Your new companyA well established and highly successful food manufacturing business based in Ballymena is seeking an Assistant Technical Manager to join its Technical team. Operating within a fast paced chilled food manufacturing environment, the company is committed to delivering the highest standards of food safety, quality and compliance while maintaining strong relationships with major retail customers. This is an excellent opportunity for a driven technical professional to step into a leadership role within a high performing site.Your new roleAs Assistant Technical Manager, you will take responsibility for leading the Quality Assurance team and ensuring all site activities comply with company standards, customer requirements and legislative expectations. You will play a key role in maintaining and developing the site's Quality Management System, supporting HACCP, allergen, integrity and internal audit programmes, and ensuring the factory remains fully audit ready at all times. You will lead site audits and customer visits, coach operational and engineering teams to drive food safety culture, and support continuous improvement across quality and compliance functions. In addition, you will be responsible for managing non‑conformances and complaints, ensuring corrective actions are implemented effectively, and deputising for the Technical Manager when required.What you'll need to succeed Qualification in Food Science, Food Technology or a related discipline - minimum HNC, ideally degree levelStrong understanding of food manufacturing standards, including BRC and retailer Codes of PracticeProven ability to lead, influence and drive compliance and change across teamsStrong knowledge of food safety within a chilled manufacturing environment, including microbiologyMinimum Level 3 Food Safety and HACCP qualificationExperience supporting audits, managing non‑conformances and driving continuous improvementWhat you'll get in return Competitive salary and the opportunity to develop within a leading food manufacturing environment32 days annual leave (including 8 bank holidays)Staff sales and employee discount schemeA wide range of staff engagement incentives, including Christmas vouchers, site awards and recognition eventsLeadership and management development opportunities to support your career progressionStructured working hours (Monday-Thursday 8:00am-4:30pm, Friday 8:00am-3:30pm) with flexibility as requiredWhat you need to do nowIf you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be