Head of Engineering (Fast-Moving Consumer Food Manufacturing)

Company Overview Our client is a globally renowned multinational food manufacturer behind some of the world's most iconic and beloved household brands spanning convenient meals, shelf-stable culinary solutions, and premium snacks. Operating their regional Asia-Pacific manufacturing hub in Selangor, the facility utilizes advanced high-speed production, packaging automation, and thermal processing lines to deliver world-class products.

To support their ongoing plant modernization, safety integrity, and capital expansion, they are seeking a highly capable, strategic engineering leader. Mission The Head of Engineering provides comprehensive engineering leadership and technical governance to the manufacturing facility. This role is responsible for driving plant reliability, equipment uptime, and process capability while ensuring uncompromising engineering integrity, food safety compliance, and robust safety and environmental standards.

By leveraging structured continuous improvement (CI) and disciplined project management, the successful candidate will deliver critical capital projects (CAPEX) on time, within budget, and to the highest technical standards.

Key Responsibilities

& Activities

1. Plant Engineering, Utilities & Quality Compliance Technical Integrity: Oversee and maintain the overall engineering integrity of all processing lines, high-speed packaging systems, and critical plant utilities (steam, water, refrigeration, and power distribution). Hygienic Standards: Ensure all engineering and maintenance modifications strictly comply with international food safety certifications, including FSSC 22000, HACCP, GMP, and hygienic design standards. Process Engineering Support: Act as the internal technical authority, providing specialized engineering design, automation, and process troubleshooting support to the wider manufacturing operations.
2. Reliability, Maintenance & Bottleneck Resolution OEE & Asset Management: Monitor, analyze, and optimize plant-wide performance metrics, implementing predictive and preventive maintenance programs to maximize line throughput and minimize unplanned downtime. Technical Problem Solving: Partner closely with Production and Quality teams to rapidly troubleshoot, diagnose, and resolve complex electrical, mechanical, and automation-related process constraints on the floor. Cost Governance: Manage the engineering and utility operational budgets, optimizing spare parts inventory and resource utilization to maintain manufacturing cost-competitiveness.
3. Project Management, CAPEX & Continuous Improvement (CI) Project Delivery: Plan, execute, and deliver capital expenditure (CAPEX) and engineering modernization projects from initial scope definition and budget approval to installation, commissioning, and stabilization. Lean Engineering: Drive continuous improvement initiatives on the floor using best-practice benchmarking, systematically reducing process waste, energy consumption, and material scrap. System Upgrades: Oversee technical transfers, machinery upgrades, and the scaling up of automated systems.
4. SHE, Technical Governance & Capability Building Safety First Culture: Enforce total compliance with local and global Safety, Health, and Environmental (SHE) regulations, promoting zero-harm shopfloor safety practices. Capability Upskilling: Train, coach, and mentor the engineering team, technicians, and floor operators on advanced process technologies, safety protocols, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Automation, Process, Mechatronics, or a related technical discipline). Specialized Knowledge: Deep knowledge of equipment design, maintenance troubleshooting, and asset reliability engineering (TPM/RCM principles). Industrial Familiarity: Strong understanding of food processing technology, specifically including advanced thermal preservation, sterilization, pasteurization, and high-speed packaging systems.

Compliance Standards: Practical familiarity with regulatory and quality management systems (HACCP, GMP, ISO, FSSC 22000, and OSHA). Experience & Competencies Professional Background: 10+ years of progressive manufacturing engineering leadership experience, with a heavy preference for high-volume Food, Beverage, or fast-moving FMCG manufacturing sectors.

Project Leadership: Proven track record of managing substantial CAPEX portfolios, delivering high-value engineering projects on time and within budget. Cross-Functional Influence: Outstanding communication, networking, and leadership skills; able to influence, collaborate, and align expectations across Production, Quality, HSE, and Finance.