Engineering Shift Supervisor

Key Accountabilities Shift Leadership & People Responsibilities

Day‑to‑day leadership of Shift Engineers, including task allocation, prioritisation and performance during the shift.

Coordinate maintenance workload in real‑time based on breakdowns, production needs and planned tasks.

Provide technical guidance, coaching and hands‑on support to engineers on shift.

Lead shift handovers, ensuring clear communication of ongoing issues, completed work, risks and priorities.

Conduct informal skills assessments and support the Engineering Manager with identifying training needs.

Role model engineering standards, behaviours and professional conduct across the shift.

Maintenance & Engineering Operations

Lead the execution of planned, predictive and reactive maintenance across process, packaging and auxiliary equipment.

Manage and support troubleshooting, fault‑finding and issue resolution across electrical and mechanical plant equipment.

Oversee line adjustments, changeovers and breakdown response to minimise downtime.

Ensure maintenance tasks are completed safely, accurately and on time, reallocating engineers as priorities change.

Installation, Commissioning & Contractor Coordination

Lead and support installation, commissioning and repair activities on shift.

Coordinate and supervise engineering contractors to ensure safe, compliant and efficient work.

Maintain and sign off shift engineering documentation, ensuring accuracy and traceability.

Continuous Improvement

Drive improvements in equipment performance, reliability and engineering efficiency.

Identify root causes of downtime and implement corrective actions in partnership with the wider Engineering team.

Promote new technologies, methods and engineering approaches to improve shift performance.

Support upskilling of team members through hands‑on coaching and training.

Health, Safety & Compliance

Lead by example as a safety champion, ensuring compliance with all H&S, food safety and legal requirements.

Ensure all engineering tasks are risk‑assessed and completed in line with safe systems of work.

Take ownership of shift safety issues, escalating where required and driving immediate corrective actions.

General

Undertake any additional engineering or leadership duties as required by the Engineering Manager or site management.

Responsible for Food Safety, Quality and Legality at all times.

Problem Solving & Innovation

Make rapid, informed decisions to prioritise engineering tasks and minimise downtime.

Diagnose complex faults and lead Shift Engineers through systematic troubleshooting.

Apply creativity and engineering judgement to resolve breakdowns and improve long‑term reliability.

Act as the escalation point for technical challenges, resolving or coordinating specialist support as needed.

Leadership & People Responsibilities

Direct leadership of Shift Engineers during the shift.

Provide coaching, mentoring and guidance to develop engineering capability.

Ensure consistent application of engineering standards, documentation and safe working practices.

Lead shift meetings, toolbox talks and performance updates where required.

Impact of Role

Directly influences engineering response times, downtime reduction and equipment reliability.

Strengthens safety culture through effective supervision and compliance leadership.

Improves shift performance by ensuring engineering resources are deployed effectively.

Enables stable, predictable operations through strong decision‑making and shift coordination.

Dimensions of the Role

Direct Reports: Shift Engineers

Scope: Entire production site including process equipment, packaging lines, auxiliary systems and site services

Environment: Fast‑paced, 24/7 continuous manufacturing (FMCG)

Cadence: Rotating shifts, including night and weekend work aligned to engineering shift structure

Key Relationships & Interpersonal Skills Internal Stakeholders:

Chief Engineer and wider Engineering leadership

Shift Engineers

Manufacturing and Production Shift Managers

Technical, Warehouse and Operations teams

External Stakeholders:

Engineering contractors

OEM engineers and service providers

Behavioural Skills:

Strong leadership presence and calm decision‑maker

Excellent communication during high‑pressure events

Safety‑focused and disciplined

Team‑oriented but able to act independently when needed

Strong diagnostic, analytical and problem‑solving ability

Essential:

Qualified engineer to HNC and/or NVQ Level 3 (electrical, mechanical or multiskilled).

Strong multiskilled engineering experience in automated, continuous manufacturing environments.

Demonstrated capability to diagnose and resolve technical issues independently.

Experience supervising or directing engineering work is highly desirable.

Strong working knowledge of integrated systems, packaging automation and drive systems

Minimum qualification of IOSH Certificate in Managing Safely

Desirable:

Prior shift leadership or coordination experience.

Experience coaching or mentoring engineers.

Knowledge of structured CI methods (e.g., root cause analysis, lean tools).