Engineering Team Leader
Date: 27 Jul 2026
Location: Leek, GB, ST13 5SP
Company: Ornua Co-operative Limited
Engineering Team Leader
Job title: Engineering Team Leader
Reports to: Engineering Shift Manager
Location: Leek, Ornua Foods UK
Salary: Up to £58,710 per annum, depending on experience
Hours: 4 on, 4 off (2 days and 2 nights)
Benefits: Free onsite parking, Generous annual leave entitlement increasing with length of service, Matched Company Contribution Pension up to 8%, Subsidised Staff Canteen, Company shop offering discounts on Ornua products, Sports & Social Club, Staff Lottery, Discount on Bikes & Tech Scheme, Confidential Employee Assist Programme
Ornua (meaning “new gold”) is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, proudly bringing the unique taste of Irish dairy to the world for over 55 years.
Are you a passionate and motivated engineer looking for the challenge of taking a mission driven organisation to its next level of success?
Ornua is actively seeking an Engineering Team Leader to join our Engineering department as we continue our growth trajectory.
Our vision is to be the best at what we do, be a great place to work and a business future generations can be proud of. To achieve this, it is vital that we are set up for success within our teams. As our Engineering Team Leader, you will use your technical expertise, problem solving and people leadership skills to achieve high levels of equipment availability and provide support to the wider team. Our engineering team are proactive and forward thinking in their approach to ensure that production continues to run with maximum efficiency, enabling our clients’ needs to be met.
Why Ornua?
- Ornua operates as a commercial organisation from 10 business units worldwide, including 12 production facilities located in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa.
- The commercial organisation is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Ireland’s most successful food export: Kerrygold.
- It also manages the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products, the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers globally, and the implementation of de-risking and trading strategies to manage market volatility.
- Our co-operative ethos lies at the heart of how we do business as a purpose and values-led organisation, creating value for Irish dairy farming families.
- Our Values lie at the core of everything we do. Our five values encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas, Make It Happen, Be Our True Selves, Show You Care, and Achieve Great Things Together.
- We invest in our people and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
- Career Progression including Global Mobility opportunities.
- Comprehensive Benefits with regional specific offerings.
Why This Role Is Valuable:
As our Engineering Team Leader you will be responsible for leading on;
- Personal performance as measured by cascaded KPI’s
- Carry out maintenance activities to a high standard to ensure that our equipment is kept in optimum condition and runs reliably
- Accurately record work carried out, time taken, and parts used in our maintenance management system
- Ensure efficient utilisation of your team
- Follow and ensure compliance to the Ornua Engineering Manual
- Ensure adherence to contractor control process
- Ensure personal and team compliance to processes and procedures
- Always ensure compliance to health and safety / food safety standards
- Maintain and improve standards of hygiene and housekeeping in all areas of the factory including the engineering office and workshop
- Lead the day-to-day operation of the shift
- Deputise for the Engineering Shift Manager when required
- Ensure adequate training and supervision is delivered to shift team, by ensuring adherence to the engineering skills matrix
- Actively support plant production plan attainment goals by executing an effective maintenance strategy to maximise plant availability
- Ensuring the Ornua facility meets its statutory obligations as it pertains to production assets, by proactive engagement with the relevant functions
What You Bring To The Role:
- Trained to level 3 or equivalent and relevant qualification in Engineering
- Experience of leading a team of engineers
- Base knowledge of food production lines/process machinery
- PC competent (MS Word/Excel/Teams/Outlook)
- Experience in trouble shooting and fault-finding diagnostics.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Demonstrate team skills with a positive attitude and professional approach
Our interview process is designed to be thorough yet supportive. This process includes a face-to-face interview that will give you the opportunity to get a feel for Ornua and the environment in which you will be working alongside a practical engineering exercise to assess your engineering skillset.
Ornua has ambitious growth plans and we’re building a team to help enable and accelerate that growth. We are looking for people who share our values, are curious, forward-looking, take ownership and work together to build a future for themselves and Ornua.
Would you like to make an impact?
To learn more, please visit Ornua at www.ornua.com
Ornua values diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds. We also strongly encourage women and other underrepresented groups in the manufacturing industry to apply. Your unique perspectives and experiences are highly valued and will be instrumental in driving our company’s continued success. Join us in shaping a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable future.
Ornua is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. We will make every effort to provide for any reasonable accessibility needs you may have during your employment with us. If you require accommodations at any stage of the recruitment process or in your role, please let us know — we’re here to support you.
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