Purpose of the Role:

Location - Flexible but expectation to travel

As Head of Terminal Engineering, you will be a key member of the Terminals Senior Management Team (‘SMT’) and will be responsible for managing all key aspects of terminal engineering including crane maintenance and repair, train pre departure examinations and supplier management for lifting equipment.

You will lead and direct all aspects of terminal engineering, crane maintenance, repair, compliance and renewal for the G&W UK portfolio of businesses, supported by the terminal engineering team. You will develop strategy, policy and maintenance standards and have overall responsibility for key crane and other terminal assets and management of contracts associated with their renewal, repair or maintenance. You will have budgetary, and management, responsibility for all key projects within your specific remit which may also include employee, contractor, and sub-contractor management, as applicable.

This post is an important management position, and you will develop effective working relationships as necessary to deliver a Terminal services product that drives the company’s strategic goals and adds value to the business. You will promote a functional approach that is mature and pragmatic, challenging where appropriate and professional in all areas of delivery.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Lead and direct all crane maintenance, renewal, and upgrade projects in the G&W UK portfolio, working with the terminal SMT and other key stakeholders to scope out, develop the business plan and cost key initiatives or projects within the platforms, as required.
• Develop and implement the strategy, policy and engineering standards for the maintenance, renewal and repair of all crane and associated terminal lifting assets.
• Undertake regular prescribed audits of the terminal engineering portfolio and manage and control the contracts to support the provision of maintenance and repair of these assets.
• Manage the technical reliability and availability improvement of key terminal and crane projects arising due to changes in standards or for business needs. Plan and agree annual budgets for crane and associated maintenance and development at all key locations.
• Have overall responsibility for crane repair, renewal and upgrade project portfolio and associated project budgets ensuring these are delivered to time and budget. Undertake direct management of complex or challenging projects as required.
• Manage, via internal or external resource, the development works within a given project whilst ensuring on-going site “business as usual”, as required.
• Produce regular reports on key crane maintenance or renewal project progress, highlighting any specific variances to time and budget including explanatory narrative.
• Lead and direct the internal engineering team and external third parties in management of crane and terminal projects in their area of responsibility, with due regard to whether they are of a safety critical
• nature or have an environmental impact. This pertains to staff, suppliers, contractors, sub-contractors within your virtual team as required per specific project.
• Review and develop engineering standards and policies as they relate to your area, interpret these for key stakeholders, ensure they are in line with legislation, group standards and industry codes of practice.
• Ensure adherence to all policy and prevailing engineering standards for the maintenance, renewal and repair of terminal and crane assets.
• Undertake risk assessments of key terminal and crane assets to assess renew versus repair versus postpone decisions.
• Act as the key liaison point and arbitrator between the business and third-party suppliers and contractors in any maintenance, repair, or project development, managing any potential areas of conflict that arise.
• Work closely and cohesively with the local management team at any given depot or terminal to minimise disruption and ensure business continuity.
• Challenge existing protocols with your own initiatives, pro-actively adding value to the business and the engineering function.
• Regularly measure the effectiveness and efficiency of any given project under your remit, focussing on the key cost drivers and any variances therein, always looking for ways to improve processes, and resource allocation.
• Monitor contracts and services provided by third party suppliers to ensure that these are operating effectively and provide the best value to the business.
• Work jointly, and cohesively, with other senior members of the engineering SMT to share best practice across the business and achieve synergies wherever possible. Actively participate in and contribute at monthly group wide engineering SMT meetings.
• Actively promote communication and dialogue within the terminal engineering team and associated operational business, for the benefit of information flow and stakeholder engagement.
• Effectively manage the terminal engineering team to nurture and develop talent, ensure capable management succession, and ensure the team is appropriately motivated and developed so that they carry out their responsibilities to the required standard. Ensure adherence to all required policies and procedures as they relate to your role;
• Ensure a robust recruitment, induction and ongoing development programme is in place for all employees within your remit.
• Promote a mindset of “Safety First” and instil an ethos of continual safety improvement.
• Work closely with the Group Safety team to ensure that compliance with required regulations and laws governing the respective business operations and internal safety and operating standards are always adhered to.
• Support and drive SOx principles ensuring adherence to documented controls as they relate to your function.
• Ensure appropriate Designated Financial Authorities (‘DFAs’) are in place and adhered to for your area.
• Get involved in any ad hoc projects, within remit, as may be required, from time to time.
• The above is not an exhaustive list of duties, and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated in pursuance of the overall business objectives of the organisation

Key skills/job requirements:

• Ideally Chartered engineer status with a minimum 5 years’ experience in engineering leadership with specific experience of electrical/mechanical engineering.
• Good working knowledge and appreciation of the operations associated with rail connected container terminals would be a distinct advantage.
• Be conversant in the requirements of statutory planning and building control rules and regulations.
• Project management skills as well as proficiency in the use of IT systems e.g. MS Outlook, PowerPoint, Word & Excel and PM software
• Previous experience of managing multi-million-pound projects from concept to completion, most specifically experience of electrical and mechanical equipment projects.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Willingness to work unsociable hours from time to time at key points in the project delivery cycle.
• Strong organisational skills with a diplomatic and tactful approach to resolving contentious situations or disputes should they arise with the ability to make difficult decisions.
• Strong customer service focus with the ability to demonstrate negotiation, influencing and problem-solving skills.
• Commercially astute, articulate, and technically strong with the ability to operate at both a strategic and an operational level.
• Ability to build healthy working relationships with key business stakeholders while exhibiting independence and objectivity in thought and action.
• Financial accounting awareness and the ability to interpret monthly balance sheet, and profit and loss accounts, and solid analytical skills with the ability to digest and disseminate information.