Engineering Shift Manager - Desford

We are looking for a proactive Engineering Shift Manager to join our Desford Team.

About the role

The Engineering Shift Manager takes ownership of safe, reliable and effective engineering maintenance delivery on shift, leading and developing the engineering team to support production continuity, plant availability and continuous improvement. This is a first-line management position replacing the previous Team Leader role, with clear responsibility for workload allocation, safety, team capability, performance, conduct and consistent engineering standards. The role requires a visible, hands-on leader who can support complex technical issues while prioritising, coordinating and improving the work of the shift team, in line with Forterra's safety procedures and engineering transformation objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Take shift-level ownership of breakdown response, safety, and continuity of production across the shift

• Lead, organize, and allocate the daily workload of the shift engineering team

• Provide first-line leadership of the shift team, including coaching, attendance and return-to-work management, performance reviews, capability and conduct issues, and disciplinary processes within delegated authority and Forterra HR procedures

• Lead execution and improvement of planned, preventive and TPM maintenance activities on shift, reducing reactive maintenance and improving equipment reliability and availability

• Report out on shift maintenance team activities to the Engineering Manager

• Ensure team works to high standards of health & safety to meet or exceed legislative requirements & company standards

• Take ownership of CMMS compliance and data quality on shift, ensuring accurate work orders, breakdown records, failure codes, corrective actions and maintenance completion reporting

• Ensure shift team are filling out Major Breakdown Reports as required

• Ensure effective engineering shift handovers, communicating outstanding faults, equipment condition, safety risks, maintenance priorities and follow-up actions to incoming teams and production stakeholders

• Use CMMS and operational data to identify repeat failures, support root cause analysis and implement sustainable corrective actions

• Lead the shift contribution to agreed engineering KPIs, including plant availability, downtime, planned-maintenance compliance, work-order completion and maintenance backlog; monitor MTTR and MTBF where measured

• Work closely with Production Shift Managers to balance immediate output requirements with safe, sustainable maintenance priorities

• Develop shift engineers through regular coaching, skills assessment, training plans and consistent standards of technical and behavioural performance

• Support the Engineering Manager in embedding change, standard work and improved maintenance planning and scheduling across shifts

• Monitor engineering and production performance, identify recurring equipment losses and escalate emerging reliability or safety risks promptly

• Ensure correct spare parts are identified and fitted to operate safely

• Lead and coordinate safe fault diagnosis and breakdown recovery, providing hands-on technical support for complex issues and escalating where appropriate

• Ensure that the team always follow the site PPE policy

• Ensure high standards of housekeeping on shift

• Report all irregularities/health & safety issues to plant management team

• Adherence to site LOTOTO procedure; take a lead role where complex isolation is required

• Deputise for the Engineering Manager when authorised, within agreed decision-making and escalation limits

• Lead a team of four shift engineers, spanning New Starter, Level 1 and Level 2 grades, with a proposed Leading Hand role on shift (scope and reporting responsibilities to be confirmed)

• Coordinate maintenance activities on shift, including delegated responsibility for external contractors on site during the shift

• Support production output, quality and yield targets through safe, timely and reliable engineering maintenance, without compromising engineering or safety standards

• Lead and sustain continuous improvement activities on shift, with documented ownership, actions and measurable outcomes

About you

We are looking for someone who has:

Essential

• Demonstrable experience leading a technical or maintenance team in an automated manufacturing environment, including workload planning, performance management, coaching and appropriate people processes.

• Recognised electrical or mechanical engineering qualification, with practical multidisciplinary maintenance knowledge and the ability to lead safe fault diagnosis and maintenance activities.

Desirable qualifications and development

• HNC, HND or degree in a relevant engineering discipline

• Recognised leadership or supervisory qualification (for example ILM Level 3 or equivalent)

• IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent health and safety qualification

Additional Experience and Capabilities

• Experience of CMMS work-order discipline, preventive maintenance, reliability improvement, root cause analysis, shift handovers and cross-functional working is highly desirable. The successful candidate must combine technical credibility with visible first-line leadership, a commitment to safe working and the ability to establish consistent standards and support change.

We don’t expect you to tick every box. If you bring the mindset, curiosity and drive to make an impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Why join Forterra

At Forterra, our people are at the heart of what we do. We offer opportunities to develop your skills, build your career and make a real difference as part of a supportive team. Benefits include:

• Pension (up to 10% from us)

• Competitive salary and generous holiday

• Employee Assistance Programme for yourself and family members

• Learning, development and career progression – Opportunities to help you grow

• Aviva Smart Health

• Life Assurance Scheme

• Financial Wellbeing Programme

• Wellhub Wellness Plans & Gym Membership

• Cycle to Work Scheme

• Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme

• Holiday Exchange Scheme

• Sharesave Scheme

& many more!

About Forterra

At Forterra, we don’t just make products, we make an impact. As a leading UK manufacturer of essential clay and concrete building materials our purpose is to help create lasting legacies.

You will be part of a team that values fresh thinking, takes pride in quality, and supports one another to succeed. We create an environment where people feel empowered to bring ideas and grow.

We know that diverse perspectives make us stronger. That’s why we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and identities. If you believe you would be a good fit for the role, we would love to hear from you.

Our values are at the heart of how we work:

Collaborate and Care – We believe we’re stronger together. Teamwork, open communication and looking out for each other are core to how we operate. We also put safety first – protecting people is always our top priority.

Pride in Excellence – We celebrate achievement and take pride in the quality of our work. Whether you’re directly shaping products or supporting our operations, you’ll play a part in delivering excellence for our customers and the communities that we serve.

Innovate to Lead – You’ll be encouraged to ask questions, bring ideas forward and help us find better, smarter ways of doing things. We never stand still – innovation is part of who we are, from sustainability initiatives and product development.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know. We are committed to ensuring that everyone has the support they need to have a fair and positive experience throughout the application process.

Ready to join us?

If you're ready to join a great team at one of the UK’s leading building products manufacturers, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and build your future with Forterra – your next challenge starts here.

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship. All applicants must have the right to work in the UK.