Lead Engineering Excellence at Primula
Primula Ltd, part of the Kavli Group, is a well-established food manufacturing business based in Team Valley, Gateshead. With a proud heritage and a strong focus on quality, safety and continuous improvement, we are looking for a skilled and motivated Maintenance Lead Technician to join our Engineering team.
This is a key leadership role within the department, responsible for coordinating maintenance activities and driving reliability across the site.
Shift Pattern – 3 Shift Rotation
- Early Shift: Monday – Friday, 6:00am – 2:00pm
- Back Shift: Monday – Friday, 2:00pm – 10:00pm
- Night Shift: Sunday – Friday, 10:00pm – 6:00am
The Role
Reporting to the Maintenance Manager, you will lead and coordinate the maintenance team to ensure effective execution of planned and reactive maintenance activities, maximising equipment reliability and production efficiency.
Key responsibilities include:
- Allocating and prioritising maintenance tasks across the team
- Acting as first-line technical support for troubleshooting and complex fault finding
- Carrying out breakdown repairs, planned maintenance, and equipment improvements
- Validating risk assessments and permits for work
- Driving continuous improvement initiatives within Engineering
- Mentoring and developing Maintenance Technicians
- Ensuring accurate recording of maintenance activities in the M3 system
- Liaising closely with Production to minimise downtime
- Supporting root cause analysis and reliability improvement programmes
- Assisting with compliance audits and documentation updates
- Managing contractors and ensuring adherence to company standards
You will play a critical role in reducing unplanned downtime and ensuring planned maintenance is delivered on schedule.
What We’re Looking For
We are seeking a technically strong leader with excellent organisational and communication skills who can motivate and guide a team in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Essential Experience & Skills:
- Strong technical background in maintenance
- Experience supervising or allocating work to technicians
- Electrical and mechanical fault-finding expertise
- Familiarity with PLCs, inverters, servo and DC drives, and instrumentation
- Ability to validate risk assessments and permits
- Excellent organisational and leadership skills
- Effective communication across Engineering and Production
- Flexible attitude towards shift work and overtime
- Commitment to high Health & Safety standards
Essential Qualifications:
- Level 3 NVQ Electrical (or equivalent)
- Level 3 NVQ Mechanical (or equivalent)
Desirable:
- BTEC or HNC in Engineering
- Engineering apprenticeship
- 18th Edition
- Leadership or supervisory training
- PLC programming experience
- Experience in food manufacturing
- Steam boiler and systems knowledge
- M3 system experience
- IOSH or other H&S qualification
- Food Hygiene qualification
Why Join Primula?
- Competitive salary with shift allowance
- 34 days annual leave (including bank holidays)
- Company pension scheme
- Ongoing leadership and professional development
- Stable, well-established manufacturing business
- A collaborative environment where your leadership makes a real impact
If you are an experienced Maintenance Technician ready to step into a leadership role — or an established Lead Technician looking for your next challenge — we would love to hear from you.
Apply now via Indeed.
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
- Sick pay
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
