Company:

Founded in 1873, Stephens Bakery is a 4th generation family business. We are very proud of what we have achieved in our 150 years and our heritage is a great testament to the hard work of our loyal and highly skilled staff. Our teams comprise of the bakery, confectionery, savoury, hygiene, despatch, drivers, retail, maintenance and the office, which make up the wonderful team that is the Stephens Family; totaling 240 employees.

Growing from a small traditional bakery in Dunfermline with only a few shops, to a custom-built bakery in 2008, we have seen significant growth in the last few decades. We now have 14 retail shops (soon to be 15), and convenience partnerships with Coop, Scotmid, Morrisons Daily and independent retailers. Innovation has always been at the heart of our company values, and we strive to push the boundaries of the traditional bakery format.

Job Overview:

We are seeking a Technical and Quality Manager to lead on technical and quality ensuring the highest standards of food safety and product quality within our bakery. The successful candidate will spearhead our technical department, maintain our accreditations, and foster productive relationships with EHO and local authorities to ensure the highest standards of food safety and product quality across our bakery and retail outlets.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Compliance: Ensure that the bakery maintains our Salsa accreditation at the highest level, staying up to date with the latest standards and guidelines. Implement and oversee necessary changes to ensure compliance.
2. Quality Control: Develop and manage robust quality control processes for raw materials, production, and finished products, ensuring that all products meet specified quality and food safety standards.
3. Regulatory Compliance: Stay informed and updated on relevant food safety and quality regulations in Scotland and the UK. Ensure that the company complies with all legal requirements and standards
4. Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborate with departments throughout the business, (from production and sales to administration) to come up with solutions and processes that practically work for the business whilst meeting the technical requirements. This would also include technical support for our convenience partners
5. Audits and Inspections: Coordinate and manage internal and external audits and inspections. Address findings and implement corrective actions as needed.
6. Supplier Management: Work closely with suppliers to establish and maintain quality standards for raw materials. Maintain supplier information, including ingredient specifications and evaluations as necessary. This also includes supplier contracts such as waste management and pest control; overseeing the full contract including setup, day to day management and issues resolution
7. Local Authorities and EHO Interaction: Serve as the primary point of contact for EHO and other local authorities. Coordinate and facilitate inspections, manage communication, and address any compliance-related concerns in both the main production facility as well as our retail stores. Compliance includes microbiological analysis of final products
8. Health & Safety: Oversee and enforce health and safety standards throughout the company and ensure adherence to regulatory standards and mitigate workplace hazards
9. Inductions: Conduct production inductions from welcome and orientation to technical training and policy briefing
10. Document Control: Maintain comprehensive records and documentation of quality control, safety, and compliance procedures. Ensure that documentation is readily accessible and up-to-date on areas such as labelling, allergens and nutritional information as well as version control on recipes
11. Customer Complaints: Handle and resolve customer complaints, whilst ensuring customer satisfaction. Liaise with administration team in response to any customer or raw material issues and ensuring effective root cause analysis to prevent reoccurrence.
12. Continuous Improvement: Identify areas for improvement within the technical department and the overall production process. Implement and monitor continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications:

• BRC Accreditation experience is preferred but not essential, Salsa Accreditation experience is mandatory.
• A degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related field.
• Several years of experience in a technical or quality management role within the food manufacturing industry, preferably in bakery production.
• In-depth knowledge of food safety regulations, quality control standards, and associated guidelines.
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

What You’ll Receive

We love our people as much as we love our bridies (which is a lot!). So to thank them for all of their hard work, we offer an attractive benefits package:

• Competitive salary starting from £40k (dependent on experience)
• Lunch is on us! We offer free products to our teams whilst working
• Presents for our team at special moments (Christmas, Length of Service & Weddings)
• Know someone great? Our staff referral scheme offers the potential to earn £150 each!
• Popping in for a bite on your day off? You’ll get 20% off our products across all of our shops
• Free Counselling for mental health, money, legal or work matters
• Discounts at over 1,000 high street and online retailers such as Asda, Aldi, cinemas, holidays, etc

Note: The job responsibilities and requirements outlined above are not exhaustive and may be subject to change based on business needs.

Thank you for considering a career with our family-run bakery. We look forward to reviewing your application!