Technical Manager – Dairy and Food Manufacturing

Cotteswold Dairy Ltd; Tewkesbury; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellbeing Cashback Scheme

Private Medical Insurance after 2 yrs

Enhanced pension (6.5% employee, 7.0%+

Job summary

Cotteswold Dairy Ltd invites an experienced Technical Manager to lead food safety, quality, and technical compliance at the Tewkesbury site. You will drive BRCGS audits, HACCP, and continual improvement while mentoring a team of around 15 in Laboratory and Technical roles.

You will report to the Operations Director and shape our technical standards, ensure audit readiness, and foster a one-team culture across Technical, Laboratory and Operations.

Qualifications

• Significant Technical/Quality experience in food manufacturing/FMCG.
• Strong practical knowledge of BRCGS and external audits.
• Experience in a high-risk/high-care, chilled or comparable food environment.
• HACCP Level 3 and Food Safety Level 3.
• Internal/external auditing experience.
• Previous management and leadership experience with coaching and developing people.
• Strong problem-solving, root-cause, communication and influencing skills.
• A food-related Degree/HND or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead food safety, quality assurance and technical/legal compliance across the site.
• Maintain an audit-ready culture every day, not just before an external audit.
• Lead preparation for and hosting of BRCGS, customer, accreditation and other audits, including Halal where applicable.
• Maintain and continually improve HACCP and food-safety management systems.
• Lead root-cause investigations, corrective actions and continuous improvement.
• Oversee laboratory operations and work closely with the Laboratory Manager and Supervisor.
• Coach, support and develop managers, supervisors and members of the wider Technical/Laboratory team.
• Work collaboratively with Production, Warehouse and the wider management team, positively challenging where standards need to improve.

Skills

Technical/Quality experience

BRCGS knowledge

External audits experience

High-risk/high-care environment

HACCP Level 3

Food Safety Level 3

Auditing experience

People leadership

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Education

Food-related Degree/HND

Job description

Scroll down for a complete overview of what this job will require Are you the right candidate for this opportunity

Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire | Permanent | 40 hours per week

Salary: £48,000 – £54,000 DOE, enhanced pension (6.5% employee, 7.0% Employer)

Benefits: Health & Wellbeing Cashback Scheme, Private Medical Insurance after 2 years

Reports to: Operations Director

Technical excellence matters. Great leadership matters just as much.

Cotteswold Dairy is an independent family-owned dairy, established in 1938. We are looking for an experienced Technical Manager to lead food safety, quality, legal compliance and continuous improvement at our Tewkesbury operation.

This is a senior and highly influential role. You will own our technical standards, including BRCGS, HACCP, external and customer audits, quality systems, technical compliance, complaints, laboratory oversight and audit readiness. You will also lead a Technical and Laboratory function of approximately 15 colleagues, including the Laboratory Manager and Supervisor, Laboratory Technicians, Quality & Technical Assistants, and Technical Administrator.

We need both halves.

You must be technically credible within food manufacturing and confident leading BRCGS audits, HACCP and food-safety systems. But we are equally interested in how you lead people.

We want a visible, approachable manager who gets to know their team, coaches and develops people, sets clear expectations and builds trust. You should be comfortable challenging poor standards or behaviours without creating a blame culture, and capable of developing a genuine one-team mentality across Technical, Laboratory and Operations.

Key responsibilities

• Lead food safety, quality assurance and technical/legal compliance across the site.
• Maintain an audit-ready culture every day, not just before an external audit.
• Lead preparation for and hosting of BRCGS, customer, accreditation and other relevant audits, including Halal requirements where applicable.
• Maintain and continually improve HACCP and food-safety management systems.
• Lead root-cause investigations, corrective actions and continuous improvement.
• Oversee laboratory operations and work closely with the Laboratory Manager and Supervisor.
• Coach, support and develop managers, supervisors and members of the wider Technical/Laboratory team.
• Work collaboratively with Production, Warehouse and the wider management team, positively challenging where standards need to improve.

About you

• Significant Technical/Quality experience in food manufacturing/FMCG.
• Strong practical knowledge of BRCGS and personal experience of external audits.
• Experience in a high-risk/high-care, chilled or comparable food environment.
• HACCP Level 3 and Food Safety Level 3.
• Internal/external auditing experience.
• Previous management and leadership experience with evidence that you have coached and developed people.
• Strong problem-solving, root-cause, communication and influencing skills.
• A food-related Degree/HND or equivalent. Dairy experience would be particularly valuable, although strong candidates from comparable food manufacturing environments are encouraged to apply.
• Cotteswold Dairy succeeds through Team Cotteswold: teamwork, empathetic people management, high standards and valuing the people around us.
• If you are looking for a role where you can lead the function, develop the people, raise standards and make a long-term impact, we would like to hear from you.

Location: Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, close to M5 Junction 9 and commutable from Cheltenham, Gloucester, Worcester, Evesham, Pershore, Malvern, Ledbury and surrounding areas