Job Introduction
Hot End Engineering Manager | Permanent | Working Hours: Monday - Thursday 08:00-17:00, Friday 08:00-15:15 | Elton, Cheshire
We’re looking for an experienced Hot End Engineering Manager to lead our IS maintenance operation at our Elton site. This is a key leadership role within our Hot End operation, responsible for maximising the reliability, availability and performance of our IS forming machines and associated equipment.
You’ll bring together strong engineering expertise, effective maintenance planning and people leadership to keep our equipment performing at its best. From driving preventative maintenance and reducing downtime to developing your team and embedding a culture of continuous improvement, you’ll play a vital role in delivering safe, efficient and high-quality production.
If you’re passionate about engineering excellence, solving complex technical challenges and getting the best out of people, this could be the opportunity for you.
What will you be doing?
Engineering, Maintenance & Reliability
- Lead and coordinate planned preventative and reactive maintenance activities across IS forming machines and ancillary equipment, maximising equipment availability and asset uptime.
- Monitor equipment condition, identify recurring failures and use maintenance data to develop effective maintenance strategies.
- Lead root cause investigations into significant breakdowns, implementing sustainable corrective actions to improve reliability and reduce downtime.
- Ensure maintenance activities are properly planned, recorded and completed using the site’s Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS).
- Drive effective use of maintenance systems, including work order management, preventative maintenance scheduling, equipment history and performance reporting.
- Ensure the correct fitting, alignment and configuration of forming equipment to maintain operational performance and product quality.
- Analyse shift reports, equipment losses and breakdown trends, taking action to address performance deviations and prevent repeat issues.
- Ensure the availability of critical spare parts and effective inventory management to support maintenance requirements.
Job Change & Operational Performance
- Coordinate and support Hot End job change activities, working closely with the Job Change Supervisor to ensure equipment, resources and maintenance support are ready when needed.
- Work collaboratively with Production, Engineering and Quality teams to minimise equipment-related losses and optimise plant performance.
- Support the investigation and resolution of machine-related glass defects, ensuring appropriate corrective actions are implemented.
- Create and maintain job change documentation using CDM, supporting safe, consistent and efficient execution.
- Develop and maintain technical instructions and maintenance procedures to improve consistency, safety and effectiveness.
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead and develop a team of engineering and operational colleagues, setting clear expectations and promoting high standards of performance and accountability.
- Oversee the deployment of resources across the operation, ensuring the right skills and support are available to meet business requirements.
- Coach, support and develop team members, identifying training needs and building technical capability across the team.
- Ensure new starters receive an effective induction and onboarding experience, with ongoing technical, operational and HSE training for all employees.
- Build strong working relationships across departments, encouraging collaboration, knowledge sharing and a shared commitment to operational excellence.
- Complete all required administration, maintenance reporting and performance documentation accurately and on time.
Health, Safety & Environmental Excellence
- Provide visible HSE leadership, leading by example and ensuring safety remains at the heart of every activity.
- Ensure all maintenance activities are appropriately risk-assessed, with suitable controls in place in line with relevant requirements, including COSHH and PUWER.
- Promote the reporting of near misses, accidents and incidents, using learning to prevent recurrence.
- Maintain compliance with site HSE, hygiene and operational procedures, addressing unsafe practices and escalating concerns where necessary.
- Encourage open communication, consultation and a positive safety culture across the team.
What are we looking for?
We’re looking for a technically strong engineering leader who can combine hands-on knowledge of maintenance and reliability with the ability to motivate people and deliver sustainable improvements.
Essential experience and qualifications
- An engineering qualification or degree.
- Experience in engineering, production or maintenance leadership within a manufacturing environment, ideally FMCG.
- Proven people management experience, including coaching, performance management and developing effective teams in a large-scale, shift-based operation.
- Strong understanding of maintenance planning, preventative maintenance programmes and reactive maintenance management.
- Experience using CMMS systems to manage work orders, maintenance schedules, asset history and performance reporting.
- The ability to analyse equipment failures, identify root causes and implement effective corrective actions.
- Experience driving continuous improvement initiatives and improving operational performance.
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work collaboratively across all levels of the business.
- Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office.
Desirable experience
- Experience within glass manufacturing, particularly Hot End operations.
- Knowledge of IS forming machines, forming equipment and ancillary equipment maintenance.
- Experience with SAP and other maintenance management systems.
- Knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies, including 5S, TPM, SMED, Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing.
- Understanding of maintenance and quality tools such as TQM and SPC.
- Familiarity with site manufacturing processes and the ability to translate technical knowledge into practical guidance for the team.
You’ll be someone who:
- Leads with confidence: sets clear expectations, makes sound decisions and takes ownership of performance.
- Develops people: coaches, motivates and builds the capability of others.
- Thinks analytically: uses data, investigation and technical expertise to solve problems and prevent recurrence.
- Drives improvement: challenges existing ways of working and looks for smarter, more effective solutions.
- Works collaboratively: builds strong relationships with Production, Quality, HSE, Engineering and wider operations teams.
Benefits:
- Annual leave package
- Free onsite gym for all employees
- MyBenefits Reward Platform with 100s of discounts at restaurants and retailers
- Employee Well-being benefits such as the Employee Assistance Programme
- Pension scheme where the company contributes up to a maximum of 7%
- Life cover at 3 times your annual salary
- Optional partner life cover
- Subsidised onsite staff restaurant
- Free parking onsite
- Salary sacrifice Electric car scheme
- Subsidised onsite electric car charging
- Cycle to work scheme
- Enhance maternity and paternity leave
- Liftshare scheme
- Health cash plan
- Optional dental insurance
- Optional Private Medical Insurance
- Optional critical illness cover
- Social club
About the company
At Encirc, we make, fill and move glass.
Part of the Vidrala group, we are a market leader in glass container design, manufacturing, bottling and logistics solutions for the UK, Irish and European food and beverages industries.
With over 2,000 employees, we operate from our three purpose-built sites: Derrylin, Co Fermanagh; Elton, Cheshire and Bristol. We produce around 3 billion glass bottles and other containers annually and can fill up to 500 million litres of bulk shipped beverages every year. Our collective purpose is to deliver and uphold world-leading sustainable innovation, with great people and a great workplace collaborating on a great future.
Joining Encirc means you will be joining a business with a bespoke, 360-approach to the beverage supply chain, spanning filling, warehousing, and logistics. Reducing the road miles and carbon footprint of our customers' products, we are conscious disruptors prioritising sustainability and modern technology. As a forward-thinking and sustainable business, we are committed to achieving zero emissions by 2030.
Our Values
At Encirc, we’re proud to be a forward‑thinking manufacturer in a world that’s increasingly socially and environmentally conscious. Our culture is built around six core values that sit at the heart of everything we do. They guide how we work, how we make decisions, and how we support one another - helping us create a workplace where everyone can thrive.
These values aren’t just words on a wall; they’re lived, shared and championed across the business, shaping our mindset and inspiring us to keep making Encirc great for everyone.
Equal Opportunities
Encirc is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Every applicant will be evaluated according to skills regardless of age, gender, identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or religion.
We also want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. That’s why we have partnered with Recite Me to offer an accessibility toolbar on our job search page, recruitment application system and website. The toolbar includes screen reading functionality, multiple reading aids, customisable styling options and an on-demand live translation feature that boasts over 100 languages including 65 text-to-speech and styling options.
To activate the Recite Me toolbar, click on “Manage Cookies” and turn on the “Accessibility Toolbar” option.
Before you apply, take a moment to read our Encirc Careers AI Guide. It’s a quick, helpful overview of how you can use AI to support your application—and where it’s best to rely on your own experience and personality.
Encirc Careers - Guide to AI.pdf
Next steps
Click apply, submitting an up-to-date CV tailored to this job opportunity. You can expect to receive an update on your application within two working days. We will contact you via email, so if you don’t hear from us, please check your junk mail. We look forward to hearing from you. #chooseglass
