Lead Technical Manager

Booker; Little Irchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Colleague card

Tesco discounts

Tesco Mobile deals

Health & wellbeing support

Pension scheme

Life Assurance

Cycle to work

Share scheme

Job summary

Booker is seeking a Lead Technical Manager to drive food safety, quality, integrity and compliance across its product portfolio and supplier base. You will turn technical strategy into action, strengthening governance and processes, while advising senior stakeholders and guiding a team of Technical Managers and Specialists.

You will deputise for the Head of Technical when required, and collaborate with Commercial, Supply Chain, Operations, Legal and Customer teams to ensure technical

Qualifications

• Significant technical leadership experience in food retail, wholesale or manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, quality management, compliance and product governance.
• Experience in technical risk management, incident handling and informed technical decisions.
• Understanding of supplier assurance, product development and end-to-end supply chain integrity.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders across functions.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing technical teams.
• Ability to challenge constructively and influence decisions.
• Strong communication skills, able to simplify technical information for varied audiences.
• Excellent judgement, attention to detail and professional integrity.

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of Booker's technical strategy with clear, actionable plans.
• Act as a senior technical authority for safety, quality, integrity and compliance.
• Strengthen governance, policies, standards and frameworks.
• Develop and monitor technical KPIs for performance, compliance and risk.
• Identify emerging risks and ensure appropriate actions.
• Lead technical risk assessments across products and suppliers.
• Translate scientific/regulatory insight into practical actions for the business.
• Collaborate with Commercial, Supply Chain, Operations, Legal and Customer teams.
• Embed technical requirements in category strategies and product development.
• Build relationships with suppliers, industry bodies and regulators.
• Lead, coach and develop Technical Managers and Specialists.
• Drive continuous improvement in processes and systems.
• Serve as senior decision-maker during incidents, withdrawals, recalls and escalations.
• Ensure root-cause analysis and corrective actions are completed.
• Provide evidence-based technical recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Deputise for Head of Technical when required, including during incidents and leadership meetings.
• Support strategic planning, budget management and transformation programmes.
• Champion a product-first, quality-driven culture at Booker.

Skills

Technical leadership

Food safety

Quality management

Regulatory compliance

Supplier governance

Stakeholder influence

Team leadership

Communication

Root cause analysis

Education

Technical or food science qualification

Job description

What's in it for you

At Booker, along with being a great place to work and giving you an opportunity to get on in your career, we also offer the following fantastic package of benefits:

• A Booker colleague card with 10% off purchases at Booker and double discount events up to three times a year.
• After 3 months service, a Tesco colleague discount card with 10% increasing to 15% off most purchases at Tesco for a 4 day period after every four-weekly pay day, ie. thirteen times a year. In addition to 10% off at Tesco Cafe and 20% off all F&F purchases.
• 10% off pay monthly & SIM only deals with Tesco Mobile for yourself, along with further great deals through-out the year.
• Up to 30% off car, pet and home insurance at Tesco bank. Terms and conditions apply.
• Free eye test when you spend £50 or more. You can also save 30% when you spend £50 or more on glasses, prescription sunglasses and contact lenses.
• 50% off health checks at Tesco Pharmacy.
• Exclusive access to discounted RAC breakdown cover rates
• An exclusive deals and discounts website saving you money on everyday purchases including a cycle to work scheme.
• After 3 months service, you can join our annual Save As You Earn share scheme which allows you to buy Tesco shares in the future at a discount.
• Retirement savings plan (pension) - save up to 5% and Booker will match your contribution.
• Life Assurance - You are covered for death in service life cover of up to three times annual pay
• Health and Wellbeing support and resources including our 24/7, confidential Employee Assistance Programme and Virtual GP for you and your family.
• A great holiday package

About the role

We are looking for a Lead Technical Manager to join our technical team and play a key role in driving food safety, quality, integrity and compliance across Booker's product portfolio and supply base.

Reporting to the Head of Technical, you will help turn our technical strategy into action, strengthening our technical frameworks, governance and ways of working to ensure we continue to meet the highest standards of product assurance.

As a senior technical leader, you will work closely with teams across Booker, providing expert advice and ensuring technical considerations are at the heart of business decisions. You will identify and manage emerging risks, support continuous improvement and help build technical capability across the function.

You will also deputise for the Head of Technical when required, providing leadership across the function and representing Technical in senior meetings, incidents and key business decisions.

You will be responsible for

• Supporting the delivery of Booker's technical strategy, turning strategic priorities into clear and actionable plans.
• Acting as a senior technical authority for food safety, quality, product integrity and compliance.
• Strengthening and embedding Booker's technical frameworks, policies, standards and governance.
• Developing and monitoring technical KPIs to provide clear visibility of performance, compliance and risk.
• Identifying emerging technical, regulatory and industry risks and ensuring appropriate actions are taken.
• Leading technical risk assessments across products, suppliers and regulatory requirements.
• Translating scientific, regulatory and consumer insight into practical actions for the business.
• Working closely with Commercial, Supply Chain, Operations, Legal and Customer teams to ensure technical requirements are considered in business decisions.
• Ensuring technical requirements are embedded within category strategies, supplier decisions and product development.
• Building strong relationships with suppliers, industry bodies and regulatory stakeholders.
• Leading, coaching and developing Technical Managers and Specialists, setting clear expectations and supporting the development of technical capability across the team.
• Driving continuous improvement across technical processes, systems and ways of working.
• Acting as a senior technical decision-maker during incidents, product withdrawals, recalls and other escalations.
• Ensuring robust root-cause analysis and corrective actions are completed across suppliers and categories.
• Providing clear, evidence-based technical recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Deputising for the Head of Technical when required, including during incidents and at senior leadership meetings.
• Supporting strategic planning, budget management and technical transformation programmes.
• Championing a product-first, quality-driven culture across Booker.

You will need

• Significant technical leadership experience within food retail, wholesale or manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge and experience of food safety, quality management, compliance and product governance.
• Experience of technical risk management, incident handling and making informed technical decisions.
• A strong understanding of supplier assurance, product development and end-to-end supply chain integrity.
• Experience of influencing senior stakeholders and working effectively across different business functions.
• Experience of leading, coaching and developing technical teams.
• The confidence and credibility to challenge constructively and influence decision-making.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical information for different audiences.
• Excellent judgement, attention to detail and a high level of professional integrity.
• A relevant technical or food science qualification.