Technical Manager

Head of Technical Full-time | Permanent Up to £75,000 The Role Reporting to the Site General Manager, the Head of Technical is the guardian of technical excellence, ensuring products meet the highest standards of safety, legality, quality, and integrity. Working closely with Production, Operations and Milling teams, you will embed robust technical governance into daily operations — balancing compliance, commercial priorities and artisan craft. Through leadership, continuous improvement and a strong floor presence, you will ensure technical standards are a cultural norm, not a tick-box exercise. Key Responsibilities Food Safety & Quality Leadership • Own and continuously develop the Food Safety & Product Integrity framework across all sites. • Lead and maintain HACCP, including TACCP and VACCP, ensuring risk assessments are robust, current and operationally embedded. • Provide expert oversight of allergen management, gluten control, traceability, raw material risk profiling, testing regimes and product verification. • Act as the senior authority on food safety and legality, with the autonomy to stop production or dispatch where necessary. Certification & Audit Management • Lead technical strategy for BRCGS Food Safety, FEMAS, Organic, Biodynamic and Gluten-Free certification schemes. • Act as senior technical representative during third-party audits, customer visits and regulatory inspections. • Ensure audit findings drive meaningful improvements rather than reactive compliance. • Oversee the Gluten-Free Management Programme, ensuring segregation, validation and verification remain rigorous. Technical Governance • Oversee supplier approval, raw material risk assessments and finished product specifications. • Approve and technically sign off critical documentation and specifications. • Lead investigations into significant food safety or quality incidents, ensuring root cause analysis and preventative actions are robust. • Lead the annual Management Review for the Food Safety & Quality Management System. People Leadership • Line manage and develop Technical and Hygiene team members. • Oversee hygiene contractors and ensure the effectiveness of hygiene systems. • Define and maintain technical and food safety standards for induction and ongoing training. • Foster a culture where technical discipline and artisan craft complement one another. Who We're Looking For A technically strong, commercially aware food manufacturing professional who combines deep food safety expertise with practical, hands-on leadership. You’ll be credible on the production floor, comfortable leading audits, and confident making decisions that protect product integrity. You recognise that technical excellence underpins both compliance and premium product performance. Qualifications & Experience Essential • Degree (or equivalent experience) in Food Science, Food Technology, Microbiology or related field. • Significant technical leadership experience within food manufacturing. • Strong working knowledge of BRCGS Food Safety and food safety management systems. • Practical HACCP experience, ideally as a leader or chairperson. • Experience leading external audits and delivering strong audit outcomes. • Hands-on experience in a production environment.