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Can you tell us a bit more about your role?

I work in the Taylors Technical Operations team as an Assistant Technical Manager. Our team is responsible for maintaining the safety and quality of all the products we make at Taylors of Harrogate so we work closely with our manufacturing teams. From the moment a tea or coffee shipment comes onto site the technical responsibility for those products lies with us until it is despatched to our customers.

Why did you apply to work at Bettys & Taylors?

I’ve worked in a variety of food manufacturing businesses and I was looking to move into a larger company. A colleague was approached about a role at Bettys & Taylors and she passed the details on to me as she felt it would be a good match with my skills and experience.

I was already familiar with our product range, but I was especially drawn to the the Group’s values and commitment to sustainability. I was thrilled when I was offered the role as a Quality Assurance Technologist. I joined Taylors in 2016 and since then the business supported me in completing a Master’s Degree in Food Technology for Industry and then in 2020 I took on the role of Assistant Technical Manager.

What are the key skills you need for your job?

The world of food science and food safety can be complex but our central function is to ensure the food and drink that we manufacture is safe and made to the highest quality standards.

Day to day, my job involves both being in the office as well as on the factory floor, doing walkarounds and audits with Production and my team to ensure everything is in tip top condition. So I’d say that good communication and being inquisitive are key to building up those relationships.

You also need to be creative and enjoy problem solving. The role involves assessing risk and implementing processes and procedures that are effective but also practical for those that need to carry them out. If we have any issues, then we carry out an investigation, then take corrective action and implement improvements to ensure that issue doesn’t occur again.

What advice would you give to anyone interested in working in Technical Operations?

A typical route into a technical role in the food industry would be through completing a food science degree, but my route was more practical, hands-on experience, which helped me to develop my interest in food safety and compliance. I moved into progressively larger companies, upskilled myself and completed qualifications related to the role.

When we’re looking for new people in this type of role, we like people to have had some experience and ideally to have had food safety training, but overall the most important this is having relevant practical experience and enthusiasm.

What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?

We have some new product development in the pipeline which is exciting, and means I’ll be busy working with colleagues from across the business, to ensure we are ready for the launches of those products. I’m also completing a PhD focussing on food safety culture measurement and improvement which I’m finding very interesting!