Assistant Technical Manager

The company

A well known, FMCG manufacturer is investing heavily in its technical capability as part of a wider growth, succession and cultural development agenda. Operating in a high-volume, fast-paced and highly regulated manufacturing environment, the business has a strong focus on food safety, quality, compliance, customer standards and continuous improvement.

With significant scale, complex operations and a broad customer base, this is an excellent opportunity to join a business where technical excellence is central to performance. The leadership team is looking to strengthen its capability by bringing in fresh thinking, strong governance and a proactive approach to quality culture across the site.

The role

This newly created Deputy Technical Manager job will play a key role in leading food safety, quality and compliance standards across a large manufacturing operation. As deputy to the Site Technical Manager, you will help shape the technical agenda, ensure robust systems are in place and drive continuous improvement across quality, audit readiness, customer compliance and team performance.

You will take ownership of the Quality Management System, internal audit programme, customer and retailer audit activity, complaint trends, compliance processes and technical improvement projects. The role will involve working closely with the wider leadership team across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, NPD and Technical to ensure standards are embedded, risks are managed and performance continues to improve.

Key areas of responsibility will include:

• Maintaining and improving food safety, quality and compliance systems.
• Managing audit programmes, non-conformances, corrective actions and audit readiness.
• Leading customer, retailer and third-party audit activity.
• Driving root cause analysis on quality issues, complaints and performance trends.
• Supporting HACCP activity, risk assessments and technical governance.
• Leading, coaching and developing a technical services team.
• Influencing stakeholders across the site to strengthen food safety and quality culture.
• Supporting succession planning and acting as deputy to the Site Technical Manager.

The candidate

You will be an experienced technical, quality or compliance professional from a food manufacturing background, with strong knowledge of QMS ownership, BRC standards, customer audits and retailer requirements. You will bring credibility, structure and confidence, with the ability to lead teams, influence stakeholders and drive meaningful improvement in a complex operational environment.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• A food manufacturing background.
• A Food Science degree or similar scientific qualification.
• Strong Quality Management System ownership experience.
• Knowledge of BRC standards and customer codes of practice.
• Experience of customer, retailer and internal audits.
• Strong people leadership and team development capability.
• The ability to manage complaints, compliance activity and quality trends.
• Confidence working cross-functionally in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• A resilient, decisive and collaborative leadership style.
• The ability to challenge constructively, influence established teams and drive accountability.