Engineering Manager

Engineering Manager – Esbjerg, Denmark

Lead the Engineering Function. Develop Your Team. Drive Reliability.

We are looking for a people-focused Engineering Manager to take ownership of the Engineering function at a busy food manufacturing site in Esbjerg.

This is a key leadership position responsible for the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the site's production and engineering assets. Working closely with Production, Quality and Group Engineering, you will have the opportunity to influence engineering strategy, improve asset reliability, develop your team and deliver meaningful improvements across the site.

The Opportunity

As Engineering Manager, you will have responsibility across the full engineering function, balancing people leadership, maintenance performance, continuous improvement and project delivery.

You will lead a team responsible for planned and reactive maintenance, ensuring engineering activity is aligned with production requirements while maintaining high standards of safety, food safety and compliance.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will be expected to understand what is happening on the factory floor, support your team when challenges arise and use data, engineering knowledge and commercial awareness to improve performance.

Engineering Leadership & Team Development

A major part of the role will be leading, coaching and developing the Engineering team. You will create clear expectations around performance, accountability and standards while ensuring your people have the skills, resources and support required to succeed.

You will be responsible for building engineering capability and encouraging a more proactive approach to maintenance and reliability. Working closely with Production and other site functions, you will ensure the Engineering team's priorities are aligned with wider operational requirements.

Maintenance & Asset Reliability

You will oversee both planned and reactive maintenance across the site, ensuring preventative maintenance programmes are effectively managed and continuously improved.

A key focus will be equipment reliability and availability. You will monitor engineering performance, identify recurring failures and use data to understand where improvements can be made. Root Cause Analysis will be an important part of the role, ensuring that corrective actions address the underlying cause of failures rather than simply fixing the immediate problem.

The objective is to improve asset performance, reduce unplanned downtime and create a more reliable manufacturing operation.

Safety, Compliance & Food Manufacturing

Safety and compliance will remain fundamental to everything you do. You will ensure engineering activities are carried out in accordance with site procedures and the required HSE, GMP, HACCP and food safety standards.

You will also take responsibility for ensuring contractors and engineering personnel operate safely and in line with company requirements. As Engineering Manager, you will help build a strong safety culture within the department and ensure engineering risks are identified and addressed before they impact people, production or product quality.

Projects & Continuous Improvement

Alongside day-to-day maintenance, you will play an important role in delivering engineering improvements and projects across the site.

You will work with Production, Quality and Group Engineering to identify opportunities to improve equipment, processes and operational performance. This could include equipment upgrades, reliability improvements, modifications and wider engineering projects.

You will be responsible for coordinating engineering resources and contractors where required and ensuring projects are delivered effectively, safely and with minimal disruption to production.

Continuous improvement will be a key part of the position. We are looking for someone who will challenge existing ways of working, identify opportunities to improve performance and implement sustainable engineering solutions.

Performance & Budget Management

You will have responsibility for monitoring engineering KPIs and using performance data to drive improvement across the function.

You will also manage engineering budgets, resources and external contractors, ensuring expenditure is controlled while maintaining the reliability and performance of critical assets.

The role will require you to balance immediate production requirements with longer-term engineering priorities, ensuring the site continues to improve without losing focus on day-to-day operational performance.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for an experienced Engineering Manager who combines strong technical understanding with genuine people leadership.

You will ideally hold a relevant qualification in Mechanical, Electrical or another Engineering discipline and have proven experience managing planned and reactive maintenance within a manufacturing environment.

You should have a strong understanding of mechanical and electrical systems, maintenance processes and asset reliability, together with experience of continuous improvement, Root Cause Analysis and implementing sustainable engineering solutions.

Experience managing engineering projects, contractors, budgets and resources will be important, as will the ability to monitor engineering KPIs and use data to improve performance.

Most importantly, you will be a strong communicator and people leader who can build relationships across Production, Quality, Engineering and the wider business. You will be confident working with stakeholders at all levels and comfortable operating in both a hands-on operational environment and a senior management setting.

Professional proficiency in both Danish and English, written and verbal, is required.

What Will Make You Successful?

You'll be someone who enjoys leading people as much as leading engineering performance.

You'll be comfortable moving between the factory floor and management meetings, understanding immediate operational challenges while keeping sight of longer-term reliability and improvement goals.

You won't simply react to breakdowns. You'll want to understand why failures are happening, how they can be prevented and how the Engineering function can continuously improve.

You'll also be confident challenging existing processes, introducing better ways of working and bringing your team with you through change.

The Working Environment

You will join an international food manufacturing organisation with colleagues from different nationalities and functions. Collaboration is central to the business, with the site Engineering team working closely with Production, Quality and Group Engineering.

The culture is open, respectful and informal, with a genuine focus on employee wellbeing, work-life balance and personal development. It's an environment where people are encouraged to take ownership, work collaboratively and bring their own ideas to the table.

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to take genuine ownership of an Engineering function within an established food manufacturing operation.

You will have the scope to develop and strengthen an Engineering team, improve maintenance and asset reliability, reduce unplanned downtime, drive continuous improvement and influence engineering projects and investment.

Your work will have a direct impact on the performance of the site, making this an excellent opportunity for an Engineering Manager who wants genuine responsibility and the opportunity to make a measurable difference.

If you're an experienced Engineering Manager who is passionate about people, reliability and continuous improvement, and you're looking for a leadership role where you can make a genuine difference, we'd like to hear from you.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV along with a brief application outlining your experience and interest in the opportunity.

For further information or a confidential discussion regarding the position, please get in touch with the recruitment team.