Head of Food Safety and Technical

• Diverse product portfolio
• Household name

About Our Client

Household name- QSR business based in central London which also has an exciting grocery offering

Job Description

The key responsibilities of this role include:

• Develop and lead company-wide food safety, quality, and compliance standards.
• Set safety and technical policies and procedures, ensuring they are future-fit, scalable, and aligned with regulatory and industry best practice.
• Be the key point of contact for external regulators, Primary Authority, auditors, and legal food safety matters.
• Manage and refine our internal and external audit programmes, embedding accountability and action plans at every level.
• Champion food safety culture across restaurants, supporting General Managers and Ops teams with training, insights, and coaching.
• Collaborate with NPD and Operations to ensure new products, ingredients, and processes are safe and deliverable by the operations team.
• Lead supplier technical approval and ongoing compliance, including onboarding, auditing, and performance management.
• Own the technical integrity of product specifications - ensuring our food meets all safety, nutritional, allergen, and customer-facing requirements.
• Build and maintain strong, values-led relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors.
• Oversee technical governance for grocery product range - including food safety, packaging compliance, labelling, claims, and retailer standards.
• Act as the gatekeeper for all food and non-food products, ensuring robust technical approval processes are in place from development to launch and then maintained.

The Successful Applicant

The ideal candidate will have a background in:

• Senior-level experience in a food safety, technical, or quality assurance role.
• A strong background in food service, retail, or manufacturing.
• Expertise in HACCP, QMS, GFSI, allergen management, food safety legislation, and ethical sourcing.
• Lead Auditor certification (or equivalent) and hands-on auditing experience.
• Strong people management and development skills.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Strong systems, reporting, and data analysis capabilities.
• Passion for food and sustainability.
• Flexibility to travel across the UK and Europe as required.

What's on Offer

Competitive salary + bonus + benefits + free food