D R Newitt Recruitment
Head of Technical
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Head of Technical
📍 Scotland
👔 Senior Leadership Team Position
Competitive salary + Car/allowance + strong pension contribution + bonus
We are working in partnership with a leading UK food manufacturing business to appoint a Head of Technical for a large, complex, multi-customer manufacturing site.
This is a pivotal senior leadership appointment, offering full accountability for food safety, legality, quality, and compliance across a high-volume operation that supplies major UK retailers and food service customers.
The business operates at a significant scale and has a strong reputation for technical excellence, audit performance, and continuous improvement.
🚀 The Opportunity
As Head of Technical, you will take ownership of the site's entire technical agenda. Reporting directly to the Managing Director, you will sit on the Senior Leadership Team and play a key role in shaping site strategy, performance, and culture. You will act as the site’s technical authority, leading audits, maintaining relationships with retailers, and ensuring the business consistently meets the highest BRC and customer standards. This role will suit a confident, credible technical leader who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and enjoys driving structure, standards, and accountability.
Key Responsibilities
Technical and Regulatory Leadership
- Maintain AA* BRC site standard
- Lead preparation for and represent the site during all third-party and retailer audits
- Ensure full compliance with retailer standards
- Oversee the implementation and continuous development of food safety and quality systems
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of regulatory and emerging industry risks
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Quality and Performance Management
- Drive improvements in customer complaints, non-conformance, and incident response
- Ensure robust root cause analysis and effective corrective actions
- Lead KPI reporting across compliance, traceability, and quality metrics
- Champion a quality-first culture across all departments
Team and Stakeholder Leadership
- Lead and develop the Technical and Quality teams
- Manage direct reports, including senior technical managers and coordinators
- Act as the primary technical contact for major UK retail customers
- Build strong relationships with customers and external auditors
Operational and Strategic Support
- Collaborate with Production, Engineering, Commercial, and NPD teams
- Support safe and compliant product innovation
- Contribute to waste reduction, process improvement, and sustainability initiatives
- Influence site strategy as a core member of the Senior Leadership Team
👤 About You
You are an experienced senior technical professional with strong retailer exposure and the ability to operate effectively at the senior leadership level. You understand what good looks like in a regulated food manufacturing environment and can balance technical rigour with commercial awareness.
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You are:
- Strategic yet hands-on
- Calm under pressure
- Commercially aware and solutions-focused
- A strong leader who develops and retains high-performing teams
- Comfortable with accountability and visibility
Skills and Experience Required
- Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Technology, or related discipline
- Minimum five years’ experience in a senior technical or quality leadership role within food manufacturing
- Extensive auditing experience, including BRCGS, HACCP, TACCP and VACCP
- Strong working knowledge of major UK retailer technical requirements
- HACCP and Food Safety qualifications, minimum Level 3, Level 4 desirable
- Proven experience managing customer technical relationships
🌟 Why Apply
This is a genuine opportunity to:
- Take full technical ownership of a large, complex manufacturing site
- Influence site strategy at the Senior Leadership level
- Lead and shape technical culture and standards
- Work with major UK retail customers
- Make a visible and measurable impact
If you are a driven, credible Head of Technical seeking your next senior leadership challenge in UK food manufacturing, we would welcome a confidential discussion.
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