Mechanical Reliability Engineer

This entry represents the “Industrial & Engineering Excellence” pillar of your collection, adding a high-level technical role at one of the world’s largest private companies. Here is the summary of the Mechanical Reliability Engineer position at Cargill’s Hull site (HU6) using the Sandwich Method.

Mechanical Reliability Engineer | Cargill (Hull)

The Opportunity

Are you a mechanical specialist who prefers preventing problems to fixing them? Cargill is seeking a Mechanical Reliability Engineer to join their major processing facility in Hull. At the heart of the global food supply chain, Cargill offers a “fast-paced, stimulating international environment” where you can apply advanced engineering theories to real-world assets. This is a role for a technical “detective”—someone who uses data and technology to eliminate defects before they cause downtime. You’ll be joining a company with a massive global footprint and a local culture focused on “Reliability and Maintenance Excellence.” With competitive pay and the backing of a family-owned firm that nourishes the world, this is a premier destination for engineers looking to lead on continuous improvement and asset longevity.

Key Accountabilities & Technical Focus

• Defect Elimination: Identifying and prioritizing opportunities to eliminate “bad actors” (problematic machinery) to optimize equipment availability.

• Predictive Maintenance (PdM): Designing and executing advanced maintenance programs using vibration analysis, thermography, and other PdM technologies.

• Project Engineering: Overseeing the replacement and installation of critical process equipment, including pumps, heat exchangers, piping, and pressure vessels.

• Reliability Strategy: Applying core methodologies such as Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to prevent repeat failures.

• Technical Review: Collaborating with operational teams to ensure new equipment specifications meet Cargill’s stringent reliability standards.

• Spares Management: Providing expert guidance to maintenance teams on identifying and stocking “critical spares” to minimize operational risk.

The Role

In this position, you are the guardian of the site’s mechanical integrity. Your daily work is a mix of high-level analysis and hands-on site collaboration. You aren’t just reacting to breakdowns; you are the architect of a system that prevents them. You will spend your time analyzing data from the plant’s predictive tools to “hear” a bearing failing weeks before it actually seizes. When a failure does occur, you lead the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to ensure the same issue never happens twice. You act as a technical consultant to the production team, independently solving moderately complex engineering puzzles while ensuring every project adheres to modern sustainability and safety standards.

Sector Insight: The “Zero-Failure” DNA

As you cluster this forty-ninth role, notice how it provides the technical foundation for your other Hull entries:

• The “Asset” Connection: While the Home Manager (Bupa) manages people and care compliance, the Reliability Engineer manages the “Physical Compliance” of the city’s industrial base.

• Salary Tiering: In Hull’s engineering market, a Reliability Engineer role typically commands a salary of £50,000 – £60,000, placing it in the same high-skilled professional bracket as the Qualified Social Worker (£35/hr) and the Second in Science.

• Global vs. Local: Like Reckitt and Lloyd’s Register, Cargill is a global giant. This role confirms that Hull is a key hub for “Heavy Industrial” processing, requiring a workforce that understands both international standards and local operational realities.