Head of Technical UK & Ireland

Wienerberger AG; Kingsbury; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading building materials provider in the UK is seeking a Head of Technical who will play a pivotal role in shaping the quality and sustainability of products. You will lead a team of technical specialists, overseeing materials strategy and laboratory operations. Ideal candidates will have senior-level technical experience, strong leadership capabilities, and excellent communication skills. This role involves frequent travel across the UK and Ireland, with a competitive salary and benefits including a company car.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Annual company bonus up to 16%

Pension scheme

Private Medical Insurance – Family Cover

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Company car/allowance

Employee assistance and wellbeing programmes

Health & wellbeing benefits

Life assurance (2x annual salary)

Opportunity to join the Share Incentive Plan

Qualifications

• Experience in material-conversion manufacturing environment.
• Strong senior-level experience in a technical role.
• Ability to guide teams through change and inspire high performance.

Responsibilities

• Maintain safety, quality, and sustainability standards.
• Drive research, development, and innovation.
• Support strategic decision-making across operations.
• Provide senior leadership and external representation.

Skills

Technical leadership

Communication and negotiation skills

Organizational and planning skills

Analytical thinking

Project management

Education

Degree-level education

Job description

About the Role

As our Head of Technical you’ll play a pivotal role in how we shape the quality, sustainability, and long‑term reliability of the products we manufacture for our customers. This is a key role, reporting directly to the Operations Director, and a role that directly supports both how we operate today and how we evolve for the future. You’ll lead a team of circa 15 technical specialists, including 3 direct reports, creating the environment they need to grow, contribute, and deliver meaningful outcomes. The Head of Technical will guide the full lifecycle of our materials strategy, from securing and approving raw materials, to overseeing our central laboratory operations, and ensuring product compliance across all our UK sites. It’s a role where you’ll shape not only our processes, but also the future direction of our materials, products, and sustainability commitments. This is a regional role covering our UK & Ireland region. You will ideally be based a commutable distance from our Kingsbury site where our Central Lab is located. However, we are open to applications from candidates across the region with the expectation that frequent travel and overnight stays are expected in the role. A company car/allowance is provided.

Responsibilities

• Maintaining Safety, Quality, and Sustainability Standards
• You’ll help us maintain our high standards, making sure our quarries, suppliers, and production processes meet both regulatory requirements and our own expectations for safety, quality, and sustainability.
• Driving Research, Development, and Innovation
• You’ll also be at the forefront of our research and development activity. Working closely with universities, government bodies, and industry partners, you’ll help discover new possibilities, support innovation, and explore new ways to elevate our products and reduce environmental impact.
• Supporting Strategic Decision‑Making Across Operations
• Collaboration sits at the heart of this role, and you’ll work across our operational leadership teams to guide strategic decisions, support ongoing change, and make sure our technical approach aligns with our long‑term ambitions.
• Providing Senior Leadership and External Representation
• Beyond your direct accountabilities, you’ll be a senior voice within our operations leadership community, sharing insight, supporting colleagues, and representing wienerberger externally with professionalism and confidence.

About You

You will be a confident technical leader who has experience within a material‑conversion manufacturing environment.

It’s essential that you have strong experience operating at a senior level in a technical, quality assurance of engineering role.

You will also have strong proven leadership capability, with the ability to guide teams through change, develop others, and inspire high performance.

You will also have:

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, enabling effective collaboration across teams and with external partners
• A degree‑level education, providing a strong technical and professional foundation
• Strong organisational and planning skills, with the ability to balance priorities effectively
• Experience leading and delivering projects from concept through to completion
• Strong analytical thinking paired with a pragmatic, solutions‑focused approach to problems
• The resilience to work under pressure, maintain accuracy, and meet critical deadlines

Due to technical nature of the role it is also desirable if you have the following

• NEBOSH Certificate
• Quarry Management credentials
• Strong links and network with the Brick Development Association and Ceramics UK
• Lean, 5S, PIP
• Heavy Clay/ raw materials/quarrying industry experience

Benefits

• Salary – competitive
• Annual company bonus up to 16%
• Pension scheme
• Private Medical Insurance – Family Cover
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays & holiday flexibility (buy 4 extra days and sell up to 2 days) + additional volunteering day
• Company car/allowance
• Employee assistance and wellbeing programmes (including 24/7 online GP, discounts on counselling, mental health support service, get fit programmes)
• Health & wellbeing benefits which include dental cover, health cash plan and eye tests
• Financial advice/support available (including expert advice from our pension provider, and recommendations on savings & loans options)
• Employee discounts available with various retailers, gyms, and wienerberger products
• Life assurance (2x annual salary)
• Opportunity to join our Share Incentive Plan and our Employee Profit Participation Programme

About Wienerberger Ltd

Wienerberger Ltd is a provider of wall, roof and landscaping innovations, offering outstanding, sustainable solutions for new build and renovation. In the UK, we have head offices located in Cheadle and Doncaster, showrooms in London, Belfast and Surrey, with brick and roof tile production sites in Manchester, Co. Durham, Worcestershire, North Warwickshire, West Midlands, North Kent, Surrey and West Sussex.

So what are you waiting for? Come and join wienerberger as Head of Technical and start growing your career with us today!

The closing date for this role is subject to change and may be closed earlier than advertised.