Our Client is a leading chilled food manufacturer who are looking for a Senior Process Technologist who will be responsible for the management and delivery of all NPD launches and value engineering initiatives supporting the Commercial team and Site Business Plan Team. The key link between NPD ideas and real-life production ensuring that new products make it smoothly and successfully from approved product through trials to full production.
Key Responsibilities
- Outline clear processes and procedures to ensure successful product launches
- Manage and maintain an effective trial process ensuring that all new products are appropriately trialled prior to launch, including feasibility trials meeting both site and customer expectations. Manage the implementation of new recipes and materials into the factory
- Maintain an effective Handover process agreed with the operational team
- Attend Critical Path meetings to ensure good communication of projects
- Leads all Trials, including related meetings, i.e. pre and post reviews with the wider team
- Coordinates all project activity from Handover to Post-launch review through the wider operations team with cross-functional consultation, regular project meetings and stakeholder engagement
- Supports effective management of critical paths to land projects on time
- Builds effective relationships with customers to ensure the business meets their needs and manages expectations
- Take the lead on all customer pre-production and support product launches coordinating and collaborating across the business to ensure a successful outcome
- Effective coordination, communication and running of factory trials
- Completing shelf life, micro, cooking validations, photo standards, writing trial reports including opportunities for improvements to product & process, nutritional’s, recipe handover, BOM’s etc as associated with the scale up of products
- Triggering a cost review if significant changes are made to ingredients, process, speeds, yields, packaging etc, post the trial review meeting. This ensures changes are captured accurately and the commercial team are aware of the impact of such changes
- Checking artwork for accuracy and consistency
- Liaise with key suppliers and procurement to organise trial ingredients
- To provide accurate and appropriate information for the writing of internal specifications to the Technical team
- Ensure that any recipes ready to be handed over to the factory contain appropriate batching details, and factory information for a smooth and accurate transition
- Ensure that trial, and benchmarking procedures are followed as per documented procedures
- Identify and drive opportunities to improve processes and products
- Understand factory processes and help identify and eliminate any potential issues at an early stage
- Support first production runs of all new products
- Provide root cause analysis and problem solving for production and process issues as they arise including material variance and quality issues
- Ensure all new raw materials are assessed appropriately and against the current HACCP plan, raising any concerns
Person Specification
- Product knowledge – within Produce or Chilled categories
- Understanding of food safety and food manufacturing processes
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office
- Ability to build relationships at all levels
- Confident communicator who is informative and engaging
- Good interpersonal skills
- Organised, able to manage and prioritise multiple tasks
- Attention to detail
- Experience of implementing change
- Experience leading production trials
- Committed to personal development and progression
- Tenacity and a can-do attitude
- Passionate about great food
- Independent and proactive
- Enjoys being part of a team
For more information please get in touch or apply today with your CV.
