Head of Engineering

Crestwood Partners is supporting an established precision manufacturing business in the appointment of a Head of Engineering for its UK operations.

This is a substantial leadership opportunity within a technically demanding, highly regulated manufacturing environment. The business is seeking an experienced engineering leader who can strengthen the organisation, improve its contribution to manufacturing performance and establish a clear direction for future capability and investment.

Reporting directly to the Managing Director and joining the leadership team, you will take responsibility for the engineering function, its people, budget, priorities and performance. Your remit will combine organisational development, operational improvement and longer-term manufacturing technology strategy.

The opportunity will suit someone who has already led engineering managers and technical specialists, delivered meaningful organisational change and built productive relationships between engineering and production. You will bring the technical depth to challenge complex manufacturing decisions, alongside the judgement and people leadership needed to turn those decisions into sustained improvement.

The opportunity

The business operates in precision manufacturing, producing complex components for demanding, quality-critical applications. Its engineering requirements span manufacturing process development, production support, New Product Introduction, qualification and validation, equipment investment and process transfers.

Engineering has a central role to play in operational performance and future growth. The incoming Head of Engineering will establish clear expectations for the function, strengthen accountability and ensure that engineering resources are focused on the priorities that matter most to the operation.

There is scope to assess and reshape how the department works: its structure, responsibilities, standards, management routines and engagement with manufacturing. Alongside this, you will develop the technology roadmap that guides future process capability, equipment decisions and engineering skills.

Success will require a visible leader who spends time with the team and the wider operation, understands the technical challenges and follows through on commitments.

Your remit

You will lead the engineering organisation through a programme of performance improvement and capability development, balancing immediate manufacturing requirements with longer-term business needs.

Your principal responsibilities will include:

Engineering leadership and organisational effectiveness

• Set the direction, priorities and performance expectations for the engineering function.
• Lead, coach and develop engineering managers and technical specialists, strengthening leadership capability throughout the department.
• Assess the existing organisational structure, skills and capacity, identifying where changes are needed to improve effectiveness.
• Establish clear reporting relationships, responsibilities and decision‑making authority.
• Build consistent engineering standards and working practices, with clear ownership of delivery.
• Align engineering resources and priorities with manufacturing value streams and operational requirements.
• Lead organisational change professionally and sensitively, communicating clearly and maintaining trust.
• Address underperformance and hold difficult conversations with fairness, confidence and appropriate follow‑through.
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, technical rigour and continuous improvement.

Operational engagement and engineering performance

• Strengthen the relationship between engineering and production, ensuring the function is visible, accessible and responsive.
• Work closely with manufacturing and quality colleagues to understand operational constraints and agree priorities.
• Improve how engineering work is assessed, prioritised, resourced and delivered.
• Ensure technical problems receive structured investigation and effective, sustainable solutions.
• Challenge established practices where they limit process capability, efficiency or reliable delivery.
• Develop measures that make engineering performance, progress and contribution clear to the wider business.
• Balance urgent production support with planned improvement work and strategic projects.
• Build confidence in engineering through sound decisions, practical support and consistent execution.

Manufacturing processes and technical capability

• Provide senior technical leadership across complex manufacturing processes and associated technologies.
• Oversee process development, qualification and validation, ensuring appropriate discipline and manufacturing rigour.
• Challenge technical proposals and recommendations constructively, drawing on specialist expertise where required.
• Identify opportunities to improve process capability and manufacturing performance.
• Ensure engineering changes are assessed and implemented in a controlled way within a regulated environment.
• Encourage knowledge sharing, consistent methods and the development of technical capability across the function.
• Maintain a clear understanding of where internal expertise is sufficient and where external specialist support will add value.

New Product Introduction and process transfers

• Lead the engineering contribution to New Product Introduction, ensuring manufacturing requirements are understood and addressed.
• Oversee the development and readiness of manufacturing processes for new products and programmes.
• Ensure qualification and validation activity is appropriately planned, resourced and delivered.
• Provide engineering leadership for equipment and process transfers.
• Coordinate engineering activity with manufacturing and quality teams to support effective introduction into production.
• Maintain oversight of technical risks, resource requirements and delivery commitments across concurrent programmes.

Capital investment and manufacturing technology strategy

• Develop a manufacturing technology roadmap aligned with operational priorities and longer‑term business requirements.
• Assess existing equipment and process capability, identifying investment needs and improvement opportunities.
• Evaluate new manufacturing technologies and automation opportunities against practical production requirements.
• Shape the engineering case for capital investment, including technical suitability, capability benefits and implementation considerations.
• Lead the engineering contribution to equipment introduction and associated process development.
• Balance investment in new technology with effective use and improvement of existing assets.

Budget, resources and people development

• Own the engineering operating budget and manage resources against agreed priorities.
• Make clear decisions on capacity, workload and the allocation of engineering support.
• Use external specialists where their expertise provides a clear operational or technical benefit.
• Identify skills gaps and put practical development plans in place.
• Strengthen succession planning for engineering leadership and critical technical roles.
• Develop an organisation capable of supporting both current manufacturing demands and future growth.

The initial priorities

Your first priority will be to understand the operation: its people, technical strengths, performance challenges and expectations of engineering.

From that assessment, you will establish a clear plan for the function, clarify ownership and accountability, strengthen management routines and improve the working relationship with production. You will be expected to make decisions, explain them clearly and ensure agreed changes are implemented.

Alongside these immediate priorities, you will begin shaping the longer‑term engineering agenda: manufacturing technology, process capability, equipment investment, leadership development and succession.

Operational support, new product activity and investment projects will continue throughout. The role therefore requires someone who can lead change while maintaining delivery and sound technical control.

About you

You will be an established engineering leader with experience in complex, highly regulated manufacturing. Your background will demonstrate both strong manufacturing engineering knowledge and the ability to lead people through meaningful change.

You are likely to bring:

• Significant engineering leadership experience, including responsibility for other engineering managers.
• A record of improving the effectiveness, performance and operational contribution of an engineering function.
• Experience of organisational change, such as restructuring a department, redefining responsibilities or implementing a more effective operating model.
• Broad understanding of complex manufacturing processes, supported by sufficient technical depth to challenge specialists and assess competing recommendations.
• Experience spanning manufacturing process development, qualification and validation, New Product Introduction and process transfers.
• Evidence of building stronger relationships between engineering and production.
• Experience of setting priorities, managing budgets and allocating resources in a demanding manufacturing environment.
• The confidence to make difficult decisions and hold people accountable for delivery and behaviour.
• A record of developing engineering managers, technical specialists and future leaders.
• An engineering degree or equivalent professional experience.

Experience highly regulated manufacturing is a must, and the breadth of your engineering judgement, leadership experience and ability to work effectively across disciplines will be central to your suitability.

You will be approachable, visible and comfortable exercising authority. You can listen carefully, recognise expertise and build relationships while remaining clear about expectations and required outcomes.

You will know how to challenge established practices constructively and how to distinguish between a technical problem, a resource constraint and a leadership issue. When change is required, you can explain the reasons, make the decision and support people through its implementation.

Emotional intelligence will matter. So will independence, personal accountability and the willingness to have difficult conversations. The business needs someone who develops people, follows through and creates confidence through consistent actions.

You will not need to be the most specialised engineer in every discipline. You will need the technical credibility to ask the right questions, assess the answers and lead the people who hold that expertise.

What success will look like

The engineering function will have a clear purpose, understood responsibilities and priorities aligned with the needs of manufacturing.

Engineering managers will lead with greater confidence and accountability. Production colleagues will experience more effective engagement, clearer communication and dependable delivery. Technical decisions will be supported by appropriate evidence, consistent standards and sound judgement.

The business will also have a practical manufacturing technology roadmap, a clear view of future investment needs and a stronger plan for developing engineering skills and leadership capability.