Senior Food Safety & Quality Manager

Pilgrim's Europe; Compton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Pilgrim's Europe is seeking a Senior Technical Manager to take full responsibility for technical aspects of the designated business unit within the factory. You will ensure food safety, quality, and compliance with customer and legal requirements, while driving continuous improvement across product, process, and hygiene.

You will lead audits, mentor the technical team, and partner with operations to deliver health and safety KPIs, operational excellence, and robust reporting.

Qualifications

• 3rd level qualification in relevant discipline or equivalent.
• Quality management experience in food manufacturing preferred.
• Experience in HACCP, BRC, and food safety standards a must.
• Proven leadership of cross-functional teams and continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive all technical activities for the designated factory unit, ensuring safety, quality and regulatory compliance.
• Lead audits and corrective actions; report on technical performance to management.
• Develop and coach the technical team; manage succession and development.
• Support continuous improvement and lean initiatives to achieve best-in-class operational performance.
• Maintain site technical integrity and respond to customer and legislative requirements.

Skills

Team leadership

Quality management

HACCP

Problem solving

Communication

Organisation

Negotiation

Education

3rd level qualification in relevant discipline

Job description

Full responsibility for all technical aspects of the designated business unit within the factory ensuring that the physical factory / site and its operation provide for food safety and quality , consistently meet customer and legal requirements, and work towards best practice. Time management to be planned to support team and their needs across the business unit to deliver results. To assist the Technical Manager in ensuring that the overall "day to day" site technical requirements are met. Interacting with the technical and operations teams to drive standards and customer expectations forward. To assist business unit management in delivery of the operating and financial performance. Key Responsibilities Measures of Success Health & Safety:

• Understand the Pilgrims Europe Health & Safety Policy, Company Safety Rules and Statutory requirements applying to manufacturing.
• Ensure focus and control in terms of delivering improved health and safety KPIs within Technical Department, ensure targets are cascaded down to all team members.
• Assist Business Unit Lead in delivering health & safety plan including behavioural safety focus

Technical

• Implementation, maintenance and continuous improvement of a HACCP based quality system, such that, as a minimum, required approvals (typically BRC and customer standards) are achieved and food quality/safety/legality standards are consistently met.
• Work alongside the Factory / Site Management team to lead and motivate the Food Safety & Quality culture to drive continuous improvements on all technical aspects on site (product, process and environmental / hygiene) to meet Customer and legislative requirements to deliver both external and internal KPIs.
• Auditing of the factory environment and activities to enable full assessment of standards being achieved, assessing, and ensuring the site management team are continuously improving ongoing technical standards.
• Effectively manage the workload and priorities, whilst encouraging ownership, responsibility and site team unity.
• Reporting of technical performance of the site, and Business Unit both internally and externally. Ensuring relevant internal personnel are fully aware of technical status and challenges which require their input to improve.
• Provision of technical guidance, training and support to other departments, developing awareness and understanding of technical challenges
• Working with Customers / Statutory Bodies, implementation of legislation and Customer standards. During factory visits and audits, providing information required and implementing corrective actions where necessary and providing
• Ensure that new equipment and fabrication will enhance technical performance, and not reduce it.
• Analysis of microbiological / chemical / allergen results / trends to determine corrective action / preventative measures as required
• Management of serious incidents to establish root cause and corrective actions / preventative measures. Ensuring corrective actions are taken to resolve issues effectively and efficiently.
• Investigate and evaluate options for new technologies; Lead their implementation from a technical standard point of view. Working with central functions to maintain and develop the existing Food Quality & Safety systems
• Driving customer complaint reduction plans with the factory teams.
• Streamlining all reporting/process control / traceability and monitoring systems within the factory environment.
• Co-ordinating Food Safety & Quality Management operation and ensuring all technical requirements are met on site.
• Maintaining site technical integrity.
• Deputising for other Senior Food Safety & Quality Managers
• To monitor and control any negative environmental impact arising from the processes within area of responsibility; ensuring that all direct reports and colleagues are briefed and clear in regards to their responsibilities
• Any other duties as may be required to fulfil the needs of the role and business
• Ensure that hygiene standards meet business and customer requirements. Conduct audits.

People

• Develop a culture where employee engagement and communication are promoted through the business values
• Ensure use of the key tools & forums for improving Employee Engagement e.g Weekly Team Briefs, Daily Huddles/SIC in an effective manner.
• Complete Team members' appraisals and provide feedback on their performance on a regular basis,
• Health and well being meetings to be completed for all team members
• Management of succession plans for the technical team and specific members of the team (as per organisational structure above), to include recruitment and selection, training and development (including competency framework training) , performance monitoring, counselling and disciplining. Continuous Improvement:

Continuous Improvement

• Ensure a structured approach to CI is in place across technical department, ensuring that all teams have an understanding of this and receive training to support. Assist Business Unit Lead with an improvement action plan across the business unit based on trend analysis and these are tracked accordingly to ensure full execution so as to enhance performance and become best in industry,
• Support Business Unit Lead to evaluate, utilise, and deploy a range of continuous improvement and lean techniques to deliver best in class operational excellence which can be measured through the financial performance of the unit and in line with Profit Improvement Plans (PIP)
• 3rd level qualification in relevant discipline, or equivalent.
• Quality management experience
• Experience in the food industry
• Experience with major multiples
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, negotiation, and organisational skills.
• Team leadership qualities.
• Initiative, self-motivated, well organised and assertive.
• Logical approach, excellent problem solving and decision making skills.
• Working knowledge of BRC standard, HACCP, Food Legislation, and Food Hygiene
• Excellent communicator (written and verbal) with the visible passion and enthusiasm for achieving targets, objectives and continuous improvement in a cross-functional team environment
• Good understanding of the commercial and customer dynamics and the inherent complexity of supply across Private Label, Brand and distribution channels.

Desirable

• Training, project management and coaching skills.
• Advanced Diploma in Applied HACCP Principles.
• Primary Poultry processing knowledge Relevant Degree in Food Safety, Hygiene and Management related subjects

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