Head of Technical & Quality

Head of Technical & Quality – Food Manufacturing Location: Northern Ireland Salary: £85K to £95K + Package We are partnering with a premier, large-scale food processing business in Northern Ireland. A partner to the UK’s leading high-street grocery retailers, they are renowned for innovation, quality, and operational excellence. They are now seeking, a high-calibre Head of Technical & Quality to lead their technical governance, protect customer confidence, and foster a proactive, disciplined food safety culture. The Role This senior leadership role takes full accountability for all food safety, quality, legality, and retailer compliance across the manufacturing site. You will oversee the technical, QA, and hygiene functions, working hand-in-hand with Operations to drive factory discipline, ensure an "audit-ready every day" environment, and deliver repeatable compliance success. Key Responsibilities * Own the full framework for BRCGS, retailer Codes of Practice (COPs), microbiology standards, allergen control, and traceability. * Lead customer relationships and compliance audits. Ensure all non-conformances are closed out swiftly with sustainable, root-cause permanent fixes * Redesign the internal audit programme into a risk-based, unannounced model with clear escalation protocols for repeated or high-risk findings. * Collaborate closely with the manufacturing team to strengthen daily factory floor presence, ensuring strict adherence to GMP, hygiene, and traceability procedures. * Oversee technical sign-off, specifications, validation, and manufacturability assessments for concept feasibility and product launches. * Lead investigations and root-cause analysis for any food safety incidents or complaint spikes, utilising science-based reporting and permanent CAPAs. Your Skills & Experience * Extensive technical leadership experience within a large, complex, and highly regulated food manufacturing business. * A proven track record of managing technical relationships and strict compliance audits with major UK supermarkets. * Experience leading technical and QA teams through cultural change, moving from reactive firefighting to proactive prevention. * Degree-qualified in Food Science, Food Technology, Microbiology, or a closely related technical discipline. * Experience in Lean / Continuous Improvement methodologies is highly desirable