Lead Food Safety & Compliance Manager

Lead Food Safety & Compliance Manager Lead Food Safety & Compliance Manager The location of the role is Paddington, London (hybrid working) . The duration of the contract is 3 months initially. The pay rate on offer is £negotiable (open to market rates - contract day rate via Umbrella agency) . The client is a multinational high-street retailer. Key accountabilities of the role Be available always to support & lead the response to a Serious Food Safety & Compliance Incident or Crisis Ensure that all legal & regulatory obligations are met in full ensuring that the organization has a defensible position Maintain the Group Food Safety Strategy & Policy in line with significant Threat, Risk & Organisational changes Engage and involve Senior Stakeholders in the Group Food Safety & Compliance Ensure that Group Food Safety & Compliance operational processes procedures & plans are effective, up to date and meet Governance requirements in full Manage our Primary Authority Partner (PAP) to provide guidance and support on continuous improvement across Food Safety and Trading Standards Plan and respond successfully to foreseeable Food Safety & Compliance incidents that could significantly interrupt trade and operations across our business e.g. Allergens Identify, assess and categorise the Food Safety & Compliance risks/threats and report them to the Audit Committee via the Group Food Safety Risk Register Assess & improve our Group Food Safety capability through an ongoing independent Inspection Programme our Stores & Supply Chain Ensure that our Convenience Partners, Divisional, Regional & Store Management teams are provided with appropriate training and support tools Deliver a robust support visit strategy, with a clear question set, monitoring results, and reporting so we are legally compliant across Group Food Safety & Compliance Identify areas for improvement relating to Food Safety and Legal & Compliance – continually reviewing policies and arrangements in place to drive simplification and improved understanding Manage external enforcement enquiries/formal enforcement matters with support from legal. Identify efficiency opportunities to move to more digital ways of working, linking in with M&S Tech team to deliver. Support in designing content, testing and launch to stores Maintain close strategic and operational working relationships with Government Departments and Industry Working Groups e.g. the Supermarket Safety Group Demonstrate leadership and benchmarking for Food Safety in the Retail Sector Provide insight & foresight through industry benchmarking and thought leadership Provide accurate Food Safety and Legal & Compliance Management information and insights data to inform the stores leadership team of performance/ potential risk Key skills and experience Qualified in Food Safety Level 3 & 4 Qualified in HACCP Level 3 & 4 Qualified in Allergens Level 3 APLH Qualified In-depth and detailed knowledge of how the business operates In-depth understanding of all aspects of Food Safety & Compliance e.g. HACCP Strong stakeholder relationships and awareness Strong leadership across all areas of the business Strong and effective engagement, communication and influencing skills Ability to ruthlessly prioritise business-critical activities in crisis situations Ability to focus a team and manage through significant change and ambiguity Experience in planning, project and programme management Self-motivated and proactively acts without guidance to deliver progress Ability to act with integrity and provide leadership under pressure in complex, difficult and demanding situations Strong organizational, communication, influencing and coaching skills Experience of managing a large remote and central team

Location: London,, GB

Posted Date: 9/14/2025