Training Manager

Avondale Foods is a leading food processing company of Fresh and Chilled products supplying leading retail businesses such as Marks Spencer, Morrisons and Waitrose in the UK. The Training Manager will play a central role in designing, implementing and continuously improving a comprehensive induction and training framework across our complex food manufacturing environment. The post holder will ensure that all employees are competent, compliant and audit-ready at all times, with particular focus on food safety, quality standards, regulatory compliance and operational excellence. This position plays a critical role in supporting food safety culture, maintaining certification standards and enabling the business to meet regulatory, customer and internal requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Induct newly recruited employees to create a warm and positive welcome to the Avondale Family.
• Develop and own the site-wide training strategy aligned with business objectives, food safety standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish and maintain a robust training matrix covering all roles, competencies, and mandatory certifications.
• Ensure training systems and documentation are audit-ready at all times.
• Design and deliver training related to food safety, hygiene, GMP, HACCP, allergen management, CCPs, and legal compliance.
• Partner closely with Quality and Technical teams to embed food safety culture across the organisation.
• Ensure training records, competency assessments, and refresher programs meet internal, customer, and external audit requirements.
• Act as a key point of contact during audits for training and competency-related elements.
• Identify gaps through audits, incidents, or non-conformances and implement corrective training actions.
• Design blended learning solutions including classroom, on-the-job, digital and competency-based assessments.
• Deliver or coordinate training for induction, role-specific skills, leadership and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coach and support line managers in assessing competence and delivering effective on-the-job training.
• Analyse training effectiveness using KPIs, audits, incident trends and performance data.
• Drive continuous improvement of training processes in a fast-paced, high-risk manufacturing environment.
• Work collaboratively with Operations, Quality, Engineering, HR and Supply Chain teams.
• Support change management initiatives by ensuring training needs are identified and delivered effectively.
• Ensure Senior Management are kept fully up to date on training targets achieved and KPIs.
• Promote a strong safety, quality, and learning culture across all levels of the business.
• Contribute to the development of a culture of Integrity, collaboration do the right thing approach in all interactions.
• Ensure Food Safety compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements to remain audit-ready at all times.

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience in a Training Manager or senior training role within food manufacturing or a similarly regulated environment minimum 2 years.
• Strong practical knowledge of food safety systems, including HACCP, GMP, allergen management and hygiene standards.
• Experience operating in a complex, high-risk manufacturing environment with multiple product lines or processes.
• Demonstrable experience supporting audit readiness and external audits (e.g. BRCGS, FSSC, customer audits).
• Excellent organisational, communication, planning and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Criteria

• Formal qualifications in Food Science, Food Safety, Quality or Learning Development.
• Experience delivering training across multi-site operations.
• Passionate about food safety, compliance and developing people.
• LMS Experience.

Benefits

• Pension
• Wellbeing initiatives
• Refer A Friend Bonus
• Medical Aid / Health Care
• Subsidised transport
• Subsidised Canteen