Senior Technical Lead, Chilled Food Manufacturing

Protea Recruitment; Cork; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Protea Recruitment is seeking a Technical Manager to lead the technical, quality and food safety agenda in a fast-paced chilled food manufacturing site in Cork.

You will own compliance, product integrity, customer technical engagement and drive continuous improvement of chilled operations, with a hands-on leadership style. This full-time role offers opportunities to shape QMS, audits, supplier management and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• 5 years’ experience in a technical or QA leadership role within food manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of BRCGS Issue 9, HACCP (Level 4 preferred), GMP, and EU food legislation.
• Experience managing and improving QMS systems in chilled/high-care environments.
• Confident handling customer audits and external technical communication.
• Strong leadership and coaching skills with a hands-on approach.
• Experience with chilled seafood, fish processing, or chilled value-added manufacturing.
• Exposure to supermarket retailer technical systems.
• Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical function across chilled, high-care, and high-risk areas.
• Ensure full compliance with food safety legislation, BRCGS standards, and customer Codes of Practice.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve the Quality Management System (QMS) with a chilled-product focus.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the technical and QA teams, driving a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Oversee HACCP, VACCP, TACCP, allergen management, traceability, microbiological controls, and chilled-chain integrity.
• Own and maintain technical documentation, product specifications, SOPs, and QAS standards.
• Conduct internal audits and ensure the site is fully prepared for BRCGS, customer, and regulatory audits.
• Monitor product quality from raw material intake through to finished chilled product dispatch.
• Work closely with Production to ensure chilled-chain controls, temperature management, GMP, and hygiene standards are consistently achieved.
• Support NPD with first production trials, technical assessments of chilled products, and specification sign-off.
• Lead root cause investigations for non-conformances, customer complaints, and deviations from chilled operational standards.
• Act as the technical lead for customer visits, audits, and technical reviews.
• Build strong relationships with retail and foodservice customers, ensuring chilled product requirements are met.
• Oversee supplier approval, raw material risk assessment, and traceability for chilled ingredients.
• Drive improvements in chilled food safety, hygiene, quality systems, and audit performance.
• Implement CI initiatives to reduce waste, improve shelf life, and enhance process control.
• Deliver training to internal teams on food safety, chilled product handling, and QMS requirements.

Skills

Technical leadership

Food safety

QA management

BRCGS knowledge

Audits

Education

Degree in Food Science/Technology

Job description

Protea Recruitment is seeking a Technical Manager to lead the technical, quality and food safety agenda in a fast-paced chilled food manufacturing site in Cork.

You will own compliance, product integrity, customer technical engagement and drive continuous improvement of chilled operations, with a hands-on leadership style. This full-time role offers opportunities to shape QMS, audits, supplier management and cross-functional collaboration.