Technical Manager - Food Manufacturing (FTC) (London Area)

Technical Manager – Food Manufacturing (FTC)

Location : London

Salary : £75,000–£80,000 DOE

Contract : 12 month Fixed-Term (Maternity Cover)

Are you a Technical Manager with a passion for food safety, quality, and leading high-performing teams? We’re looking for a strong, decisive leader to hold the fort at one of the UK’s most innovative and fast-paced branded food businesses.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Technical and forming a key part of the Site Leadership Team, you'll lead all technical functions on site—ensuring the production of delicious, safe, and legal food across a dynamic chilled operation.

This isn’t a role for making sweeping changes; instead, we need a confident, capable Technical lead to maintain and uphold our clients exceptional standards, support the technical team, and provide clear guidance on day-to-day technical matters.

What You'll Be Doing

• Act as Technical Site Lead , overseeing food safety, quality, and compliance
• Be the HACCP Team Leader (Level 4 required) and maintain audit-ready standards (BRC, internal)
• Support and develop a strong on-site technical team including QA Manager and Quality Technologists
• Maintain and enhance our food safety culture , working cross-functionally with Ops, Supply Chain & NPD
• Engage in fast-paced new product launches – trials, raw materials, suppliers, processes
• Lead in areas like GMP, non-conformance resolution, supplier approvals, QMS training & documentation
• Provide calm, assertive decision-making during technical escalations and be part of the incident management team

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience (5–6 years+) in Technical/Food Safety roles in chilled food manufacturing
• Strong knowledge of High Care is highly advantageous
• Degree in Food Science or related field
• HACCP Level 4 (essential), Food Safety Level 3, Internal Audit trained
• Team management experience with a collaborative, people-first approach
• Confident communicator and decision-maker who can lead under pressure
• Agility to operate in a branded, fast-paced environment where priorities change quickly
• A cultural fit – someone who thrives on respect, collaboration, and pride in their work

Why Join Us?

You’ll be joining a business that truly values quality, pace, and its people. This 12 month FTC role is a fantastic opportunity to lead a respected technical team, drive food safety excellence, and keep things running smoothly while making a real difference in a high-performing, values-led organisation.

Interested?

Let’s talk! Apply now or contact Charlotte Liddiard-Smith at The Oval Partnership for a confidential discussion.

charlotte@theovalpartnership.co.uk

07501 980006