Head of Technical - Absolute Taste in Bicester

Who Are Absolute Taste and What Do We Do? We are an innovative culinary and customer service provider, dedicated to delivering inspirational food and experiences that redefine customer satisfaction. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for pushing boundaries, we continue to grow from strength to strength. As a small, dynamic team of event professionals, we specialize in creating exciting, well-managed, and sustainable events, while fostering strong working relationships. We are looking for individuals who share our fun, resilient, and hardworking values to join our supportive, high-performing team. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a highly regarded organisation dedicated to success and a positive, empowering culture.

About The Role We are seeking an experienced Head of Technical to join our dynamic team. As Head of Technical you will be accountable for technical compliance across Absolute Taste, ensuring all policies and procedures meet food safety, legal, quality, hygiene, and customer requirements. The role leads food safety and quality systems, strengthens supply chain standards, and drives continuous improvement to support sustainable growth. Working closely with senior leadership and the wider Group, you will ensure best-practice standards are upheld, customer and ethical requirements are achieved, and the business maintains its reputation as a trusted, high-performing partner. Work Location: Bicester with travel to our sites and events as required.

As Head of Technical, your key responsibilities will be:

• Set and oversee the Absolute Taste technical strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives, customer expectations, technical teams across the wider group and regulatory requirements.
• Champion food safety and quality across the organisation, ensuring a culture of right-first-time, continuous improvement, and accountability.
• Lead the development and implementation of technical standards, systems, and procedures that enhance consistency, traceability, and compliance.
• Lead the businesses development with our customer base, building multiple level relationships with customers across the technical function.
• The role will be field based as required, covering major events, ensuring compliance measures are in place and working properly.
• Build strong relationships across Commercial, Operations, NPD, Procurement, and Supply Chain to co-develop technical solutions that add value.
• Establish and maintain trusted partnerships with suppliers, co-manufacturers, and third-party auditors.
• Foster an affiliative and inclusive environment where people feel empowered, encouraged, and safe to raise concerns and ideas.
• Inspire and develop a high-performing technical team across multiple sites and functions.
• Encourage a coaching-led approach to leadership that nurtures confidence, growth, and accountability.
• Act as a role model for values-based leadership, supporting the wellbeing, purpose, and engagement of all team members.
• Lead technical readiness for new product launches, process changes, and capital projects.
• Oversee incident management, root cause analysis, and corrective action processes with a focus on learning, not blame.
• Continuously assess technical risks and opportunities across the business and supply chain to inform proactive planning.
• Ensure robust governance of food safety, allergen control, traceability, HACCP, and regulatory compliance (UK & EU).
• Represent the organisation during customer audits, regulatory inspections, and certification schemes (e.g., BRCGS, RSPO, Soil Association).
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of emerging trends, scientific developments, and legislative changes.

What We Are Looking For:

• Proven leadership in a senior technical role within food manufacturing, FMCG or catering & events.
• Deep understanding of food safety systems, quality assurance, and technical supply chain management.
• Strong working knowledge of relevant standards and legislation (BRCGS, HACCP, ISO 22000, etc.).
• Experienced in managing and motivating diverse technical teams across functions or sites.
• Educated to degree level in Food Technology, Food Science or Food Safety management with appropriate qualifications to demonstrate continuing professional development and competence within this field, with relevant professional memberships.
• Proven track record in change management, achieving high standards and meeting set company targets.
• Broad Compliance knowledge. Food Safety / H&S / Customer Policies / Sustainability / Supplier Approval (Due Diligence).

Why Join Us at Absolute Taste? Join a fast-growing and innovative company that is redefining customer experiences in the culinary and event space. We offer an empowering team culture, the opportunity to work on exciting, well-managed events, and a supportive, resilient team environment. We are committed to supporting your career growth with thorough training and ongoing development.

You can also enjoy benefits such as:

• Competitive Salary
• 25 Days holiday + Bank Holiday
• Car allowance
• 3% Pension
• Life Assurance
• Employee Wellbeing Program

If you’re ready to make an impact in a fast-paced environment and contribute to the success of Absolute Taste, apply today and join our team! We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.