Senior Engineering Lead

Who We Are Science In Sport Group is a world leader in sports and performance nutrition.

We have two highly regarded brands; SiS which combines world-class science and innovation to provide optimal performance nutritional solutions for professional athletes, sports and fitness enthusiasts and the active lifestyle community. This includes over 320 professional teams worldwide across a broad range of sports including Football, Rugby, Cycling, Athletics, Basketball, Netball and Swimming. Brand ambassadors include former track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, an eleven-time world champion and six-time Olympic champion, and Eilish McColgan, who won gold in the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres.

PhD Nutrition is a premium, active-nutrition brand for the active lifestyle community wanting intelligent nutrition to help them achieve their goals. With over 20 years of research and development, our products are designed to maximise performance in and out of the gym. It's an exciting time for PhD Nutrition as 2025 will kick off an entirely new line up of brand ambassadors, from hybrid athletes to qualified sports nutritionists.

The two brands sell through the and digital platforms, third-party online marketplaces including Amazon, as well as extensive domestic and international retail distribution.

In 2022 the company opened a state of the art 160,000 square foot manufacturing and logistics facility in Blackburn, Lancashire. Providing a significant advantage in product costs and customer response time and most importantly, allowing Science In Sport to lead the way for quality standards.

Science In Sport is the nutrition partner to globally recognised elite teams, including Tottenham Hotspur, Saracens Rugby, British Triathlon, Aquatics GB, British Cycling, England Netball and Loughborough Sports. As well as being the Official Energy Gel Provider of RunThrough and the Official Nutrition Partner of Ultra X.

The Role As Senior Engineering Lead, you will control all engineering activities across a world-class sports nutrition manufacturing site. You will ensure our assets operate safely, reliably and efficiently, while driving continuous improvement in equipment performance and engineering standards.

Through strength in leadership, strategic oversight, and hands-on involvement, you will build a proactive, high performing engineering team that underpins operational excellence and supports business growth plans.

You will be accountable for delivering the engineering strategy, optimizing planned maintenance activity, supporting capital expenditure planning, and ensuring compliance with all statutory, safety, and quality standards. Working collaboratively with Manufacturing, Quality, and Warehouse teams, you will maximize equipment uptime, reduce cost, and drive sustained reliability across site.

• Job Type: Permanent
• Salary: up to £65,000
• Working Hours: 09:00 - 17:30 Monday to Friday
• Location: Blackburn

Benefits

• On-site gym
• Cycle to work scheme
• Product discount
• Birthday day off
• Pension scheme, employer contribution at 4%

The work - Your 4 most important responsibilities

• Champion safety, compliance, and engineering standards

Ensure all engineering activities meet statutory, safety and company compliance requirements. Maintain systems for risk assessments, permits to work, and contractor control. Lead by example in promoting a safety first culture that protects people and business reputation, while continuously raising engineering standards.

• Drive asset reliability and operational performance

Deliver the maintenance strategy to maximise asset availability and performance stability. Oversee all planned and reactive maintenance, ensuring effective prioritisation and execution. Use data, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Planned Maintenance (PM) insights to continuously reduce downtime, extend asset lifespan and support efficiency in operations.

• Develop and empower the engineering team

Provide clear leadership and direction to a skilled engineering team. Foster a culture of accountability and professional integrity where individuals take ownership of performance and outcomes. Recognise and celebrate success while proactively addressing underperformance through fair and constructive coaching.

• Lead continuous improvement

Identify and deliver projects that enhance safety, quality, cost and efficiency. Use structured tools when collaborating cross functionally to implement sustained improvements in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), process reliability and safety.

Accountability - what you are responsible for delivering

Accountability - what you are responsible for delivering (continued)

• Health, safety & compliance

• Ensure all engineering activities are conducted safely, meeting statutory and company standards

• Maintain robust systems for risk assessments, safe isolation, work permits and contractor control

• Ensure compliance with all relevant HSE legislation and applicable insurance requirements, including PUWER, DSEAR, PSSR and LOLER, scheduling inspections and managing completion of corrective actions.

• Role model safe practices and promote a safety culture where all team members engage in near miss reporting and proactive risk prevention activities.

Maintenance planning & execution

• Effectively schedule planned maintenance activities and oversee the team to consistently exceed PMC targets.

• Lead the team in timely reactive response, returning assets to service with first time fixes, and implementing corrective actions using root cause analysis to prevent recurrence of issues.

• Continuously adapt and optimise maintenance schedules using data from breakdowns, team insights and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) recommendations.

• Liaise with production planning team and actively schedule Planned Maintenance (PM) activities around production demand.

People leadership & management

• Lead and motivate the engineering team through clear communication and regular 1-2-1s

• Align team priorities with business objectives through quarterly OKRs.

• Build team capability through coaching, training and personal performance plans.

• Allocate engineering resource effectively across PM, reactive, Continuous Improvement, and project work using the Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

• Plan and manage engineering cover across all production shifts.

• Build a high-performance culture by recognising and rewarding success, and managing underperformance decisively through coaching, feedback, and company performance frameworks

Engineering systems & reporting

• Guide the team in the consistent and effective use of the CMMS system.

• Ensure all engineering activity is accurately recorded, tracked, and reported.

• Develop the CMMS to unlock enhanced controls and efficiencies through comprehensive integration of the system.

• Prepare and submit engineering reports & KPIs in a timely and accurate manner.

• Utilise data analytics and pareto principle for targeted continuous improvement.

Spare parts & procurement

• Implement and maintain a best-in-class spare parts inventory system.

• Prevent lost time due to stock-outs by monitoring spares usage and availability.

• Ensure full compliance with purchasing protocols - POs, GRPOs, and approvals frameworks

• Manage the annual maintenance repairs and renewals and contracts budget, controlling spend on spares, contractors and services.

• Ensure budgetary discipline while maintaining reliability, safety and service levels.

Cross-functional support

• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality and Warehouse teams to deliver shared objectives.

• Provide technical leadership in trials, adapting production systems to suit new products, materials, and packaging, publishing detailed trial reports that enable informed decision making from stakeholders.

• Support the development of production personnel in Total Preventive Maintenance (TPM) principals and practices, including basic equipment care, maintenance and fault prevention.

Capability - the skills and behaviours required to do this job well

• Proficient leader, able to inspire and motivate, builds trust and communicates effectively across levels.

• B alances short term, tactical delivery with long term objectives and improvement plans.

Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.

• Accountable, dependable and consistent in leadership and delivery.

• Calm, pragmatic and composed under pressure.

• Hands-on, practical problem solver with a strategic outlook.

• Transparent and fair in communication and decision making.

• Skilled in diagnosing and resolving complex technical issues quickly.

• Uses data from CMMS and performance tracking systems to drive decisions and focus areas for continuous improvement.

• Understands cost drivers and value creation within engineering operations.

Performance - how you will know you are doing a great job

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