Job description

Fortnum & Mason is seeking a passionate Lead Senior Category Technical Manager to join our esteemed team. This pivotal role involves leading and managing Supplier Assurance Technologists, overseeing the technical and CSR aspects of our New Product Development process for both Food and FBH Own Label products and proprietary brands. You will ensure all products meet external commitments, product safety, and legal due diligence requirements. Your responsibilities include managing supplier relationships, mitigating risks, ensuring traceability, and maintaining a sustainable supplier quality management system. You will conduct supplier site visits and audits, driving positive changes from processing sites to growing and mining levels. Additionally, you will coordinate and provide quantifiable metrics for real-time assessment of supplier performance against CSR targets and operational procedures.

Key Functional Skills, Knowledge & Behaviors

Demonstrate good judgement, drive and influence.
To proactively drive the Technical agenda and to take a leadership role in all technical matters
To provide accurate and timely information.
Manage cross departmental relationships to ensure delivery of technical requirements
Create and deliver long term sustainable relations ships with our supply base
Good understanding of Quality management systems and Food Safety management
Knowledge of product processing equipment and controls
Familiarity with law and regulatory guidelines
Effective written and oral communication skills
Strong project management skills and ability to prioritise own workload
Ability to make timely, consistent and well balanced decisions

Specific Role requirements:

NPD

To work with the cross functional teams to deliver technical aspects of the NPD process on time.
To ensure the technical aspects NPD are delivered to the standard required.
To ensure the Technical. International and CSR strategy and rules are delivered for all new products launched.
To maintain and deliver the T&CSR aspects of the NPD critical path
To ensure CSR and technical Briefs are submitted on time and are fully complete.
To flag potential issues in advance and so allow resolution prior the projects falling behind.

New Product Development

To ensure Provisional critical paths created in stage one of the launch process include all stages of the technical approval process including any upskilling required by the in-house technical team.

Ensure NPD product brief contains all technical requirements for the product.

All technical stages to be delivered on time and a proactive manner.

All new products are assessed, and any new technical requirements fed in to the appropriate Technical processes. I.e. Operational procedures, surveillance testing ect.

To have full sign off of each NPD Gate (technical and CST requirements).

NPD Technical Review (Stage 5) actions

To be dealt within the agreed timescales
To be investigated to identify the root cause and corrective actions implemented in to business policy if required.
Relevant corrective actions to be included in product specification where relevant.
Ensure T&FS feed into wash up sessions and influence cross functionally to deliver change

Specifications

To be in place for all packaging, food and non-food own label and proprietary branded product.
To include all legal DD requirements, quality and all relevant information required to facilitate international approval of product (and generation of labels).
To ensure specifications cover all known risks to the business.
All product both OB and Proprietary brands have signed off specifications by on sale date.
Specification templates to be appropriate for all product types and supply routes.
Clear written guidance to be available for suppliers to aid the completion of specifications.
To include all CSR requirements.
To include a quantifiable QAS (buyers will deliver) this role needs to influence to ensure fit for purpose.
To include all information required to meet online customer needs and to ensure the product online product has all legal requirements
To ensure specifications contain all information required for the international customers
To deliver the new Specification system.

Audits

All audits to be carried out to the schedule and all corrective actions followed up and closed off.
Audit results to be communicated to relevant managers, in the weekly and monthly reports.
Audit results to be trended and correctives actions to be closed off within the communicated timescales.
External audits to be carried out to the standards agreed and within the timescales stated in the Supplier assurance policy.

Operational procedures

To write, issue and monitor compliance to the F&M Supplier assurance procedures
To ensure internal operational procedures, COP and Policies relevant to area of responsibility, manage current known risks to the business with a specific focus on International law.
To ensure these procedures are trained out to all relevant areas of the business and supply chain
To ensure compliance these documents are audited to both internally (quarterly) and reviewed to a predefined risk assessed rota.
To ensure all areas have in situ access to the Fortnum and Mason operational procedures.
To ensure compliance to these documents are monitored, trended and reported to the business.
Ensure all new suppliers are compliant and audited to all relevant operational procedures prior to manufacture and supply.

Supplier Management System

Implement and maintain a supplier quality management system.
To ensure CSR requirements and quantifiable targets are trained out and monitored in real time.
Ensure supplier compliance to F&M microbiological standards

Due Diligence

To ensure all new product is launched with full legal due diligence (including online and international channels) and traceability and that the other technical team members are informed with sufficient notice of products in the launch pipeline.
All areas have access to the latest version of the relevant NPD paperwork.

Training

All new F&M staff are provided with training on Technical NPD requirements and the compliance of all staff training to be monitored as part of the internal audits and the delivery of the cross functional Technical NPD requirements.
Signed training records for all operational procedures relevant for each colleague’s roles to be collated by the Technical Assistant.
NPD and International requirements to be added to the Quick guide introduction for Product Safety at F&M to in place and to be kept up to date with all key 2nd languages.
Training schedule and bespoke Fortnum and Mason training in place that trains out the requirements of F&M operational procedures and provides add on tailored training for the specific needs of the supply base.
All new F&M staff are provided with training to ensure an understanding of the supplier assurance rules and relevant internal and public facing commitments (buyers)
Signed training records for all operational procedures relevant for each colleagues’ roles to be collated and held in a way that enable reporting and quick access.
Supplier training compliance to be monitored and reported

Surveillance testing

Product surveillance testing requirements to be included in all product specifications. This must include international requirements.
Surveillance testing scheduled to be maintained and followed.
All relevant products to be tested to the schedule.
F&M surveillance acceptable standards to be written, maintained and communicated to the suppliers and internal food preparation colleagues.
Out of specification Internal audit results to be communicated to relevant managers, in the weekly and monthly reports.
Surveillance results to be trended

General

Master Work and detailed work planner to be kept up to date
T&CSR Project plans are in place, communicated to the relevant areas, timescales are adhered to and regular updates sent out as agreed.
Manage Modern slavery and Worker welfare risks within their category
Report on supplier performance internally
Feed into top-to-top briefing notes (exec director supplier visits and CEO visits)

Qualifications

Scientific degree or equivalent
At least 5 years’ experience in a technical area in either retailing or manufacturing
Experience in influencing cross functional teams to deliver new processes.
Line management experience is essential.

In return, we offer fabulous benefits:

A competitive salary
A generous store and restaurant discount of up to 40%
Discretionary annual bonus of up to 5% of your annual salary
28 days holidays (inc. bank holidays), an extra day off for your birthday AND 5 extra wellbeing days off!
A fantastic subsidised staff restaurant which uses Fortnum’s ingredients
Defined development scheme to grow your career
Excellent pension scheme

We are committed to developing your career and nurturing your talent, regardless of age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation. We respect and embrace each other’s differences, to create a truly inclusive environment.

In the last year alone, our people have been recognised and celebrated, winning awards for their outstanding contributions to Retail, Technology, Global Hospitality & Tourism, Visual Merchandising & Display, Customer Service and Local Community Awards.