Technical Manager - Food Manufacturing

HPRtalent; Southampton; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Bonus

Job summary

HPRtalent is seeking a visionary Head of Technical for a major Hampshire food manufacturing site. This senior role carries full accountability for food safety, quality and regulatory compliance, within a growth-focused environment.

You will drive cross-site Q&S strategy, partner with NPD, Engineering, Commercial teams, and customers, and lead continuous improvement initiatives across GMP, hygiene, allergen and pest control. This is a high-impact leadership opportunity.

Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science, Food Technology or related discipline.
• Strong leadership in fast-paced food manufacturing and FMCG.
• Multi-site leadership experience with regulatory compliance expertise.

Responsibilities

• Lead all sites Quality & Food Safety Strategy.
• Ensure full compliance with BRC standards and customer Codes of Practice.
• Act as primary contact for retailer technologists, audits and regulatory inspections.
• Manage introduction of new product lines from a technical/compliance view.
• Drive continuous improvement across GMP, hygiene, allergen management and pest control.
• Analyse quality and food safety metrics to identify trends and drive improvement.
• Generate internal management review documents and external technical reports.
• Lead technical investigations with production and engineering.
• Contribute to Capex discussions and equipment selection.
• Review and optimise the site's technical structure and resources.

Skills

Multi-site experience

BRC compliance

HACCP Level 2+

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decisions

Education

Degree in Food Science/Technology

Job description

Head of Technical – food manufacturing

Location: Hampshire

£80-95,000+ car allowance + bonus +excellent benefits

A high-growth High Care food manufacturing sites in Hampshire is entering a significant expansion phase and is seeking an experienced Technical Leader to join its senior leadership team.

The business produces a range of branded and private label ambient products for major UK retailers and international markets. Following recent capital investment and with a clear three-year growth strategy in place, the sites are positioned to substantially increase revenue and operational capability.

To support this next stage of development, the Head of Technical is required to lead and evolve the site’s technical and quality agenda.

The role:

This is a senior multi-site leadership role with full accountability for food safety, quality and regulatory compliance.

• Leading all sites Quality & Food Safety Strategy
• Ensuring full compliance with BRC standards and all customer Codes of Practice
• Acting as the primary contact for retailer technologists, audits and regulatory inspections
• Managing the introduction of new product lines from a technical and compliance perspective
• Driving continuous improvement across GMP, hygiene, allergen management and pest control Analysing quality and food safety metrics to identify trends and deliver measurable improvement
• Generating internal management review documentation and external customer technical reports
• Leading technical investigations in partnership with production and engineering
• Contributing to Capex discussions, process improvements and equipment selection
• Reviewing and optimising the site’s technical structure and resource deployment

The role works closely with NPD, Engineering, Manufacturing, Commercial teams, raw material and packaging suppliers, third-party service providers and customer technical stakeholders.

The person:

We are seeking a technically strong leader with:

• Degree qualification in Food Science, Food Technology or a related discipline
• Demonstrable experience in a similar technical leadership role within fast-paced food manufacturing, beverages or FMCG
• Multi-site experience
• Strong practical knowledge of BRC and retailer compliance frameworks
• HACCP and Food Safety qualifications (minimum Level 2, ideally advanced)
• Experience managing complex retailer technical relationships
• Strong analytical capability and data-led decision making
• Confidence in challenging existing systems and driving improvement
• Ability to operate effectively under tight deadlines and multiple priorities
• Excellent stakeholder management across operational and commercial teams
• Clear and confident communication at all levels
• A structured, logical approach to problem solving
• A continuous improvement mindset
• Experience within ambient and fresh categories would be advantageous.

Why Consider This Role?

• Senior leadership influence within a growing business
• Significant retailer exposure
• Clear strategic growth trajectory
• Opportunity to shape and modernise the technical systems and agenda
• Long-term career progression potential

This opportunity will suit an ambitious Senior Technical Manager who thrives in a growth environment and wants to play a meaningful role in delivering the next chapter of business performance.