Site Head of Technical

The Compleat Food Group; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Bonus scheme

Company benefits

Job summary

The Compleat Food Group is seeking a Site Head of Technical in Tees Valley. This role involves leading the technical strategy for a fry plant, ensuring compliance with food safety and quality standards. The ideal candidate has significant experience in technical leadership within food manufacturing, especially with major UK retailers. A competitive salary of up to £80,000, along with a car allowance and bonus scheme, is offered, alongside opportunities for career progression and a supportive work environment.

Qualifications

• Proven senior technical/quality leadership experience in food manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of BRCGS standards and experience managing audits.
• Full UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the site Technical function.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate across departments to embed technical excellence.
• Ensure compliance with food legislation and audit standards.

Skills

Technical leadership

Food safety knowledge

People management

Retailer relationship management

Audit standards

Data analysis

Education

Degree in Food Science or related discipline

Job description

Salary: £75k - £80k per annum + car allowance + bonus

Reports to: Group Head of Quality & Compliance

About Us

At The Compleat Food Group (TCFG), we’re passionate about creating great-tasting food that people love. We bring together top talent, trusted brands, and a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and quality. We’re now seeking a dynamic Site Head of Technical to lead the technical function at our busy Middlesbrough frying site.

The Opportunity

As Site Head of Technical, you will deliver the technical strategy for the site, ensuring all products meet the highest standards of quality, safety, legality, and integrity. You will be the key technical leader internally and externally, managing relationships with customers, retailers, and cross-functional teams, while driving continuous technical improvements. This site leadership role offers the chance to shape technical operations, lead a skilled technical team, and maintain audit readiness at all times.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the site Technical function, ensuring outstanding food safety, quality, and compliance.
• Own the site’s technical strategy and align it with group objectives.
• Serve as the main technical contact for customers, retailers, and third-party auditors.
• Drive continuous improvement through effective use of KPIs, audits, and data analysis.
• Maintain and exceed retailer and certification audit standards (BRC, M&S, Tesco, JS, Asda, etc.).
• Manage and develop a high-performing technical team with clear objectives and regular reviews.
• Collaborate across departments to embed technical excellence in site operations.
• Lead site technical support for new product development, launches, and incident management.
• Ensure full compliance with food legislation, HACCP, TACCP/VACCP, and integrity standards.
• Manage joint quality plans and nurture strong relationships with key customer technical teams.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• Proven senior technical/quality leadership experience in food manufacturing (ideally chilled foods).
• Experience working with major UK retailers, especially M&S, Tesco, Asda, or Sainsbury’s.
• Strong people management skills with a record of building and developing large technical teams.
• Excellent knowledge of food safety, HACCP, legislation, and retailer Codes of Practice.
• Strong understanding of BRCGS standards and experience managing certification and customer audits.
• Commercially aware with confident influencing skills at all levels.
• Degree in Food Science or a related discipline.
• Full UK driving licence.

Why Join TCFG?

• Be part of one of the UK’s leading chilled food manufacturers.
• Make a genuine impact in a senior leadership role with real autonomy and influence.
• Competitive salary of up to £80,000 plus car allowance and bonus scheme and company benefits.
• Work in a collaborative, supportive, team focused environment.
• Opportunities for long-term progression within a group of this size and real career progression and investment.

Ready to Apply?

If you’re a technical leader ready to take the next step and thrive in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment, we want to hear from you.

Apply now and bring your technical leadership to TCFG.

What You Should Know About How We Recruit

At The Compleat Food Group, we believe great teams are built on difference. We create an inclusive, respectful environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and are able to be themselves at work. We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect. If you need a reasonable adjustment at any stage of our recruitment process, just let us know, we’ll support you — confidentially and with care.

We hire the best people, not the same people. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, we focus on what you do and the impact you could make in our business. Our recruitment process is fair, accessible, and designed to give everyone an equal chance. You’ll also find benefits that support people at every life stage, plus active internal networks — including Women @ Compleat, LGBTQIA+, and Neurodiversity