Engineering Manager - Leading UK Soap Manufacturer. Fridays WFH

Ready to take ownership of a critical engineering function and lead from the front?

This is a high-impact Engineering Manager role for someone who thrives on responsibility, enjoys solving complex technical challenges, and wants to shape how a manufacturing operation performs day in, day out.

You’ll be at the heart of site reliability and performance, leading a production-critical engineering team, driving continuous improvement, and delivering projects that make a real, measurable difference.

With a hybrid working pattern that includes Fridays working from home, this role offers the autonomy, influence and challenge to truly leave your mark.

The Role at a Glance

Glasgow - Hybrid - Fridays WFH plus occasional site attendance as needed

Up to £60,000 DOE

Plus Excellent Benefits Package Including 33 days holiday, Pension, Income Protection Benefit, Access to Help@Hand (EAP, GP and Physio Services), Death in Service 3x Annual Salary and More…

Full Time - Permanent - 8am - 4.30pm Mon-Thurs and 8am - 3pm Friday (WFH)

Reporting to: Operations Manager

Values: Ethical, Sustainable, Trusted

Company: UK's Largest Bar Soap Manufacturer with a global customer base whose products Featured In: British Vogue, GLAMOUR, Elle, GQ, Beauty Bay, Stylist Magazine, HELLO! And More…

Your Background / Skills

Degree-qualified (or equivalent) in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or a related discipline, or qualified through extensive experience supported by HNC/HND. Experience in a maintenance or engineering leadership role. FMCG or manufacturing environment experience.

Our Story

Founded in 1988 by The Body Shop entrepreneur Dame Anita Roddick, Soapworks has always been driven by innovation, exceptional product quality, and a deep commitment to social and environmental responsibility. More than 35 years later, we continue to stand at the forefront of the industry, trusted by 50 of the world’s top brands as a leading supplier and partner.

In 2018, we joined the Daabon Group, a global leader in sustainable and organic ingredients, further strengthening our commitment to ethical and eco-friendly production.

As passionate advocates for sustainability, we are committed to promoting the environmental benefits of bar soaps. Our dedication has earned us numerous awards and certifications, including the prestigious EcoVadis Gold Award for Sustainability, placing us among the top 5% of companies in our sector. But we’re not stopping there - we are actively working towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, ensuring that our impact on the planet is as clean as the products we create.

Beyond business, we believe in making a difference and have a well developed SOAP AID programme where we collaborate with NGOs and Charities to donate life saving soap bars to areas of need or natural disaster across the world demonstrating our commitment to global well-being.

We don’t just make soap - we create products that align with a better, more sustainable future.

The Opportunity

As Engineering Manager, you’ll be at the heart of our manufacturing operation, leading a production-critical department and keeping the site running at peak performance. You’ll take full ownership of facility and maintenance operations, driving reliability, safety, and continuous improvement across the site.

Beyond day-to-day leadership, you’ll play a key role in shaping the future of the operation - championing high-impact, strategic projects and leading complex engineering initiatives that deliver real, measurable results.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Lead, develop and grow the engineering team through recruitment, performance management, coaching and regular feedback
• Develop and deliver the site maintenance and reliability strategy to maximise equipment uptime and operational efficiency
• Identify, assess and mitigate technical and project risks, leading the resolution of complex engineering issues
• Ensure full compliance with health & safety, regulatory and technical standards, embedding safe systems of work across the site
• Manage departmental and project budgets, resources and supplier contracts in collaboration with Finance
• Act as a key point of coordination between engineering, operations, project teams, clients and external partners
• Champion continuous improvement by introducing new technologies, modern engineering practices and process enhancements

About You

• Degree-qualified (or equivalent) in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or a related discipline, or qualified through extensive experience supported by HNC/HND
• Proven experience in a maintenance or engineering leadership role with people management responsibility, ideally within an FMCG or fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Data-driven with a strong continuous improvement mindset; experience using formal CI tools is an advantage
• Sound knowledge of budgeting, cost control and resource management
• Strong understanding of legal and regulatory requirements, ensuring full compliance across Health, Safety, Environment and quality engineering systems
• IT literate, with experience using Office 365 and ERP systems such as Microsoft Navision
• Confident communicator with strong influencing skills, able to set clear objectives, provide feedback and drive performance improvement
• Willing to travel occasionally within the UK and internationally

What’s on Offer

• 4-weekly pay cycle
• 33 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays rising with service
• Death in Service benefit of 3x basic salary
• Income Protection Benefit after 1 year in role
• Access to Help@Hand who provide EAP, GP & Physio services. They also provide information on health, family, money & work, as well as discounts with various retailers.

This is more than an Engineering Manager role - it’s a chance to leave your mark.

You’ll lead a critical function, influence long-term strategy, and help power a business committed to sustainability, innovation and doing the right thing - for people and the planet.

If you’re ready to take ownership, lead from the front and be part of a company with a genuine purpose (plus a competitive package and Fridays WFH), we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now and take the next step in your engineering leadership career with a manufacturer that’s building a cleaner, more sustainable future - one bar at a time.

Application notice... We take your privacy seriously. As you might expect you may be contacted by email, text or telephone. Your data is processed by our talent partner RR (Recruitment Revolution) on the basis of their legitimate interests in fulfilling the recruitment process. Please refer to their Data Privacy Policy & Notice on their website for further details.

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