Technical Manager

Working Hours: Full time, 5 days a week
Location: A minimum of two days per week in either our Redditch or Vauxhall based office. We welcome candidates based near either location.
Salary: £70,000-75,000 (based on experience)

Please note: We're not able to offer visa sponsorship at this time.

About Oddbox

At Oddbox, we’re on a mission to fight food waste. We work with growers and suppliers to rescue food that might otherwise go to waste, helping customers make a positive difference through what they eat.

We’re growing beyond fruit and veg boxes to offer more ways to enjoy great food with less waste. As we expand our range and develop new propositions, we’re looking for people who share our ambition and want to help shape what comes next.

The Role

As our Head of Technical, you’ll be the senior technical leader at Oddbox, making sure every product we sell is safe, legal, responsibly sourced and meets the quality our customers expect.

You’ll set the Technical strategy, lead the team and build the standards and processes that support our move into new categories and channels. Your remit will span fresh produce, chilled dairy, meat and fish, eggs, bakery and ambient products.

Reporting to our Director of Procurement, you’ll work closely with Sourcing, Supply Chain and Operations, Product, Marketing and our Customer Happiness Team, alongside growers, suppliers and co-packers. You’ll bring technical expertise into decisions from the start, helping us grow confidently while protecting our food waste mission.

This is an opportunity to shape a function with an expanding remit, combining strategic leadership with practical delivery.

Key Responsibilities

- Set and deliver our Technical strategy. Define clear priorities, standards and measures that support Oddbox’s growth into a multi-category, multi-channel business.
- Build the foundations for new categories and products. Establish specifications, supplier approvals, risk assessments and technical sign-off before launch, working closely with the teams developing our range and proposition.
- Lead food safety and compliance. Oversee food safety, legal compliance, audit programmes and relevant accreditations across our own and third-party sites. Maintain clear policies, document control and brand standards.
- Own supplier and co-packer technical assurance. Lead technical relationships, due diligence, approvals, audits and performance reviews, including visibility of Sedex and ethical audit requirements. Work alongside our Supply Chain & Sustainability Director on co-packer relationships.
- Drive quality performance. Use complaints, rejections, quality-related product swaps and supplier data to identify issues, agree actions and drive improvements across the range.
- Maintain robust traceability and recall procedures. Ensure we can respond quickly and accurately to incidents, withdrawals or recalls across every category.
- Lead and develop the Technical team. Build capability across categories, set clear accountabilities and develop the team to support business growth.
- Support our sustainability commitments. Lead the technical contribution to responsible sourcing, packaging, carbon reduction and B Corp activity, working with colleagues across the business.

Skills and Experience

We’re looking for someone who brings:

- A qualification in food science, food technology or a related discipline, with HACCP Level 3 as a minimum.
- Senior technical leadership experience within a food business, such as a retailer, manufacturer, foodservice operator or major supplier.
- Experience across fresh produce and at least two of dairy, meat, fish or bakery.
- Strong knowledge of UK food legislation, BRC standards and relevant certification schemes.
- A clear understanding of category-specific risks, including cold chain, shelf life, microbiology, allergens and labelling, alongside traceability, species verification and welfare certification for meat and fish.
- Experience managing supplier and co-packer technical relationships, including approvals, technical agreements, audits and performance improvement.
- Experience leading internal and external audits, securing or maintaining site accreditations, and designing or running recall and withdrawal procedures.
- A track record of building or scaling technical systems and processes, including quality management, risk assessment and document control.
- Experience supporting new product development and/or own-brand consumer products.
- Experience developing sourcing or ethical policies, with working knowledge of sustainability frameworks and ethical supplier assurance, such as Sedex.
- Experience leading and developing teams, setting functional priorities and turning quality data into clear decisions and actions.

It would be helpful if you also have:

- Extensive fresh produce experience.
- HACCP Level 4 or a lead auditor qualification.
- Experience in recipe kits, direct-to-consumer or subscription businesses.
- Experience supporting B Corp certification.

Mindset & Behaviours

- Strategic and practical. You can set a clear direction and turn it into workable plans, bringing others with you.
- Commercially aware and decisive. You understand commercial pressures and find practical solutions while holding firm on food safety, legality and essential quality standards.
- A supportive people leader. You coach, develop and delegate, helping your team build confidence and capability.
- Collaborative and fair. You build respectful relationships with colleagues and suppliers, communicate clearly and hold people to account when standards aren’t met.
- Motivated by our mission. You care about sustainable food and reducing waste, and bring that commitment into everyday decisions.
- Calm under pressure. You assess risk, make sound decisions and keep people focused on solutions.

Why Join Us?

You’ll have the opportunity to shape how Oddbox grows, building the technical foundations for new products, categories and ways to reach customers.

You’ll lead a team, work closely with colleagues across the business and see the direct impact of your decisions on product quality, customer trust and food waste.

Our Company Benefits include:

🍉 25 days' holiday + bank holidays + 4 "not-sick" days + 2 volunteering days

🍉 £300 personal development budget + access to wider learning opportunities.

🍉 Wellbeing support, including an EAP and Online GP.

🍉 Company Bonus Scheme.

🍉 Discounts on Oddbox products.

🍉 Additional perks and savings through Perkbox.

How to Apply

If you’d like to help Oddbox grow and share our mission to fight food waste, we’d love to hear from you.

Send us your CV and a short cover note (a few paragraphs is plenty) telling us why this role is right for you and what you’d bring to it.

We’ll aim get back to you within 7 working days, whatever the outcome.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences. If you need any adjustments during the application process, just let us know.