Director of Technical Governance

We are currently seeking to recruit a Director of Technical Governance .The Director of Technical Governance is a key role in the Senior Leadership Team of Pilgrims Europe, reporting to the Technical and Research & Development Director. The Governance team consist of technical training, internal independent audits and technical systems and supports the delivery of the Technical, Agriculture and R&D Strategy. The role requires strong business leadership to align to one way of working, bringing together best practices across Pilgrims Europe. This role is part of the Senior Technical Leadership Team, developing industry leading strategy, leading key business wide projects and ensuring we have the correct training talent and resource within the function. The Governance team develops the Food Safety and Quality Manufacturing System (FSQMS) and designs policies and procedures that govern the Pilgrims Europe factories. The training teams support the roll out of the technical systems and procedures, whilst the internal audit measure compliance and identify best practices. A key area of responsibility is delivery of the Technical &R&D Strategy which includes the management, alignment and improvement of data capture systems and ensures KPI data is reported in a timely and accurate manner. The reports collated include weekly, monthly and quarterly reports for Pilgrims Europe and Global teams. This role will lead the Training strategy for Pilgrims Europe, supporting Leadership training, competency frameworks and training matrices which will support the overall 9 box process and succession plans within the business . The technical apprenticeships and graduate development will also be supported in this role. The Director of Technical Governance leads the Technical Excellence (Technical Pillar) process, ensuring technical check lists, audits and monthly reviews are completed in a timely and effective manner. This role will deliver a clear road map to continuously improve the food safety culture of sites supported by the Technical Excellence programme. To cover the full scope of this role, you will be required to travel to businesses throughout UK and Ireland and mainland Europe. Responsibilities: Leading the Technical Governance team to ensure the Technical strategy is delivered including technical training, internal audit, Food Safety and Quality Management systems, and KPI management. To lead the Governance team in delivering the collation of central group technical data. To ensure this information is analysed and reported in a timely and accurate way, managing all stakeholder requests and ensuring simplification is adopted at all times. To support key business initiatives to drive improvements in the ways of working, for example procurement tenders, people initiatives or standards design. To support escalated issues across this business, working with the business teams to ensure corrective actions are implemented and all learnings are shared. To lead the Technical Excellence process, ensuring check lists, self-assessments and audits are planned and completed. To continuously improve these processes to drive sites to forward in their technical excellence journey. To develop technical future leaders through development programs (Technical Leadership Pathway, development frameworks and mandatory training matrices). To deliver a robust independent internal audit program to allow all sites to improve their audit readiness ( this will include aligned ways of working across agriculture and Rollover and Oakhouse). To support our customers by delivering seamless technical service and relationship management where needed. Essential Criteria: Degree in Food Technology, Food Science or equivalent subject. Experience of managing business wide projects and a track record of delivering improvements. To have the following values Discipline, determination and ownership. In depth technical understanding of Manufacturing Standards, such as BRCGS and retailer standards. High level of system literacy to handle and process data. High level of system literacy to handle and process data. Analytical skills and ability in extracting key points of significance with a strong attention to detail. Strong report writing skills with ability to work to deadlines and to a high level of accuracy Desirable Criteria: Experience of leading a large Technical Function and developing strong technical capability. Ability to engage and build relationships with internal and external stakeholders Experience in delivering food safety training. ADZN1_UKTJ

Location: Matley, GB

Posted Date: 5/14/2025