Packaging Line Engineer

Location: Black Sheep Brewery, Wellgarth House, Wellgarth Court, Crosshills, Ripon, HG4 4EN

Salary: £35,000 – £45,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 7:00am – 3:30pm (flexibility required)

Contract: Full-Time, Permanent

Join the Flock at Black Sheep Brewery

Are you a skilled engineer who enjoys solving problems, improving performance, and keeping production running at its best?

Black Sheep Brewery is looking for a Packaging Line Engineer to join our Engineering team and play a key role in maintaining and improving the equipment that delivers our award-winning beers to customers across the UK.

This is an exciting opportunity to work within a well-established independent brewery where engineering excellence, continuous improvement, and teamwork are genuinely valued. You'll be involved in everything from planned maintenance and fault finding to improvement projects that directly impact efficiency, reliability, and production performance.

About Black Sheep Brewery

Founded in Yorkshire in 1992, Black Sheep Brewery has built a reputation for producing distinctive, award-winning beers with character, quality, and authenticity. Proudly independent and rooted in traditional brewing values, we continue to invest in our people, facilities, and equipment to support future growth.

As part of our Engineering team, you'll help ensure our brewing and packaging operations continue to perform to the highest standards.

The Role

Reporting into the Engineering function, you'll take responsibility for maintaining and improving our packaging equipment, with a particular focus on bottling and canning operations.

Working closely with Production and Brewing teams, you'll provide both planned and reactive maintenance support, minimise downtime, and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the site.

This is a hands-on role offering plenty of variety, technical challenge, and the opportunity to make a visible impact on operational performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Carry out planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and reactive maintenance across packaging line equipment
• Diagnose and resolve electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, and control system faults
• Respond effectively to equipment breakdowns, identifying root causes and implementing long-term solutions
• Maintain and repair equipment including:
• Fillers, seamers, and cappers
• Labelling systems
• Conveyors and transfer systems
• Depalletising equipment
• Support PLC-controlled machinery, drives, sensors, and HMI systems
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on reliability, efficiency, OEE, and waste reduction
• Work collaboratively with Production teams to identify recurring issues and improve equipment performance
• Support operator training, line changeovers, and autonomous maintenance activities
• Provide engineering support to brewery process equipment when required
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety procedures, including permit-to-work systems, risk assessments, and lockout/tagout (LOTO) practices
• Accurately record maintenance activity, downtime, and corrective actions
• Manage and support external contractors working on site

About You

You'll be a practical, proactive engineer who enjoys working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and takes pride in delivering reliable equipment performance.

Essential

• ONC, BTEC, NVQ Level 3, apprenticeship, or equivalent engineering qualification, or significant relevant experience
• Proven experience maintaining manufacturing, production, or packaging equipment
• Strong electrical and mechanical fault-finding skills
• Experience working with automated production equipment and industrial control systems
• Good understanding of Health & Safety within a manufacturing environment
• Ability to prioritise workloads and respond effectively under pressure
• Strong communication and teamwork skills

Desirable

• Experience within brewing, food, beverage, FMCG, or process manufacturing environments
• Experience working with high-speed bottling, canning, or packaging lines
• Electrical qualifications, including 18th Edition
• PLC fault-finding and diagnostic experience
• Knowledge of brewery or process plant equipment
• Experience reviewing RAMS and issuing permits to work

What You'll Bring

• A proactive approach to problem solving
• A passion for engineering and continuous improvement
• A strong sense of ownership and accountability
• The ability to build positive relationships across departments
• A willingness to learn, develop, and share knowledge
• Flexibility and resilience in a busy production environment

What We Offer

• Competitive salary of £35,000 – £45,000 depending on experience
• Staff discounts on Black Sheep Brewery products
• Opportunities for training, development, and career progression
• A supportive and collaborative working environment
• The chance to work for one of Yorkshire's most recognised independent breweries
• Involvement in exciting engineering and improvement projects
• A workplace with genuine character, heritage, and ambition

Why Join Black Sheep Brewery?

At Black Sheep Brewery, we're proud of our heritage, our products, and the people behind them. Engineering plays a vital role in our success, and we're committed to providing our team with the tools, support, and opportunities needed to thrive.

If you're looking for a role where you can make a real impact, develop your skills, and be part of a business with a strong future and a proud Yorkshire identity, we'd love to hear from you.

Ready to Join the Flock?

Apply today and become part of the Black Sheep Brewery story.