Head of Technical

Established in 1997 as the first manufacturer of sushi for the UK supermarket industry, Taiko has evolved into the most innovative manufacturer of Sushi, Food To Go, Prepared Meals and Snacking products in the UK, supplying Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s to name a few. Over the past 25 years Taiko has launched more first to market Sushi and Food to Go products than any other sushi manufacturer in the UK.

This is a strategic leadership role for an experienced technical professional who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and is passionate about driving continuous improvement, developing high-performing teams and maintaining exceptional customer and regulatory standards.

This opening positions the role as senior, strategic and attractive to experienced technical managers looking to step into a Head of Technical position.

As Head of Technical, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for all technical, quality and food safety activities across the site. You will ensure compliance with all customer, legal and regulatory requirements while fostering a culture of quality and continuous improvement throughout the business.

Working closely with Operations, NPD, Supply Chain and Commercial teams, you will play a key role in maintaining and enhancing our reputation for delivering safe, legal and high-quality products.

• Lead and develop the Technical, Quality Assurance and Compliance teams.
• Maintain and continuously improve the site's Food Safety and Quality Management Systems.
• Ensure compliance with customer standards, retailer codes of practice and regulatory requirements.
• Lead preparation for and management of customer, third-party and regulatory audits.
• Manage relationships with customers, regulatory bodies and certification agencies.
• Drive a strong food safety and quality culture across the business.
• Oversee HACCP, allergen management, traceability and product integrity programmes.
• Monitor technical KPIs and implement improvement initiatives.
• Manage customer complaints, non-conformances and root cause investigations.
• Support product launches and process changes from a technical and compliance perspective.
• Provide technical leadership during incidents, recalls or crisis management situations.
• Ensure compliance with relevant standards including BRCGS and retailer requirements.

We're proud to offer:

• Opportunity to grow your career alongside with us with available apprentice program
• Brilliant support services designed to enhance your physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
• Annual discretionary bonus subject to business and overall performance
• Discretionary Life Assurance
• Discretionary Income Protection
• Group Personal Pension
• Private Medical Cash Plan
• Bespoke reward platform including access to retail, cinema & gym discounts.
• 50% off your food every time you dine with us for you and 3 friends.
• Contribute towards our award-winning sustainability initiatives that delivers progress against 9 UN sustainability goals. We're committed to responsibly sourcing and all our seafood, therefore we only use source sustainable fish. All our packaging is recyclable and 80% of our packaging is already made from recycled plastic.
• Annual Awards ceremony celebrating our success and offering winning Managers free trips to Japan.

About us:

Come roll with us and be part of something big. Celebrate global success across:

• Over 1500 retail kiosks globally (YO!, Panku, Mai Taiko Snowfox & Bento)
• Our Taiko manufacturing and distribution centre
• 63 YO! restaurants
• 50 major retail partners
• 3700 locations globally From Hawaii to Aberdeen

Our Values

• Own it, Care About it, Make it Exceptional, Win Together

Ready to Roll?

Come roll with us and play a key role by bringing people together to celebrate better food for everyone the Japanese way...