At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage product quality and safety for a major retail account in fresh produce.
- Company: Leading Fresh Produce business with a focus on innovation and quality.
- Benefits: Genuine career development opportunities in a fast-paced environment.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with strong relationships across teams and stakeholders.
- Why this job: Join a respected company and make a real impact in the fresh produce industry.
- Qualifications: Experience in Technical or Quality roles, preferably in Fresh Produce.
The predicted salary is between 27000 - 33000 £ per year.
Fresh People are currently recruiting on behalf of a leading Fresh Produce business for a Junior Technical Manager to join their specialist vegetable category team based in Bearsted, Kent. This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious Technical professional looking to take the next step in their career within a fast-paced fresh produce environment. Reporting to the Group Technical Director, you will play a key role in ensuring product safety, quality and legality across a major UK retail account, whilst working closely with growers, suppliers, commercial teams and customers. This position offers genuine career development within a highly respected business supplying the UK's leading retailers.
As Junior Technical Manager, you will take ownership of a retailer-facing product category, ensuring customer specifications, supplier compliance and technical standards are consistently achieved. You will work collaboratively across Technical, Commercial, Packaging and Supply Chain teams to drive quality improvements, support innovation and maintain excellent supplier relationships.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage the technical relationship for a major retail customer.
- Ensure product safety, quality and legal compliance across your category.
- Work closely with suppliers and growers to maintain product standards.
- Investigate customer complaints, quality concerns and product rejections, implementing effective corrective actions.
- Maintain retailer specifications and ensure all technical documentation remains accurate and up to date.
- Complete due diligence documentation and supplier compliance records.
- Support benchmarking, product sampling and customer technical requests.
- Manage artwork approvals and product specification changes.
- Drive continuous quality improvement initiatives across the supply base.
- Support new product, packaging and sustainability projects.
- Attend production meetings, providing technical recommendations where required.
- Build strong working relationships with customers, suppliers and internal stakeholders.
About You
To be successful, you will ideally have:
- Experience within a Technical or Quality role in the Fresh Produce industry.
- Experience working with Tesco or another major UK retailer.
- Strong understanding of food safety, product quality and legal compliance.
- Knowledge of retailer specifications and supplier approval processes.
- Experience with HACCP and BRCGS standards.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
- Strong organisational skills and exceptional attention to detail.
- The ability to manage multiple priorities within a fast-paced environment.
- A proactive approach with a passion for continuous improvement.
- Experience using Tesco Quality Connect or similar retailer specification systems would be highly advantageous.
If you're looking to develop your technical career within a successful fresh produce business and enjoy working closely with retailers, growers and commercial teams, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today with your CV for a confidential discussion.
Locations
Junior Technical Manager in Dartford, Kent employer: Fresh People Ltd
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