Raw Material Technical Manager

PrepWorld Ltd; Gravesend; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A food technology company is seeking a qualified graduate in Agriculture or Food Technology for a role focused on ensuring compliance for raw materials used in production. Responsibilities include quality improvement initiatives, collaboration with procurement and quality control teams, and managing supplier relationships. Required skills include strong interpersonal abilities, time management, and fluency in English. The role offers a supportive team environment and various employee benefits, including subsidised meals and flexible payment options.

Benefits

Wagestream access

On-site parking with electric charge points

Staff events

Subsidised meals in staff restaurant

Fruit pots on Wednesdays

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to negotiate with stakeholders.
• Independent with a self-organised approach and good time management.
• Fluent in spoken and written English; other languages is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Ensure allocated Raw Material products meet compliance.
• Organise and allocate audits to meet customer compliance needs.
• Work collaboratively with Procurement Managers and QC team.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Time management

Self-organised

Resilience

Education

Graduate in Agriculture/Horticulture, Food Technology

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

• Location: Unit K, Springhead Enterprise Park, Northfleet, Gravesend

Job Objectives & Responsibilities

Take ownership of ensuring allocated Raw Material products used by Prepworld meets the compliance requirements of the end customer. Act as key contact within the Prepworld for driving quality improvement initiatives for raw material and production processes.

Main Duties

• To have sole ownership of several Prepworld Raw Material products as allocated by the Supplier Technical Manager, ensuring that they meet required internal and external standards.
• Operate at all times in accordance with Health and Safety regulations and in adherence to any relevant health, safety and environmental policies and procedures, ensuring safe use of facilities and equipment and providing a safe working environment for staff and visitors.
• Responsible for collection of all relevant compliance paperwork in good time, working from the Pre-season Raw Material Supply Plan provided by the Procurement Manager.
• Organising and allocating any audits required to meet customer compliance needs as part of a logical, timely and cost-efficient plan, ensuring that all audits are completed, and non-conformances resolved within allocated timesales.
• Complete all Supplier Risk Assessments in allocated timescales, ensuring that they receive the Supplier Approval Pack and Checklist upon receipt of the Pre-Season supply plan from Procurement Managers.
• Implement supplier microbiological testing in accordance with Technical Compliance department’s requirements and ensure all necessary samples are sent for accredited residue analysis.
• Manage all retail customer due diligence platforms, ensuring all technical documentation is approved prior to supply and maintained during the season.
• Ensure Suppliers / Growers meet ethical standards required for each retailer for the product areas that you managed.
• Work collaboratively with Procurement Managers, completing Product QIP plans and analysing opportunities in supply base in terms of new varieties, alternative packaging, new suppliers, shipping methods etc.
• Work collaboratively with Intake QC team, offering training and support to ensure that they have the best possible information about our current fruit supply, and ensure that the Raw Material Rejection process is followed at all times to minimise the risk of out of specification fruit being used.
• Complete reviews of Raw Material specification on regular basis, implement trials with the wider team to assess suitability of new products and varieties.
• Communicate rejections to suppliers, outlining the reasons for any rejections and working with the suppliers to help them improve the quality of future arrivals.
• Actively seek opportunities to improve product quality, working collaboratively with Production teams to identify, implement and develop initiatives to reduce waste rates and improve finished product quality, recording and tracking weekly waste rates against agreed KPIs.
• Participate in key product quality improvement initiatives, attending on a rota basis, daily product benchmarking sessions, daily Production meetings, weekly quality meetings and any relevant customer complaints meetings.
• Assist Procurement Managers with end of season supplier scorecards, collating key Technical information for the season with corrective actions recorded where suppliers have failed to meet the desired standard, track and trend performance year on year to drive supplier improvements through strategic supplier score-carding.
• Lead by example and strategize ways to promote and implement business vision and values to Raw Material Technical team.

Skills & Experience required:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to negotiate and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Independent with a self-organised approach and the ability to plan a workload and support other members of the team. Good time management is essential.
• Resilient with a strong work ethic.

Qualifications

• A qualified graduate in Agriculture/Horticulture, Postharvest, Food Technology or similar fields.
• HACCP, Auditing qualifications/experience and a Food Safety qualification are desirable.

Specific Knowledge & Experience

• Proven experience in food technical role, preferably with a good working knowledge of fresh produce.
• Experience of high care production of ready to eat fresh produce is desirable.

Specific Skills

• Fluent in both spoken and written English.
• The ability to speak other European languages, especially Spanish, is desirable.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.

What we provide in return:

• Wagestream (track your earnings and instantly access up to 50% of your money as you earn it, without waiting for payday)
• On site parking with electric charge points
• Staff events
• Staff restaurant serving heavily subsidised hot and cold food
• Fruit pots on Wednesdays
• A supportive team

Days and hours work:

Monday to Friday (withone in six weekends)

08:00 - 17:00