National Automation Manager

Package

• Competitive salary dependent on experience
• 37.50 hours per week
• 5.6 weeks paid holiday per year including bank and public holiday allowance rising to 6.6 weeks upon 5 years' service
• Contributable Company pension scheme

Employee benefits

• MyHB employee benefits platform with access to:
  • Retail and leisure discounts plus hundreds more 
  • Free Financial Advice 
  • Bank your savings into an ISA
  • 24/7 confidential counselling and advice line 
  • Low cost voluntary insured health plans
• Onsite subsidised Health and Fitness Centre
• Onsite canteen
• 10% store discount
• Free car parking
• Death in Service Benefit (subject to 12 months complete service)
• Long Service recognition scheme

Job Introduction

Are you ready to take on a leadership role that drives operational excellence across our automation and engineering function. As our National Automation Manager, you’ll be responsible for the strategic management of automation and engineering operations across several large, 24/7 Distribution Centres.

Based at our Head Office in Liverpool, you’ll work between our current sites in Liverpool and Amesbury, which will soon be joined by our new DC in 2025, located in the Omega Business Park. This role places you at the heart of our growing national logistics network.

In this position, you’ll work with cutting-edge automation technologies, including Swisslog, Schaefer, Low Pad, and WITRON, ensuring that our systems operate efficiently and effectively. You’ll be instrumental in developing a robust engineering strategy that aligns with our business goals, overseeing maintenance schedules, and delivering cost-effective solutions that drive performance improvements. You’ll also ensure that all equipment assets and sites are optimised for maximum operational capacity while maintaining safety and compliance.

Through strong leadership, you will empower your teams to take ownership of their work, fostering accountability and continuous improvement. Your focus will be on maintaining high performance, ensuring compliance with Health, Safety, and Environmental regulations, and building collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Job Overview

• Leadership & Performance: Oversee national automation engineering teams, driving high performance and ensuring operational excellence.
• Asset Care & Maintenance: Ensure efficient asset care planning and timely execution of maintenance schedules with minimal downtime.
• Strategic Planning: Develop and implement an engineering strategy aligned with the broader business plan, ensuring resources are optimally allocated.
• Project Management: Lead and support functional and capital projects, ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery.
• Supplier Management: Manage high-value supplier contracts and ensure Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are met, while maintaining valuable partnerships.
• Compliance & Safety: Ensure full compliance with HSE regulations and lead the development of emergency response plans to mitigate operational risks.
• Team Development: Build and enhance team capabilities by fostering ownership and accountability within your teams.
• Continuous Improvement: Use root cause analysis to address complex issues, implementing solutions that drive efficiency and mitigate risks.

Minimum Criteria To Apply

• Degree or equivalent experience in Engineering Management or related discipline.
• Membership or Chartership with a relevant professional body (e.g., IMechE, CEng) is preferred.
• Strong understanding of UK regulatory frameworks for building safety and compliance.
• Significant experience in a fast-paced, commercially focused environment with broad stakeholder management, ideally in Retail, Logistics, or FMCG.
• Expertise in automation systems, including PLC, visualisation, and SCADA systems.
• Proven ability to manage incident response and business continuity across multiple sites.
• Experience in leading technical teams and managing maintenance within complex facilities.
• Strong leadership, project management, and commercial acumen, with a track record of delivering results in an engineering context.
• Excellent IT skills, including MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook).
• Ability to adapt to changing circumstances, with resilience and problem-solving capabilities.

About The Company

TJ Morris Limited trading as Home Bargains is a privately owned family run discount retailer selling top brands at the lowest possible price on the UK high street.

Having started 45 years ago in Liverpool our customers continue to be at the heart of everything we do and throughout our 600+ stores we have over 5 million customers each week.

With plans to increase our store portfolio to 1,000 stores throughout the UK we are a fast-paced retailer opening 50 stores a year (nearly one every weekend) - and we wouldn't have it any other way!