Assistant Technologist - Beauty

MARKS&SPENCER; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK retailer seeks an Assistant Technologist for its Beauty Team. In this role, you will provide essential technical support to ensure product quality, safety, and compliance with ethical standards. You will work closely with the Technology team and contribute to the company's innovation strategy. Ideal candidates are detail-oriented and eager to develop their skills in a supportive and dynamic environment. 20% employee discount and additional perks are included.

Benefits

20% colleague discount

Competitive holiday entitlement

Discretionary bonus schemes

Defined Contribution Pension Scheme

Wellbeing support, including 24/7 Virtual GP

Charity volunteer day

Qualifications

• Detail-driven and curious about beauty and skincare.
• Ready to make an impact in a fast-paced, creative environment.
• Experience in managing own personal development.

Responsibilities

• Take technical responsibility for a range, representing M&S internally and externally.
• Support co-ordination of day-to-day activities for product safety.
• Work with technology team to drive innovation strategy.

Skills

Ability to learn new technical skills

Excellent communication skills

Multi-tasked orientated

Analytical skills to drive insights

Creating product specifications

Job description

Are you passionate about beauty, innovation, and quality? We’re looking for an Assistant Technologist to join our Beauty Team at M&S. In this exciting role, you’ll provide essential technical support to help deliver products that stand out for their quality, innovation, safety, compliance, and ethical standards, the values that set M&S apart from the High Street.

If you’re detail-driven, curious about the latest in beauty and skincare, and ready to make an impact in a fast-paced, creative environment, we’d love to hear from you.

To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.

What’s in it for you?

Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever‑evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever, and however they want to shop with us.

• After completing your probationary period, you’ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third‑party brands for you and a member of your household.
• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
• Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
• A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
• A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
• Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
• Industry‑leading parental, adoption, and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
• Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
• A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you’re passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.

What you’ll do

Your key accountabilities will include

• Where appropriate take full technical responsibility for a range as well as providing support to the Technology team across the Department acting on behalf of the Technologist to represent M&S externally and the Department internally.
• Support the co‑ordination of day‑to‑day activities (e.g., risk analysis, wearer trials,) to protect the department from product safety, compliance, and ethical issues in line with legislation and policy.
• Work alongside the technologist to support delivery of the BU innovation strategy driving commercial customer focused benefit.
• Maintain integrity of product data within the department on M&S systems, working with sourcing offices to ensure suppliers are compliant in providing complete and accurate information as required to enable reporting.
• Compiling and analysing quality data to feed into BU and departmental strategy.

Who you are

Your skills and experience will include

• Ability to learn new technical skills, absorb information and manage own personal development.
• Excellent communication skills within GM technical function, design and buying, supply base and global Sourcing Offices.
• Multi‑tasked orientated working to tight deadlines, understanding when to take decisions and when to seek guidance.
• To be able to analyse data and drive insights to support strategic thinking.
• Knowledge and experience of creating product specifications.

Everyone’s welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating, and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted, and admired by our colleagues, customers, and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you’d benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.