Lead Reliability Engineer
Location: Hereford
Hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00–16:30 (flexibility required to support 24/7
operations)
Contract: Full Time, Permanent
Who are we, and what do we do?
You may not have heard of us, but there’s a good chance
you’ve enjoyed our products. Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food
businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the country’s major supermarkets
and well-known restaurants.
We own and manage our entire supply chain — from farms to
factory and all the way to the customer door — creating career opportunities
across a wide range of functions. With major processing sites across England
and Wales, our advanced Hereford facility is one of the most significant and
technologically advanced food manufacturing sites in the UK.
Processing up to 2 million birds per week and employing over
1,500 talented people, the Hereford site continues to invest heavily in
automation and innovation to maintain our reputation as a trusted leader in
fresh food manufacturing.
About the Role
Due to ongoing investment and growth at our Hereford site,
we’re looking for an experienced and driven Lead of Reliability to join our
Engineering Team.
This is a key leadership role, responsible for driving
reliability, asset performance, and long-term engineering excellence across the
site. You’ll lead a small team of Reliability Engineers and work closely with the
Engineering Reliability manager and the maintenance operations team, to deliver
strategic reliability improvements and optimise asset lifecycle management.
This role combines technical depth with leadership
influence, ideal for someone ready to take the next step in their reliability
or maintenance career.
What will you be doing as a Lead Reliability Engineer?
As the Lead Reliability Engineer, you will be accountable
for developing, implementing, and sustaining the site’s reliability strategy to
improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), reduce downtime, and enhance
asset care.
You’ll ensure that maintenance and reliability practices are
aligned with site priorities and engineering KPIs, supporting operational
excellence through data-driven decisions and proactive engineering leadership.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the Reliability Team, ensuring
effective delivery of asset performance, maintenance planning, and
reliability projects.
- Act as lead for reliability and asset care,
championing continuous improvement across site.
- Develop and sustain proactive maintenance
strategies, including predictive and condition-based maintenance, to
improve equipment availability and reduce unplanned downtime.
- Analyse performance and downtime data to identify
and eliminate root causes of equipment failure.
- Collaborate with the wider Engineer Team to
coordinate planned maintenance, improvement activities, and engineering
support during production.
- Support the Engineering Reliability Manager in the
development and execution of the site’s maintenance and reliability
roadmap.
- Maintain the office, reliability- and outside areas
to high standard, ensuring regular checks are conducted and satisfactory
feedback is received from GMP/WPW audits.
- Lead cross-functional reliability reviews, ensuring
effective communication between Engineering, Operations, Planning, and
technical teams.
- Manage contractor and OEM support, ensuring all
work complies with site safety, technical, and legislative standards.
- Ensure all rectification actions identified on
service reports are followed up and completed in a timely manner.
- Identify the training needs of the team in order to
coach, train and develop the team to provide the opportunities to develop
to their potential.
- Oversee asset care documentation, including PM
reviews, calibration schedules, and PUWER assessments.
- Lead or support capital and improvement projects,
ensuring reliability principles are built into design and implementation.
What you’ll need to be successful:
Essential:
- HND or above in Engineering (Mechanical,
Electrical, or related discipline)
- Proven experience in reliability, maintenance, or
engineering leadership in an FMCG or manufacturing environment
- Strong understanding of maintenance systems (CMMS),
asset management, and performance metrics (OEE, MTBF, MTTR)
- Demonstrable leadership, coaching, and influencing
skills
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and
communication abilities
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and work
effectively across teams
Desirable:
- Experience leading engineering teams or projects in
a large-scale manufacturing site
- Reliability tools knowledge (RCM, FMEA, TPM)
- NEBOSH or IOSH qualification
- CAD experience and contractor management exposure
The benefits of working for Avara Foods:
As a Lead Reliability Engineer, you’ll enjoy a secure,
supportive, and progressive working environment where your contribution and
achievements are recognised and rewarded.
We offer comprehensive training
and continuous professional development as you build your long-term career with
us. You can also look forward to benefits including:
- 6% Pension
- 31 Days Holiday
- Life Assurance
- Private Medical Health Cover
- Subsidised Canteen
- Free Staff Parking
- Wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including
discounts with major retailers and access to health resources
What happens after you apply?
After you’ve applied, you’ll be contacted by a member of our
Resourcing Team based at our Hereford site to discuss your application and CV
further. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask any questions about the role
and what it’s like to work with us.
If you’re ready to lead reliability excellence in one of the
UK’s most advanced food manufacturing sites, apply today!
Due to Bird Welfare, it is essential that you do not own any
Avian Pets, Poultry, or Porcine.
We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.