&G / EAL NVQ Level 3 / 4 or OAL FDEM Diploma).
Current Edition of IET Wiring Regulations (C&G Level 3, achieve within 12 months).
Food Safety Qualification (Level 2, achieve within 12 months).
Application of Safety, Health and Environmental legislation and procedures.
Supervisory experience
Communication Skills.
Teamwork.
Planning works and writing reports.
Verify assets meet performance criteria after work.
Reading and adhering to site SOPs.
Fault finding: Electrical & / or Mechanical systems.
CMMS experience (achieve within 12 months).
Multi-skilled capability with electrical bias (achieve within 48 months).
Contractor control (achieve within 12 months).
Hygienic engineering.
Carry out actions from CMMS (achieve within 1 month).
Safety, Health and Environmental awareness.
Knowledge of IT systems.
Knowledge of effective teamworking.
Mechanical principals, safety and control systems.
Planning works and writing reports.
Asset performance measures.
Knowledge of CMMS.
F&D assets, welding, machining, turning, hydraulic, pneumatic & thermodynamics systems and / or, electrical principals, motors, motor control circuits, motion control, encoders, PLCs, sensors.
Knowledge of spare parts management systems.
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.

• Life Assurance (1 x salary)
• 21 days holiday
• Staff Shop
• Stakeholder Pension Scheme
• MyBargains Discount Platform
• Personal Accident Insurance
• Free Independent Mortgage Advice
• Employee Assistance Programme
• A Range of voluntary benefits (holiday purchase scheme, additional life assurance, dental & hospital cash plans)
• Discounted tutoring for children
• Access to financial learning tools and affordable loans via your salary
• Private Medical Insurance (after 5 years' service)
• Free Carparking??? - Site dependant

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 ( ).
Find out more and apply.
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Bakkavor
We are the leading provider of fresh prepared food in the UK, with operations also in the US, positioning the Group well in these high-growth markets. We leverage our consumer insight and scale to provide innovative food that offers quality, choice, convenience, and freshness. Around 15,000 colleagues operate from 31 sites across our two markets supplying a large portfolio of products across meals, pizza & bread, salads and desserts to leading grocery retailers in the UK and US.
Department: Engineering
Location:
Highbridge, GB, TA9 4JR
Workplace: Site Based
Date: 21 Oct 2025
Req ID: 26327

Skills Required