Technical Manager – SW London

Bayley & Sage
SW London
Depending on Experience
01 Jun 2021
29 Jun 2021
Full Time

Technical Manager – SW London

Are you a food scientist with practical experience in food retail and/or manufacturing?  Do you want to join a dynamic company and support our growth with your technical expertise and eye for quality?

Bayley & Sage is growing, and we currently have an exciting opportunity for a Technical Manager to join our team based in SW London.

We are retailers of premium fresh food.  We prepare our own range of salads, sandwiches, dips, soups, meal pots and breakfast pots and ready meals in our in-house Production Kitchen.   We currently supply freshly prepared meals and ready to eat items to 8 Bayley & Sage stores with more stores to come in 2021, which will require a more focused approach to quality and technical management in our business. We are also growing our range of own label products procured through our supplier base.

About the role

Reporting to the Commercial Director, the purpose of this role is to manage the day to day food safety of all products through the development, implementation and ongoing management of robust, food safety and quality systems. You will ensure that our sites meet the legal and regulatory requirements as well as customer and industry standards in Food Safety and Quality Management, and to ensure audit-ready standards every day.  You will work together with the Production, Operations, Logistics and Buying teams to ensure due diligence is carried out and we are compliant with all relevant legislation and regulations.  You will act as principal contact for the EHO and all food regulatory matters including HACCP, all external audits and labelling for allergens, and you will lead on the implementation of Natasha’s Law for the business.  You will also be responsible for ensuring that a food safety culture is fostered throughout the company.

Key Responsibilities

  • Develop and implement robust food safety and quality systems, policy and process for the business according to industry standards and in line with current legislation to ensure food safety of all products produced and handled by Bayley & Sage
  • Ensure quality systems, policy and processes are being followed
  • Work together with Buying, Production, Logistics and Operations teams to ensure due diligence is completed for all Bayley & Sage sites and that we stay compliant with all relevant legislation to include production, selling, storing and transportation of food products
  • Update, amend and review all Company HACCP plans in line with FSA and EHO requirements and all relevant legislation.  Drive continuous improvement across the estate
  • Create and carry out a robust audit schedule of the CPU, DC and all stores and provide findings and recommendations to relevant Heads of Dept
  • Create a robust product recall procedure and assist in the creation of a microbiological testing schedule
  • Act as principle contact for all EHO and food regulatory matters to include audits
  • Ensure all due diligence is performed on new suppliers and new ingredients
  • Ensure all labelling meets current legal requirements and lead on the implementation of Natasha’s Law for the business
  • Advise on responses to food related customer complaints which have been escalated and lead on investigations

About you

  • You will have a practical approach to technical management supported by a minimum of 2 years ‘on the job’ experience, plus excellent knowledge of industry standard technical processes
  • You will have a food science/food technology background or equivalent
  • Site technical experience in a food manufacturing business would be desirable e.g. RTE, Fresh produce, FMCG, food to go etc as well as a working knowledge of Retail and Food Service technical standards and shelf life extending techniques such as sous vide, MAP and pasteurisation
  • Customer-facing experience working with own-branded, high quality products prepared directly for the customer would be ideal and a background working with NPD would be a great advantage
  • You will have good knowledge of and experience working with HACCP, BRC (desirable) and customer/ retailer audits etc.
  • You will also have retail experience (desirable) and microbiology and analysis experience (desirable)
  • You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills as well as a good understanding of Microsoft packages, in particular working with Office 365 (Excel, SharePoint, PPT)
  • You will ideally be qualified to HACCP and Food Safety Level 4

What we offer

  • Competitive salary and benefits package including Healthcare
  • Pension scheme
  • 28 days holiday
  • 30% store discount
  • Employee Assistance Programme

Bayley & Sage is committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce.  We believe a diverse team is a successful team.  We want to offer opportunities to people from all backgrounds irrespective of age, disability, gender and transgender status, race and ethnicity, religion and belief (including no belief), marriage or civil partnership status or sexual orientation.  As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of background.