Group Training Manager

About Kepak

Kepak is a major food business in Europe, with manufacturing operations across Ireland and the UK. The company works to build a sustainable, future-ready organisation with strong differentiation, and aims to be an excellent place to work. Its culture is guided by responsibility, ambition, passion for food, and teamwork.

Across the UK and Ireland, Kepak runs 14 manufacturing facilities and focuses on meat and protein products. Annual turnover is around €2 billion, and the business employs approximately 4,500 people. Its purpose is to deliver high-quality food, innovate in the sector, and provide strong value and service to stakeholders.

Role overview

As Group Training Manager, you will influence how people in operational roles learn, build skills, and perform. This newly created position is responsible for setting up and leading a group-wide training approach across operational sites in the UK and Ireland. The focus is on delivering consistent, high-standard learning that goes beyond basic compliance and helps create genuine capability, behavioural improvement, and better business results.

The role can be based at either the Kirkham or Merthyr site. Kepak follows a hybrid working model, but the position involves regular travel to sites throughout the UK and Ireland.

Key responsibilities

• Create and own a strong training model that covers compliance, standard operating procedures, and day-to-day operational capability.
• Move training away from attendance-based delivery and toward proven competence through observation, verification, and manager responsibility.
• Manage and improve the learning management system, including governance, learning pathways, reporting, and readiness for audits.
• Set clear and practical standards for SOPs and training content across the group.
• Work closely with senior leaders in operations, quality, health and safety, and HR so training supports business goals.
• Coach and develop site-based trainers so they can deliver engaging and effective learning.
• Standardise external training arrangements, reduce unnecessary duplication, and improve value for money.
• Use data, audit findings, and business insight to keep improving training across the organisation.

What success looks like

• Training is delivered to the same standard across all sites.
• Capability improves and errors or incidents reduce.
• SOPs are simplified, high quality, and support safe and efficient operations.
• Site training teams are strong, confident, and effective in delivering learning.

Requirements

You should bring experience of training in a regulated setting, ideally within manufacturing, FMCG, or food, as this background is essential. The role requires more than delivering training sessions; you should be able to design and roll out training frameworks.

Strong understanding of compliance, SOPs, and audit readiness is important, along with experience of managing or overseeing an LMS. You will also need excellent coaching, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, plus a clear interest in turning training into measurable performance improvement.

Benefits

• Company pension
• Support for further education
• Access to an employee discount platform through WrkIt, offering discounts and cashback with hundreds of brands
• Bike to Work Scheme through salary sacrifice, helping reduce taxable income and tax paid
• Long Service Awards recognising the contribution of long-serving employees
• GroceryAid employee assistance programme with support for mental health, wellbeing, family matters, relationship advice, debt management, returning to work, and counselling for employees and their families
• Corporate gym membership at Ribby Hall Village

Additional information

Kepak is an equal opportunities employer.

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