🚀 Head of Engineering

Sheffield, UK | £70,000–£80,000 base + package

Reporting to: Operations Director

GMA Technical are recruiting for an experienced, commercially minded Head of Engineering to lead an engineering function and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of a UK based manufacturing business.

This is a high-impact senior leadership position with responsibility across engineering, product development, NPI, production machinery and tooling, process R&D, quality, technical support and project delivery.

You’ll combine strong electrical, control and mechanical engineering expertise with the leadership capability to build high-performing teams, drive innovation and deliver solutions that create genuine value for their customers.

If you’re a hands-on engineering leader who enjoys solving complex problems, developing people and turning business strategy into engineering excellence, I’d love to hear from you.

🔧 What You’ll Be Responsible For

As Head of Engineering, you will:

• Lead the engineering function, setting clear objectives and aligning engineering priorities with wider business goals.
• Develop and inspire multidisciplinary teams, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Lead production machinery, tooling and process R&D, ensuring new solutions are appropriately assessed, validated and approved before transfer into production.
• Ensure appropriate health & safety approvals, risk assessments and compliance with relevant machinery and manufacturing standards.
• Drive the design, development and validation of new products and engineered solutions, including NPI.
• Ensure engineering solutions meet customer requirements, quality expectations and regulatory standards.
• Lead customer-facing engineering projects, acting as a trusted technical partner throughout the project lifecycle.
• Work closely with Supply Chain to assess and develop material and supplier capability.
• Oversee and develop the Quality Control function, including systems, processes and capability.
• Provide leadership for sales and customer technical support, helping turn complex requirements into commercially valuable solutions.
• Support internal product training and technical documentation, ensuring knowledge is effectively shared across the business.
• Utilise SAP and other business systems to support engineering processes, project tracking and performance reporting.
• Contribute to strategic planning, investment decisions and future technology roadmaps.

👤 What I’m Looking For

I’m  looking for an accomplished engineering professional who can operate comfortably at both strategic and hands-on levels.

Essential experience & qualifications

• Degree qualified in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline, with a strong understanding of both electrical and mechanical engineering principles.
• Significant engineering leadership experience, including managing, developing and motivating teams.
• Strong experience in product design, development and NPI.
• NEBOSH or IOSH qualified.
• Strong understanding of HSE requirements relating to manufacturing equipment and working practices.
• Proven project management experience, with a track record of delivering complex engineering projects on time and to budget.
• Strong knowledge of engineering materials and their application in demanding operating environments.
• Experience using SAP or a similar ERP system.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience working directly with customers on technical and commercial projects.
• The ability to think strategically while remaining hands-on and technically credible when required.

Desirable

• Experience within process industries, such as chemical processing, oil & gas, energy, water, pharmaceuticals or related markets.
• Knowledge of manufacturing, continuous improvement and operational excellence methodologies.

💡 The Person

Beyond the technical qualifications, I’m looking for someone who is:

Commercially aware
You understand that great engineering needs to deliver great business outcomes.

A people leader
You know how to build capable, engaged teams and get the best from talented engineers.

Customer focused
You enjoy understanding customer challenges and developing solutions that genuinely add value.

Strategic but practical
You can shape the long-term engineering direction while getting involved in the detail when needed.

Curious and innovative
You enjoy finding better ways of doing things and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo.

A natural problem solver
Complex engineering challenges energise you rather than intimidate you.

🌍 Why Join Us?

This is an exciting opportunity to take a key leadership role within a global engineering organisation and have a genuine influence on its future direction.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

🔹 Shape engineering and product strategy
🔹 Lead and develop talented multidisciplinary teams
🔹 Influence investment and technology decisions
🔹 Drive innovation and new product development
🔹 Work directly with customers and international stakeholders
🔹 Deliver solutions that make a real difference in demanding markets

This is more than a role managing an engineering department — it’s an opportunity to shape capability, culture, products and future growth.

📍 The Details

Role: Head of Engineering
Location: Sheffield, UK
Reporting to: Operations Director
Salary: £60,000–£80,000 base + package