Lead Reliability Engineer

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.