Engineering Technician

British Sugar is a home-grown success story and one of the most efficient and competitive beet processers in the world. Around 3,500 farmers based in East Anglia and the East Midlands supply our four advanced manufacturing sites with eight million tonnes of sugar beet every year. We, in turn, make this in to over 1 million tonnes of sugar, serving customers across the UK, Ireland and increasingly growing commercially in the EU and world sugar markets.

Job Details

Permanent, Full-Time

Location: Bury St Edmunds

Salary: £57,399.51 to £57,399.51

Job Purpose

This is an exciting opportunity to join British Sugar as an Engineering Technician, where you will play a key role in supporting both operational performance and engineering excellence across a diverse manufacturing environment.

Working within a highly skilled engineering team, you will gain exposure to a wide range of mechanical, electrical, process, and automation systems, supporting the efficient operation of our manufacturing plant. The role offers significant variety, combining reactive maintenance, fault finding, planned preventative maintenance, continuous improvement, and project work.

At British Sugar, we are committed to investing in our people. Whether you are an experienced engineer looking to broaden your capabilities or seeking to develop expertise in new disciplines, you will have access to ongoing training, coaching and development opportunities. We actively support multi-skilling, professional development and career progression, providing opportunities to learn new technologies, gain additional qualifications and build a long-term engineering career within one of the UK's leading food manufacturing businesses.

The position operates on a Panama 2 shift pattern, a 28-day rotating 24/7 schedule consisting of 12-hour day and night shifts. You will work closely with Operations and Engineering colleagues during your shift, under the leadership of the Shift Performance Manager, while reporting directly to the Engineering Lead who will support your ongoing development and coordinate additional maintenance activities across the site.

Core Accountabilities

• Work as part of a multi-skilled engineering team to maintain and improve a wide range of manufacturing, process, packaging, milling and product handling equipment, as well as site infrastructure.
• Apply both mechanical and electrical skills to diagnose faults, troubleshoot equipment issues, and restore plant performance safely and efficiently.
• Carry out planned preventative maintenance, inspections, condition monitoring and corrective maintenance activities to maximise equipment reliability.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities to improve plant performance, efficiency, safety and reliability.
• Participate in the installation, modification, testing and commissioning of new equipment and engineering projects.
• Develop a broad understanding of manufacturing processes and operational requirements, building capability across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Work collaboratively with Operations, Engineering and other site functions to deliver production targets and operational excellence.
• Accurately record maintenance activities, defect reports and improvement actions within the Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS).
• Maintain high standards of safety, food quality and housekeeping while working within a complex industrial and food manufacturing environment.
  
  

Skills, Knowledge & Competencies

• Proven experience in a multi-skilled engineering role, demonstrating strong fault-finding, problem-solving and maintenance capabilities.
• Mechanical and/or electrical engineering qualifications, ideally supported by a recognised apprenticeship, ONC, HNC or equivalent qualification.
• A genuine desire to learn, develop and expand technical knowledge across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Experience working within a manufacturing, process, industrial or FMCG environment.
• Ability to diagnose complex equipment issues and implement effective, sustainable solutions.
• Experience of working within a lean or continuous improvement environment.
• Strong teamwork and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively alongside colleagues from different technical backgrounds.
• Understanding of health, safety and food manufacturing standards within a complex industrial environment.
• Self-motivated with the ability to prioritise and balance urgent operational demands alongside planned engineering activities.
• Flexible and adaptable approach, with a willingness to embrace new technologies, systems and opportunities for development.