The Sterling Choice
Senior Technical Officer
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Senior Technical Officer
Food Manufacturing
Sunderland
Salary: £35,000 - £40,000
What if your next Technical role already had the next promotion built into the plan?
This food manufacturer isn't recruiting a Senior Technical Officer simply because they need another pair of hands. They're strengthening their Technical function and creating a genuine succession route for someone who wants to develop towards Technical Manager.
The expectation is that, with the right development and exposure, you could be ready to make that move within approximately two years.
That means the role comes with considerably more responsibility than the title might initially suggest.
You'll work directly alongside the Technical Manager and become their deputy, getting involved across food safety, quality systems, customer standards, supplier assurance, investigations and compliance. When they're unavailable, you'll be trusted to represent Technical and make the day-to-day decisions that keep the site moving.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Supplier assurance will be a major part of your world. There's a substantial programme of supplier auditing to work through, and you'll take ownership of audits, approvals, risk assessments and corrective actions.
It isn't all auditing.
You'll lead investigations into complaints and non-conformances, interpret technical data, support BRC and customer requirements and contribute to projects designed to improve the site's technical capability. One of those projects includes developing a new laboratory, giving you the opportunity to lead something tangible rather than simply maintain an existing system.
To make the step successfully, you'll already need a solid grounding within Technical or Quality in food manufacturing. Supplier auditing experience is particularly important, alongside knowledge of food safety systems, BRC and HACCP. You'll also need to be comfortable working with technical data, Excel and reporting, and confident enough to chair meetings and influence people across different functions.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
A Degree, HND or equivalent qualification within Food Science, Food Technology, Quality or a related discipline is preferred, alongside HACCP training. Lead Auditor qualification would be advantageous.
More important than simply ticking boxes, though, is where you want to go next.
If you've reached the point where you're ready for more ownership but need someone to actually give you the opportunity to prove you can operate at Technical Manager level, this could be a very interesting next step.
Let's have a confidential conversation.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills