Head of Technical
Full-time | Permanent
£60000 - £70000 + benefits
The Role
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 the Production and Operations teams, you will embed robust technical governance into daily operations, balancing compliance and commercial priorities.
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
* 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 and other relevant systems/processes
* Act as senior technical representative during third-party audits, customer visits and regulatory inspections
* Ensure audit findings drive meaningful improvements rather than reactive compliance
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
Collaboration & Continuous Improvement
* Partner with various operational teams to ensure technical standards are integral to daily practice
* Support process optimisation, grain performance analysis and product consistency improvement
* Provide technical direction for NPD, reformulation and process changes
* Drive continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen product performance and customer confidence.
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.
Personal Attributes
* High attention to detail and strong professional integrity
* Pragmatic and solutions-focused
* Strong technical judgement with a commitment to continuous learning
* Excellent communicator across all functions and levels
* Naturally analytical, curious and improvement-driven
* Calm, credible and decisive under pressure
* Thrives in hands-on production environments
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
Desirable
* Experience within an SME or artisan food business.
* Lead Auditor qualification and/or Advanced HACCP certification.