Technical Controller

Posted 20 March 2026
LocationNorthampton
Job type Permanent - Full Time
Discipline Internal
Reference051004
Job FunctionOperations
Expiry date 31 March 2026

Job description

Why Greencore?

Following the combination with Bakkavor in January 2026, we’re one of the UK’s leading creators of convenience food, driven by a simple purpose: to make every day taste better.

As a vibrant and fast-moving business, we’re proud to employ over 28,000 talented colleagues across 36 manufacturing sites and 21 distribution depots in the UK and the US. Together, we bring delicious food to life. Our products cover every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner and dessert, with lunch and snacking in between. In FY25, our shared passion helped us achieve combined revenues of approximately £4bn. 

Our extensive direct to store (DTS) network, with 17 depots across the UK, allows us to deliver fresh and frozen food both our own and from trusted partners to thousands of stores every day, ensuring consumers enjoy the very best, whenever and wherever they shop. 

Here at Northampton, we operate one of the most impressive facilities in Europe, based across a campus of 5 manufacturing units, and we have a team of around 2,000 colleagues making high quality premium products every day. We are the sole supplier of sandwiches, wraps, rolls and sushi for Marks & Spencer.

What you’ll be doing

As Technical Controller you will head up the site technical function and lead multi-disciplinary teams ensuring that the manufacturing unit operate within the required technical and hygiene process standards by adhering to customer, business and legal standards. In this role you will be a member of the Site Leadership Team.

  • Provide leadership and direction to ensure that across the functions colleagues are engaged, focused, developed and delivering their potential
  • Contribute to the site leadership team to ensure that food safety and quality systems compliment the operational model
  • Provide a senior interface with customers on joint business planning activities to deliver exceptional standards of customer service and adherence to customer policies and requirements
  • Ensure technical governance across a multi-disciplinary team to deliver audit compliance with respects to internal, external, legal and customer requirements
  • Create and deliver an integrated business plan to ensure that technical and hygiene processes are resourced and directed to deliver manufacturing, customer and legal business objectives
  • Identify and promote technical business improvement practices to deliver legal compliance and competitive advantage whilst driving functional improvements
  • Devise and implement a Quality Management Systems (QMS), ensuring that management information and statutory information is available for audit and MU Executive decision making
  • Ensure that the technical team has the appropriate capability to comply with food safety and quality compliance
  • Ensure that a safe working environment exists for all colleagues and that as a minimum the department meets the standards set out in the Health, Safety and Environment Policy

 

What we’re looking for

We’re proud to be recognised in the Gender Equity Measure Top 100 for our commitment to gender equality.

  • Desired: educated to degree level with a specialism in Food Science (or other relevant qualification)
  • Holds the following relevant qualifications: Advanced food hygiene Level 4 or equivalent, Level 4 Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), Level 3 allergen management and Level 4 micro biological training
  • Holds a lead assessor qualification
  • Awareness of Ethical and Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) management
  • Experience of creating and implementing an internal audit plan
  • Experience of developing and implementing a QMS
  • Experience of creating and implementing a technical strategy for a manufacturing unit
  • Able to lead projects and project management
  • Demonstrable experience of supplier negotiation and managing multiple external contracts with suppliers e.g., service providers, labs, laundry, pest controls and chemical providers
  • Is experienced in liaising with government agencies e.g., Environmental Health Officer (EHO)
  • Experience of applying advanced food legislation in a manufacturing environment
  • Able to implement and delivering KPI improvement plans
  • Demonstrable experience of building sustained customer relationships and working with specific customer requirements e.g., Clean-in-place (CIP)/Thermal Process

 

If this sounds like you, join us and grow with Greencore, and be a part of driving our future success.

 

Colleagues whose roles are at risk of redundancy and who meet essential role criteria will be given priority consideration for this role. 

Colleagues in central/support functions whose roles are at risk of redundancy and who accept a new role can continue working from their current location, in accordance with our location guidance, where feasible. The exception to this would be if a colleague accepts a role that requires in-person attendance at a specific location e.g. a Finance colleague who accepts an operationally focussed Finance role. All other successful applicants will be expected to attend work at locations where roles are based. Location expectations and any associated working arrangements will be discussed and confirmed as part of the interview and offer process 

 

What you’ll get in return

  • Competitive salary and job-related benefits
  • Holidays
  • Competitive matched pension contributions
  • Life insurance up to 4x salary
  • Company share save scheme
  • Greencore Qualifications
  • Exclusive Greencore employee discount platform
  • Access to a full Wellbeing Centre platform
  • Enhanced parental leave and menopause policies

Throughout your time at Greencore, you will be supported with on the job training and development opportunities to further your career.