Senior Process Technologist in Crawley

Join a fast-growing food manufacturer where your expertise in product and process validation plays a vital role in delivering successful product launches. As a Senior Process Technologist at Nature’s Way Foods, you’ll be responsible for evaluating process risk throughout the development life cycle — ensuring commercial, operational, and quality risks are mitigated ahead of launch.

Working closely with cross-functional teams, you’ll lead product and process validation for business-priority projects including NPD, changes in process, equipment, and raw materials. You’ll also support and deputise for the Head of Process, contributing to the structure, management, and continuous improvement of the Nature’s Way Foods Process function. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a collaborative and fast-paced FMCG environment where you’ll have real ownership and influence over how products and processes are successfully delivered to market.

What you’ll receive

• Base salary of £35,000-45,000 dependent on experience
• Annual bonus
• 5% employer matched pension
• Health cash plan
• Flexible benefits package including corporate gym discounts, retail discounts, enhanced maternity & paternity policies and more
• Access to online GP services
• Life assurance

Key responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with chefs and product developers to robustly evaluate concept and process risk during early development stages
• Act as the functional and cultural “handshake” between NPD, Operations, Technical, and Supply Chain teams to ensure strong cross-functional alignment
• Plan, lead, and execute factory development trials to ensure products can be manufactured consistently and reproduced successfully at scale, with accurate and timely completion of trial documentation
• Support the Head of Process in planning and coordinating resources to deliver trials in line with project critical paths
• Attend customer and supplier meetings as required, acting as the process subject matter expert
• Contribute to company strategy by identifying and supporting projects that enhance Nature’s Way Foods’ capabilities and align with future business goals
• Support the Head of Process in ensuring junior team members are effectively inducted, trained, and fully understand their roles and responsibilities within the Launch to Win process
• Deputise for the Head of Process when required and provide coaching and guidance to junior team members
• Own and manage the validation of all products within an assigned product category

About you

• Degree (or equivalent) in Food Science, Food Technology, Engineering or a related discipline
• HACCP qualification
• Intermediate Food Hygiene and Safety Certificate (or equivalent)
• Previous experience within a FMCG or food manufacturing environment is desirable
• Experience supporting NPD launches, factory trials or process validation
• Strong project management and organisational skills
• Proactive problem solver
• Confident using Microsoft Office including Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Nature’s Way Foods is the leading manufacturer of prepared salads, coleslaw and “food-to-go” for supermarkets and retailers, and as such we work closely with farmers across Europe. But there’s lots more to us than the products we make.

Our culture is inclusive, and our people are diverse spanning 39 different languages. We operate four manufacturing facilities capable of producing over 400m units per year. It is an exciting time to join Nature’s Way Foods as we are growing rapidly and there are genuine opportunities to progress within the organisation.

Interested? Click apply, submitting an up-to-date CV. We look forward to hearing from you.

At Nature's Way Food, we believe that diversity and inclusion are key to driving innovation and achieving excellence. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. We are dedicated to building a diverse team that reflects the communities we serve and the world we live in. Join us in our mission to create a more inclusive and fairer world. Together, we can become best at fresh.