Technical Manager – Dairy Food Manufacturing

Technical Manager – Dairy and Food Manufacturing

Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire | Permanent | 40 hours per week
Salary: £48,000 – £54,000 DOE, enhanced pension (6.5% employee, 7.0% Employer) Benefits: Health & Wellbeing Cashback Scheme, Private Medical Insurance after 2 years Reports to: Operations Director

Technical excellence matters. Great leadership matters just as much.

Cotteswold Dairy is an independent family-owned dairy, established in 1938. We are looking for an experienced Technical Manager to lead food safety, quality, legal compliance and continuous improvement at our Tewkesbury operation.

This is a senior and highly influential role. You will own our technical standards, including BRCGS, HACCP, external and customer audits, quality systems, technical compliance, complaints, laboratory oversight and audit readiness. You will also lead a Technical and Laboratory function of approximately 15 colleagues, including the Laboratory Manager and Supervisor, Laboratory Technicians, Quality & Technical Assistants, and Technical Administrator.

We need both halves.

You must be technically credible within food manufacturing and confident leading BRCGS audits, HACCP and food-safety systems. But we are equally interested in how you lead people.

We want a visible, approachable manager who gets to know their team, coaches and develops people, sets clear expectations and builds trust. You should be comfortable challenging poor standards or behaviours without creating a blame culture, and capable of developing a genuine one-team mentality across Technical, Laboratory and Operations.

Key responsibilities

• Lead food safety, quality assurance and technical/legal compliance across the site.

Maintain an audit-ready culture every day, not just before an external audit.

Lead preparation for and hosting of BRCGS, customer, accreditation and other relevant audits, including Halal requirements where applicable.

Maintain and continually improve HACCP and food-safety management systems.

Lead root-cause investigations, corrective actions and continuous improvement.

Oversee laboratory operations and work closely with the Laboratory Manager and Supervisor.

Coach, support and develop managers, supervisors and members of the wider Technical/Laboratory team.

Work collaboratively with Production, Warehouse and the wider management team, positively challenging where standards need to improve.

About you

You will bring:

• Significant Technical/Quality experience in food manufacturing/FMCG.
• Strong practical knowledge of BRCGS and personal experience of external audits.
• Experience in a high-risk/high-care, chilled or comparable food environment.
• HACCP Level 3 and Food Safety Level 3.
• Internal/external auditing experience.
• Previous management and leadership experience with evidence that you have coached and developed people.
• Strong problem-solving, root-cause, communication and influencing skills.
• A food-related Degree/HND or equivalent.

Dairy experience would be particularly valuable, although strong candidates from comparable food manufacturing environments are encouraged to apply.

Cotteswold Dairy succeeds through Team Cotteswold: teamwork, empathetic people management, high standards and valuing the people around us.

If you are looking for a role where you can lead the function, develop the people, raise standards and make a long-term impact, we would like to hear from you.

Location: Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, close to M5 Junction 9 and commutable from Cheltenham, Gloucester, Worcester, Evesham, Pershore, Malvern, Ledbury and surrounding areas.

Since 1938, Cotteswold Dairy has flourished from a modest milk round - delivering just 30 gallons a day using a bucket and ladle—into one of the UK’s most respected independent, family-run dairies, rooted in Tewkesbury. Built on the founding values of quality, service, and cleanliness, the business has remained committed to those principles spanning three generations, now under the leadership of Managing Director George Workman.

Today, we process, pack, and deliver over 100 million litres of milk and dairy products each year to doorstep customers and businesses across England and Wales, operating from multiple depots and a modern production site in Tewkesbury.

At our heart lies a strong ethical and environmental commitment. We partner with local farms within a 60-mile radius, many Red Tractor-certifiedpromoting sustainable farming practices, animal welfare, and minimal environmental impact. We’ve championed eco-friendly initiatives for decades, including returnable glass bottles, electric milk floats, telematics for efficient logistics, and zero waste-to-landfill operations.

More than a business, Cotteswold Dairy is a values-driven community dedicated to delivering wholesome, high-quality dairy products while nurturing people, our communities, and our planet—making us a compelling and meaningful place to build your career.