Head of Engineering

Warringtonfire part of Element has a new Head of Engineering role primarily based in the Warrington area. This role reports to the Senior Cluster General Manager that will encompass a broad range of responsibilities within the Fire Testing division of the Built business that will require occasional travel to sites in High Wycombe and Gent in Belgium. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a leading Testing Inspection and Certification company Making Tomorrow Safer Than Today...

Engineering Management

Accountable for the uptime of plant equipment and infrastructure focused in the Warrington locations but influencing all Lab locations. The role ensures a robust program of legal compliance & plant health through inspections and audits while maintaining operational reliability. By delegating effectively the teams activities are guided to balance proactive inspections third-party servicing and internal maintenance alongside reactive tasks ensuring plant equipment operates in line with an on-time delivery target of 95%.

The role also involves regularly team reviews ensuring the correct internal skills are held through development to maintain an optimal blend of internal capability and third-party support maximizing the impact for the clients requirements.

Forward facing the role will look at future improvement to the way in which we work reviewing business practices around current processes and the possibility of introducing technology into enhance the teams output.

Operational Excellence

Driving continuous improvement across business programmes in line with scheme accreditation and operational requirements the role leads from the front within laboratory operations embedding a strong continuous improvement mindset with a clear focus on enhancing testing processes safe operating procedures test reporting and invoicing activities. This includes proactively identifying improvement opportunities across all sites embedding consistency and uniformity where possible whilst educating the wider workforce to strengthen and sustain a culture of continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will demonstrate knowledge in both production improvement & process improvement. Typical examples of skills that support this activity:

• Production: Capacity modelling (time & motion) Value stream mapping Process mining Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) Failure mode & Effective analysis (FMEA)
• Process: Swim lane diagrams (As is & To be state mapping) Fishbone (Ishikawa diagrams) 5s/lean practices Gemba walks SIPOC & Kanban boards.

Supporting of General Managers/Leadership team

The role will support the effective operation at all locations by contributing to the delivery of the annual budget and assisting with the coordination of key activities. This includes being a key stakeholder in the development & delivery of key objectives within the division known as accelerators. Maintaining legal compliance upholding a robust preventative maintenance system adhering to the requirements of 17025 & positively impacting the performance and culture of the team through training frameworks and on the job guidance.

Key deliverables:

Engineering Management

• Maintain legal compliance of the sites through planning/auditing and the management of corrective actions
• Deliver planned maintenance works ensuring limited impact on the OTD of 95% working closely with the operational teams in planning and execution
• Maintain the effective operation of the plant equipment inline with the above metric during reactive works by ensuring robust reporting mechanisms & KPIs are adhered to. Forming robust models of available resource & critical spares
• Continuous improvement to the CMMS to support the legal obligations & up time of plant and infrastructure

Operational Excellence

• Work with the SCGM and GMs to identify & deliver strategic and tactical improvements to the performance of the business both with the client journey and lean operating processes at the forefront of ROI
• Note: This will be working with other departments through the business unit and further afield.
• Supporting the SCGM in building out the strategic roadmaps in line with the BUs direction of travel
• Embed a learning path for all levels within testing & functions to create a CI culture

• Managing a business with a revenue of 10m
• Managing engineering departments
• Project management in medium to large scale projects with examples of successful delivery
• Lean six sigma methodology or other CI tools
• Strong communication skills with proven leadership experience
• Proactive attitude to innovation & its impact on the business
• People management and development
• Knowledge of operations under compliance with 45001

• Mechanical or electrical degree in Engineering

• Prince2 / Agile or experience in managing projects with demonstratable success

• Qualification in Lean six sigma or equivalent with example of use in the live environment

• Experience within the TIC industry manufacturing or construction is preferred with demonstrable experience in end to end processes

Benefits of working at Element

33 days annual holiday consisting of 25 days annual holiday and 8 days public / x4 Life Assurance / Legal & General Pension scheme with total contributions up to 12% / Flexible Working / Cycle Scheme / Recommend a Friend Bonus / Perks At Work Discount Scheme / Car Allowance

For more information on Elements BUILT division please take a look at our e-brochure: apply please email

Element is one of the fastest growing testing inspection and certification businesses in the world. Globally we have more than 9000 brilliant minds operating from 270 sites across 30 countries. Together we share an ambitious purpose to Make tomorrow safer than today.

When failure in use is not an option we help customers make certain that their products materials processes and services are safe compliant and fit for purpose. From early R&D through complex regulatory approvals and into production our global laboratory network of scientists engineers and technologists support customers to achieve assurance over product quality sustainable outcomes and market access.

While we are proud of our global reach working at Element feels like being part of a smaller company. We empower you to take charge of your career and reward excellence and integrity with growth and development.

Industries across the world depend on our care attention to detail and the absolute accuracy of our work. The role we have to play in creating a safer world is much bigger than our organization.

At Element we always take pride in putting our people first. We are an equal opportunity employer that recognizes diversity and inclusion as fundamental to our Vision of becoming the worlds most trusted testing partner.

All suitably qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment on the basis of objective work related criteria and without regard for the following: age disability ethnic origin gender marital status race religion responsibility of dependents sexual orientation or gender identity or other characteristics in accordance with the applicable governing laws or other characteristics in accordance with the applicable governing laws.

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about discussed or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge (b) in furtherance of an investigation proceeding hearing or action including an investigation conducted by the employer or (c) consistent with the contractors legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

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