Food and Drink Engineering Recruitment

Maintenance, process and packaging engineers for Scotland's largest manufacturing sector

Engineers who keep production lines running

Food and drink is Scotland’s largest manufacturing sector. Figures from the Food and Drink Federation put it at around 44,000 employees and more than a quarter of Scottish manufacturing turnover, spread across more than 1,200 businesses, most of them SMEs. The same source estimates the industry will need around 7,000 new recruits by 2033. Distilling, brewing, soft drinks, bakery, dairy, meat and seafood processing all run high-speed production lines that depend on engineers to keep them going.

The roles that are hardest to fill

The engineering work is concentrated in bottling halls, packaging lines and process plant. Distilleries and maturation sites run from Speyside and the Highlands down through Clackmannanshire and the Central Belt, bottling and packaging operations cluster around Glasgow, Lanarkshire and the Forth, and seafood and meat processing is strong in the North East.

The hardest roles to fill are multi-skilled maintenance engineers who can fault-find across mechanical and electrical systems on a live line, and engineers who understand hygienic design and food safety. Shift patterns and the pace of production mean employers usually want people who have worked in a comparable environment before.

View engineering jobs

Food and drink engineering roles we recruit

  • Maintenance engineers, mechanically or electrically biased
  • Multi-skilled and shift engineers
  • Packaging, bottling and filling line engineers
  • Process and continuous improvement engineers
  • Automation and controls engineers
  • Project engineers for line installations and upgrades
  • Engineering managers and maintenance managers

A recent example is a Maintenance Engineer role supporting food and drink production customers, covering planned maintenance on conveyors and drives, where bottling hall experience was preferred. Current vacancies are on our engineering jobs board.

Glass bottles on a production line

Where the work is

Food and drink engineering roles are spread widely, with particular concentrations around Perth and Perthshire, Inverness and the Highland distilleries, Stirling and Clackmannanshire for maturation and bottling, and Lanarkshire for large-scale production and packaging. Every area we cover is on our engineering recruitment locations page.

Related sectors

Food and drink employers draw on the same engineers as manufacturing and industrial recruitment, and on process skills shared with life sciences and process engineering. Controls work links closely to electrical engineering recruitment.

Next steps

If a line is short of an engineer, see how we recruit for employers or get in touch with the team. Maintenance and process engineers can browse our latest engineering vacancies, or go back to all engineering sectors.

Automated filling machinery on a production line

How we recruit for food and drink employers

Line experience that matches

A bottling hall, a bakery and a fish processing plant use very different kit. We match candidates on the equipment and production environment they know, such as conveyors, fillers, labellers or ovens, rather than on job title alone.

Shift patterns up front

Most production engineering runs on shifts, and a pattern that does not suit a candidate ends a process late. We confirm shift rotas, overtime and callout expectations with candidates before an interview is booked.

Hygiene and safety awareness

Engineers in food and drink work under hygiene, allergen and food safety controls as well as normal engineering safety. We look for candidates who have worked within those controls and understand why they matter on a live line.

Food and drink engineering salaries in Scotland

Salary ranges in Scotland for the key engineering roles in this sector, from our Scottish Engineering Salary Guide 2026.

RoleSalary range in ScotlandWhat pays at the top of the range
Maintenance Technician£36,000 to £55,000Multi-skilled on automated production lines, with overtime
Maintenance Engineer£40,000 to £65,000Multi-skilled with food, drink or bottling hall experience, often on shifts
Maintenance Manager£50,000 to £85,000Process plant, energy from waste and power generation; large multi-skilled teams in FMCG
Process Engineer£40,000 to £65,000Water and wastewater; semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing
Automation Engineer£50,000 to £65,000Siemens and Rockwell PLC design and commissioning
Quality Manager£45,000 to £65,000Aerospace, defence and regulated manufacturing

Basic salary for permanent roles, 2026. See the full salary guide for all 17 roles.

Recent engineering placements

Maintenance Engineer, Central Belt Food Manufacturer How we placed a Maintenance Engineer with a Central Belt food manufacturer running high-volume production and packing lines, in 3 weeks. Maintenance Engineer, Advanced Manufacturing Business How we placed a Maintenance Engineer with an advanced manufacturing business in central Scotland, part of an international group, in 5 weeks. Quality Manager, Central Belt Fabrication Business How we placed a Quality Manager with a welding and fabrication business in the Central Belt, in 6 weeks.

See all case studies

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to fill an engineering vacancy?

Most engineering assignments take 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how complex the role is. Recent examples include a Maintenance Engineer placed in 3 weeks and a Quality Manager placed in 6 weeks. We give you an honest view of the likely timescale when we take the brief.

How do you screen engineering candidates?

Every engineer is interviewed by phone and on a Teams video call before you see a CV. Each CV comes with a written summary of the engineer's background, why they are looking and their salary expectations, so you only see people with the right skills, experience and motivation.

What are your fees and terms?

We agree terms for each assignment rather than publishing a standard rate, because the right structure depends on the role and how you want to hire. Terms include a free candidate replacement guarantee. Call 01698 464 099 to discuss your vacancy.

Which engineering roles do you recruit?

Quality, design, manufacturing, maintenance, estimating, project, electrical, mechanical, process, automation, civil and structural engineers, along with engineering managers and directors.

Which areas of Scotland do you cover?

All of Scotland, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Stirling, Falkirk, Perth, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Fife, West Lothian and Renfrewshire, from our office at Strathclyde Business Park, Bellshill.

How long has Engineering Recruit Scotland been running?

Engineering Recruit Scotland was set up in 2020. Our directors have spent 25 years recruiting engineers for employers across Scotland.

Tell us about your vacancy

Send us the details and a senior consultant will call you back to talk through the role, the market and how quickly we can find the right engineer.

Prefer to talk it through? Call 01698 464 099.

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Need to hire an engineer?

Call us or tell us about your vacancy, and we will give you an honest view of how quickly we can help.

Tell us about your vacancy Call 01698 464 099