Job Description:
Project Engineer- Buildings & Systems
Location: Melton Mowbray
Salary: £53,000-£65,000 + Bonus + Benefits
At Mars, the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a Buildings & Systems Project Engineer, you will be a critical technical leader within our site Engineering Project Team at Melton Mowbray—the heart of our pet food manufacturing innovation. In this role, you aren't just managing physical assets; you are the guardian of safety, corporate compliance, and structural integrity for our site. You will lead the end-to-end planning, execution, and closeout of new buildings, infrastructure, and facility services capital projects. By driving our site’s Long-Term Infrastructure Strategy, you will integrate sustainable technologies, building automation, and energy-efficient systems to future-proof our manufacturing capabilities and help us deliver on our "Sustainable in a Generation" commitments
What will be your key responsibilities?- Strategic Project Management: Lead the planning, execution, and end-to-end delivery of capital projects for our state-of-the-art pet food processing lines
- You will develop detailed project plans, track progress against critical milestones, and control scope, budget, and quality to ensure flawless delivery.
- Collaboration with Commercial & Suppliers: Manage the full procurement lifecycle for process equipment. You will develop technical specifications, issue tenders, and evaluate bids, collaborating closely with Commercial partners to secure favorable terms, build strong supplier relationships, and ensure material quality.
- On-Site Installation & Commissioning: Oversee the installation, commissioning, and startup of new utilities and process equipment. You will coordinate seamlessly with cross-functional internal teams—including Maintenance, Operations, R&D, and CVS—and manage external contractors to lead performance trials and ensure a smooth handover to production.
- Guardian of Safety & Compliance: Act as the primary authority for ensuring all new equipment and line designs comply with relevant machine safety and engineering guidelines by design. You will conduct rigorous risk assessments to ensure all health, safety, and environmental (HSE) requirements strictly adhere to Mars global standards.
- Financial & Stakeholder Management: Develop and manage project budgets, providing accurate forecasting and cost tracking of your areas of responsibility (specifically the Inbound & Process area). Serve as the key communication link, providing clear status updates to senior management, production teams, and external partners.
- A bachelor’s degree in mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Civil, or a relevant Engineering discipline.
- Proven experience leading end-to-end capital engineering projects in a fast-paced manufacturing environment (FMCG, food, or pet food manufacturing experience is highly desirable).
- Experience in process engineering, utility distribution, building systems, and automation/control systems
- Understanding of machine safety standards, building codes, local compliance, and Quality & Food Safety management systems (HACCP/GMP)
- stakeholder management, communication, and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence technical decisions across cross-functional teams and external vendors.
- A continuous improvement lens, with a passion for sustainable technologies, energy efficiency, and future-proofing manufacturing capabilities.
- Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles
- Join a purpose-driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today
- Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University
- An industry-competitive salary and benefits package, including a company bonus
Mars is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable adjustments for individuals with disabilities, long-term health conditions, or who are neurodiverse during the application and recruitment process. To request reasonable adjustments, complete our Reasonable Adjustment Request Form here
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Civil, or relevant Engineering discipline
- Proven experience leading end-to-end capital engineering projects in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
- Experience in process engineering, utility distribution, building systems, and automation/control systems
- Understanding of machine safety standards, building codes, local compliance, and Quality & Food Safety management systems (HACCP/GMP)
- Experience developing technical specifications, issuing tenders, and evaluating bids for process equipment (procurement lifecycle)
- Experience overseeing installation, commissioning, and startup of utilities and process equipment and managing contractors
- Stakeholder management, communication, and collaboration skills with ability to influence across cross-functional teams
- Continuous improvement mindset and passion for sustainable technologies and energy efficiency
- Experience in FMCG, food, or pet food manufacturing
Mars Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Mars and has not been reviewed or approved by Mars.
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Healthcare Strength — The benefits package is positioned as comprehensive, with broad medical coverage and additional protections like life insurance and short- and long-term disability. Mental health support is emphasized, including free mental health services and wellbeing programming under initiatives such as Mars Be Well.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is highlighted as market-leading in the U.S., with an example of 18 weeks fully paid for both parents. Additional family-related leave types such as sick time for caregiving and bereavement leave are also described as part of the overall package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings are described as strong, including 401(k) matching (with a 6% match cited) and pension plans in some cases. The broader package also references retirement savings options and contributions aligned to local market practice, supporting long-term financial security.
Mars Insights
What We Do
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™. We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
