Dairy Technical Director Job Description

This Dairy Technical Director job description sets out the main duties, qualifications, skills and measures of success for the role, which is also known as Head of Technical, Quality Director, Food Safety Director or VP Quality. Download it free as a Word or PDF template and adapt it for your own vacancy.

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Job title	Dairy Technical Director
Also known as	Head of Technical, Quality Director, Food Safety Director, VP Quality
Department	Dairy leadership and board
Reports to	Chief Executive Officer
Direct reports	Heads of quality assurance, regulatory affairs, product development and laboratories, and site technical managers

What does a Dairy Technical Director do?

Leads food safety, quality, regulatory affairs and technical development across a dairy business, so that every product is safe, legal and consistent. Protects the business's licence to trade with regulators, customers and certification bodies, and turns technical expertise into new products and better performance.

Dairy Technical Director duties and responsibilities

Technical strategy and leadership

Set the technical strategy and standards for food safety, quality and product integrity across all sites
Lead and develop the quality, regulatory, laboratory and product development teams
Advise the Chief Executive and the Board on technical risks, incidents and emerging regulation
Build a strong food safety culture from the shop floor to the executive team

Food safety and quality systems

Own the group food safety and quality management system and make sure every site applies it consistently
Set HACCP, allergen, environmental monitoring and pathogen control standards for each product category
Agree raw milk quality, antibiotic residue and contaminant testing standards with the milk supply team
Oversee laboratory testing, positive release and the accreditation of laboratories
Lead investigations into serious non-conformances and drive root-cause corrective action

Regulatory compliance and incident management

Keep the business compliant with food safety, labelling, export and veterinary certification requirements in every market served
Monitor changes in food law and standards and prepare the business to meet them
Lead incident management, product withdrawals and recalls, including communication with regulators and customers
Maintain relationships with food safety regulators, export authorities and industry bodies

Audits, customers and certification

Prepare sites for customer, certification and regulatory audits and track corrective actions to closure
Maintain certification to recognised food safety schemes at every site
Act as senior technical contact for key retail, food-service and ingredients customers
Oversee customer complaint handling and lead technical reviews with major accounts

Product development and technical support

Lead new product development from concept through factory trials to launch
Approve product specifications, shelf-life studies, labels and nutrition claims
Provide technical support to operations on yield, process capability and product defects
Work with marketing and sales on product renovation, cost reduction and customer-specific products
Assess new ingredients, packaging and suppliers for food safety and quality risk with procurement

Dairy Technical Director qualifications and experience

Essential

Degree in food science, dairy technology, microbiology, chemistry or a related discipline
Extensive senior technical leadership experience in dairy or food manufacturing
Expert knowledge of HACCP, food safety management systems and recognised certification schemes
Proven experience of leading regulatory inspections, customer audits and product recalls
Track record of leading multi-disciplinary technical teams across more than one site
Experience of taking new products from development to launch

Desirable

Postgraduate qualification in food science, dairy science or quality management
Experience of infant nutrition, medical nutrition or other high-care dairy products
Experience of export certification and the requirements of several international markets
Lead auditor qualification for food safety management systems

Skills and attributes

Sound technical judgement and risk-based decision making
Leadership and team development
Crisis and incident management
Clear communication with regulators, customers and the Board
Influencing without direct authority
Analytical and problem-solving skills
Commercial awareness

How success is measured

Product recalls, withdrawals and serious food safety incidents
Customer complaints per million units sold
Audit and certification outcomes, and corrective actions closed on time
Right-first-time quality and product release performance
New products launched on time and to specification
Regulatory compliance, with no enforcement actions

Working conditions and safety

Based at a head office or main site, with regular travel to plants, customers and suppliers, including some international travel. Must be available out of hours to lead the response to food safety incidents.

Lead by example on health, safety, food safety and animal welfare
Uphold the code of conduct and all legal and compliance requirements
Raise concerns and report incidents promptly

Dairy Technical Director interview questions

Use these questions to assess candidates for a Dairy Technical Director role. Each one includes what a good answer shows.

How would you build a consistent food safety culture across several dairy sites with different histories and standards?
What a good answer shows: Uses visible leadership, clear standards, measurement and recognition, and tailors the approach to each site's maturity.
How do you set environmental monitoring and pathogen control standards for a powder or soft cheese plant?
What a good answer shows: Understands hygiene zoning, Listeria and Salmonella risks, swab plans and trend analysis, and acts firmly on positive results.
How do you decide, from a technical standpoint, whether the business can export to a new market?
What a good answer shows: Assesses market rules, veterinary certificates, testing and labelling needs, and site capability before approving entry.
How would you speed up new product development without weakening food safety or quality?
What a good answer shows: Uses stage gates, early technical input, clear specifications and shelf-life planning, and keeps safety non-negotiable.
A customer reports a possible foreign body in a product on a Friday evening. What do you do?
What a good answer shows: Gathers facts fast, assesses risk, convenes the incident team, protects consumers first and informs customer and regulator as needed.
A key site fails a major customer audit, putting a large contract at risk. How do you respond?
What a good answer shows: Takes ownership, agrees a credible corrective plan, fixes root causes, supports the site and rebuilds customer confidence openly.
Sales want to ship product with a borderline test result to meet an order. How do you handle it?
What a good answer shows: Puts consumer safety first, follows release rules, explains the risk clearly and does not give way to commercial pressure.
How do you keep the Board informed about food safety risk without overwhelming them?
What a good answer shows: Uses a clear risk register, trends and key indicators, escalates material issues promptly and gives a balanced view.
How would you develop site technical managers to lead audits and incidents confidently on their own?
What a good answer shows: Coaches, delegates real responsibility, uses mock audits and recall tests, and builds clear succession plans.
How do you get operations teams to see quality as their job, not just the technical team's?
What a good answer shows: Builds shared targets, explains the reasons, involves operators in problem solving and recognises good practice.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a Dairy Technical Director do?

What qualifications does a Dairy Technical Director need?

Employers usually look for: degree in food science, dairy technology, microbiology, chemistry or a related discipline; extensive senior technical leadership experience in dairy or food manufacturing; expert knowledge of HACCP, food safety management systems and recognised certification schemes.

Who does a Dairy Technical Director report to?

A Dairy Technical Director usually reports to the Chief Executive Officer. Direct reports typically include heads of quality assurance, regulatory affairs, product development and laboratories, and site technical managers.

Can I use this Dairy Technical Director job description for my own vacancy?

Yes. Download the free Word template, add your location, contract and salary details, and adapt the duties to your site. You can then advertise the role on Dairy Jobs.