Managing Director - Pre Pack
Head Office - Taiko Acton
Contract:
Full Time Salary:
Competitive Contracted Hours:
40
Established in 1997 as the first manufacturer of sushi for the UK supermarket industry, Taiko has evolved into the most innovative manufacturer of Sushi, Food To Go, Prepared Meals and Snacking products in the UK, supplying Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s to name a few. Over the past 25 years Taiko has launched more first to market Sushi and Food to Go products than any other sushi manufacturer in the UK.
15–20 years’ experience in a food manufacturing environment Proven leadership in a high-care production environment Strong operational expertise with Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, or similar continuous improvement methodologies Demonstrable track record of growing and leading profitable businesses supplying major grocery retailers Full P&L ownership experience (essential) Deep understanding of UK food safety standards, HACCP, and HSE compliance Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, boards, and external partners Strong leadership experience in building teams and shaping organisational culture Managing Director – UK& I Food Manufacturing We are seeking an experienced and commercially driven Managing Director to take full P&L accountability for a high-volume chilled food manufacturing operation in the UK. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for translating commercial retail contracts into operational reality—ensuring every product is manufactured safely, legally, and profitably within a 24/7 “fresh-to-order” production environment. You will lead a complex, multi-site operation supplying major UK grocery retailers, maintaining exceptional service levels (99%+) while balancing the stringent hygiene, compliance, and quality requirements of high-care food manufacturing. Operating within a matrix structure, this role requires strong cross-functional collaboration across commercial, operations, engineering, supply chain, and quality teams. 3 Best Things About the Rol e Strategic influence
– Work closely with the CEO and senior leadership team on high-impact initiatives, leading strategy from concept through to execution. People leadership
– Shape, develop, and scale high-performing teams while embedding a strong organisational culture. Full accountability
– Own the end-to-end P&L for a high-volume, multi-factory manufacturing business.
Key Accountabilities Develop and execute the UK&I business strategy in collaboration with the leadership team Anticipate operational and commercial challenges 6–12 months ahead and proactively implement mitigation and growth strategies Lead daily production operations to achieve >99% On-Time In-Full (OTIF) delivery in a fast-paced environment Ensure compliance with BRCGS Global Standards, embedding a “Gold Standard” food safety and quality culture Manage multimillion-pound budgets, ensuring COGS, labour, and overheads meet targets while driving continuous improvement Oversee production planning and scheduling to maximise throughput and meet demanding delivery windows Drive cross-functional alignment to ensure successful new product development and on-time launches Build and lead a high-performing engineering function to ensure high uptime and ma