Maintenance & Engineering Project Manager, Arla - Oakthorpe, N.London

Are you ready to lead impactful engineering projects that help shape the future of one of or our most essential sites?

Join our North London dairy and play a key role in delivering CAPEX projects that drive safety, efficiency and sustainability across our operation.

How You Will Make An Impact

As our Maintenance & Engineering Project Manager, you will join the dynamic engineering team at our Oakthorpe site, supporting the delivery of both CAPEX and non‑CAPEX projects. You will identify improvement opportunities, ensure safe and efficient project execution, and anchor Arla’s sustainability ambitions in every project you lead.

• Lead CAPEX and non‑CAPEX equipment projects, identifying and driving site improvements.
• Ensure safe project execution by engaging with the safety organisation and embedding Arla’s sustainability goals.
• Plan and deliver projects to agreed time, cost, quality and risk criteria while maintaining strong stakeholder alignment.
• Ensure full compliance with Arla’s project processes, legislation and documentation requirements, safeguarding key knowledge and results.
• The Project Manager will lead a diverse portfolio of initiatives, including strategic business continuity projects such as sustainability programmes, water‑efficiency initiatives, management of obsolete equipment, and continuous improvement (CI) activities. The role will ensure projects are delivered on time, to scope, and in alignment with operational, environmental, and organisational goals.
  
  

What Will Make You Successful

To succeed in this role, you will bring a blend of technical capability, project leadership and a collaborative mindset. While a traditional project management background is welcomed, we are equally open to candidates who have not formally worked as Project Managers but have successfully delivered a wide range of projects in their previous roles. Engineering support will be provided to ensure you have the technical backing needed to thrive.

We imagine you have experience as a technician, technical engineer, engineer or project manager within a manufacturing environment, along with financial competence in managing project budgets. You will also have 0–3 years of technical or project management experience following your engineering training.

On a personal level, you will thrive if you are a strong communicator who builds trust with stakeholders, are highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities, and are motivated by continuous improvement and delivering high‑quality results.

We work closely together as a team and pride ourselves on supporting new colleagues, offering a steep learning curve and a collaborative environment where you can grow.

What do we offer?

We’re committed to your growth and development, offering internal and external training opportunities. You’ll enjoy a competitive salary, 26 days holiday, matched pension contributions up to 6%, life assurance, and flexible benefits. At Oakthorpe, you’ll join a team proud of its high job satisfaction and steep learning curve, with plenty of challenges and support to help you succeed.

Things We’d Love To Tell You About Arla.

We are a farmer‑owned cooperative, committed to ensuring farmers receive a fair price for their milk. We pioneered poo‑powered trucks and built the world’s first 100% carbon‑neutral dairy as part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability. We also produce Lurpak, one of the world’s most iconic butter brands, and operate across the UK, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America, South America and beyond.

Would you like to join us?

If you want to make an impact and help shape the future of dairy, apply as soon as possible. We process applications on a continuous basis and will close recruitment once the right candidate is found.

For additional information, please contact Chris Wakefield at [email protected]

Please note that we are not partnering with recruitment agencies for this role. Any unsolicited CVs will not be considered under agency ownership, and progression of such candidates will not constitute acceptance of agency terms.

Shape the Future of Dairy

Arla is a global leader in the dairy industry, committed to enabling good food choices that make life better, providing people with natural, sustainable nourishment, while taking care at every step to ensure Arla is a choice they can feel good about. If you are looking to shape the future with an ambitious global cooperative that truly cares about your growth, where everyone feels valued and empowered, and collaboration is the core of culture, Arla is a choice you can feel good about.

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