About this course
About this course
Senior technical leaders are increasingly expected to handle major product safety events, product recalls and supply chain crises with the combination of technical rigour and commercial judgement that those situations require. This advanced virtual programme teaches the integrated skills needed across root cause analysis, incident response and crisis management at senior level.
Who should attend
The course is designed for senior technical managers, quality directors, technical directors, crisis response leads and consultants supporting clients through major events. It is particularly valuable for professionals with responsibility for product recall decisions, regulatory liaison during incidents, customer communication during crises or supply chain continuity planning. Staff stepping into senior technical roles at businesses with significant recall risk exposure find the content directly applicable.
What the programme covers
Content covers advanced root cause analysis including techniques beyond foundation RCA methodologies, structured incident response frameworks, crisis management methodology, product recall decision-making, regulatory communication during incidents, customer communication strategy, media handling, board-level reporting during crises and post-event review and learning. The programme addresses the particular challenges of senior-level crisis management, including managing competing stakeholder pressures, preserving decision-making independence under commercial pressure, and leading a technical team through high-intensity events without loss of rigour.
Assessment and certification
Delegates complete a written examination and a practical assignment involving scenario-based crisis response planning. A pass earns a certificate of achievement, suitable evidence of senior-level crisis management competence for executive role specifications.
Course format and delivery
The programme runs as a live virtual classroom across multiple sessions, giving delegates time to develop assignment components between teaching days. Delivery combines methodology teaching with case study discussion from major published incidents, structured peer review of response plans and practical exercises in crisis decision-making under time pressure.
Why this matters
Major product safety events are career-defining moments for senior technical leaders, and the gap between prepared and unprepared response is typically measured in regulatory action, business loss and personal career consequences. Delegates who complete this programme lead crisis response more confidently, preserve commercial position under regulatory pressure and support the wider executive team through events with substantially greater credibility. The programme pairs with the BRCGS BRCGS courses range for broader certification knowledge and with the Advanced Risk Management Methodologies programme for the preventive side of the same capability. Senior technical leaders also benefit from the Level 4 Combined HACCP and Food Safety Advanced qualification for underpinning technical depth.
Explore the full STC courses and training range or see the food safety news and commentary for current incident analysis.
