Technical Manager in Trowbridge

This is a rare opportunity to join a business at a truly exciting time for having exceeded £250m turnover. Apetito's UK business is now investing over £100m to build a brand new kitchen to support the ongoing and continuous growth achieved to date. As the successful candidate, you will not only be the Technical Manager responsible for providing food safety and quality leadership during the operational phase, but will also have the opportunity to engage with the project during installation and commissioning.

While the new facility is under construction, you will be located in our existing Kitchen just a few hundred meters away from the new site. Reporting to the Group Technical Manager, you will initially work alongside the site Technical Manager supporting the existing team with a focus on systems and compliance. Importantly, this will also provide the essential opportunity to gain a solid understanding of our business and the complexity involved in managing the 100's of ingredients and materials required to produce 100's of recipes.

As the new build progresses, you will begin to engage with the project team to ensure that food quality and safety requirements are achieved during the installation and commissioning phases, recruit and build your team and relationships with your colleagues, and develop and implement the quality systems required for the new site. This will ensure that food registration, and an AA grade against the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety, is achieved at the earliest opportunity.

Responsibilities:

• The health and safety of self and others
• Leadership of the Kitchen West Quality and Food Safety Auditing team
• Oversight of process control, validation, HACCP and related systems
• Providing and supporting team and colleague training
• Leading internal and 3rd party audits ensuring compliance is maintained to the highest levels
• Minimisation of held materials and finished stock
• Submission and presentation of monthly reports in relation to key accountabilities and KPI’s
• Maintaining respected, collaborative and influential relationships with colleagues and external personnel
• Prevention, investigation and closure of incidents and customer complaints
• Control and input to the setting of the Kitchen East technical budget
• Pest Control for Kitchen East
• Provide cover for the Group Technical Manager, Technical Manager Kitchen East and QFSA supervisors

About you:

• 2 years experience in a Quality Manager, Assistant Technical Manager or Technical Manager role
• Passion for food safety and quality
• Food safety related degree
• Able to prevent rather than react to issues
• A strong understanding of the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety and related food regulation
• Creation and continuous improvement of HACCP based quality management systems
• Certification that enables you to undertake internal audits and host 3rd party audits
• Management and control of food allergen and microbiological risks
• Use of digitalised quality systems alongside common office based software
• Investigation, resolution and prevention of issues and complaints
• Mentoring, coaching and developing people to maximise individual, team and business potential

Ideally, you will also have experience of setting KPI's, use of SAP and of working in a complex ready meals business or similar environment. However, rarely does someone tick all the boxes and so if that’s you but you feel you are right for the role then please apply as we are happy to support and coach the right candidate where appropriate.

Company Benefits:

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• Apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

Our Values:

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of. We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers. We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people. We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040. Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer. We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds. Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we’re on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.