Senior Food Technologist

Cardiff Met; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

35 days annual leave

LGPS pension scheme

Family-friendly policies

Library & digital services access

Sports facilities

Health Assured wellbeing support

Job summary

Cardiff Metropolitan University invites applications for a role delivering best-in-class technical expertise to support the Welsh food industry and ZERO2FIVE. You will mentor the technical team and drive new product development and innovation across funded and commercial projects.

Requirements include a Food Science degree (or equivalent), extensive NPD experience, and strong project management and leadership capabilities within a food manufacturing context.

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant Science discipline, e.g. Food Science (or equivalent experience).
• Extensive experience of working within NPD and keeping up with key trends in food and drink innovation.
• Strong attention to detail and robust project management skills.
• Experience in at least 3 product categories within NPD or related areas.
• Experience in the food manufacturing industry in technical, process or quality systems and compliance management.
• Experience managing technical/compliance areas of the food industry.
• Experience managing part of, or the whole of BRCGS /QMS compliant technical systems.
• Effective project management: time management, logistics, meetings and presentations.
• Ability to lead and develop teams, assess written work and provide constructive feedback.

Responsibilities

• Supervising and monitoring the design, development and manufacture of new products, processes and systems for Micro, SMEs and large organisations.
• Identifying key new product development shortfalls in industrial partners’ operations through gap analyses and internal audits.
• Implementing a rigorous project delivery mechanism for all New Product Development projects delivered by ZERO2FIVE under guidance of the New Product Development Manager.
• Undertaking organoleptic evaluation, nutritional analysis, shelf-life determination and benchmarking of products for partner companies and commercial clients.
• Undertake and/or support project research as required to complete the project innovation.
• Scoping funded and commercial projects in line with university and ZERO2FIVE policies; liaise with Research & Innovation to ensure compliance.
• Taking ownership as a subject matter lead in specific areas to support the wider team.
• Providing knowledge transfer through the delivery of workshops.
• Networking with senior managers to support delivery of technical strategies and projects.
• Performing gap analyses at company premises to identify technical needs and define action plans.

Skills

NPD experience

Project management

Team leadership

Time management

Logistics

Presentations

Stakeholder engagement

Quality/compliance focus

Gap analyses

Education

BSc in Food Science or equivalent

Job description

You will be responsible for the development and delivery of 'best in class' food manufacturing technical expertise to support the Welsh Food Industry Sector and supply chain via Welsh Government (WG) funded projects and the UK Food industry and stakeholders via commercial/other ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre mechanisms. Additionally, you'll be responsible for the delivery of new product development and innovation support to the food manufacturing sector in Wales via Welsh Government funded projects and the UK Food Industry via the Food Industry Centre mechanisms.

The role provides the opportunity to transfer knowledge to our technical team, food manufacturers and stakeholders. This will be realised through mentorship and support of our highly motivated Food industry Centre Technologists.

You’ll support by:

• Supervising and monitoring of the design, development and manufacture of new products, processes and systems for Micro, SMEs and large organisations, in line with current legislation and quality standard.
• Identifying key new product development shortfalls in industrial partners’ operations through gap analyses and internal audits.
• Implementing a rigorous and robust project delivery mechanism (from project enquiry to project closure) for all New Product Development projects delivered by ZERO2FIVE under the guidance of the New Product Development Manager.
• Undertaking organoleptic evaluation, nutritional analysis, shelf-life determination and benchmarking of products in accordance with agreed protocols for partner companies and commercial clients.
• Undertake and/or support project research as required to complete the project innovation.
• Supporting for scoping all funded and commercial projects in line with Cardiff Metropolitan University and ZERO2FIVE policies and procedures, liaise with the Research & Innovation department to achieve compliance for commercial projects.
• Taking ownership as a subject matter lead in specific areas to support the wider team.
• Providing knowledge transfer through the delivery of workshops.
• Networking with senior managers in an industrial setting to support the delivery of technical strategies and projects as required.
• Undertaking gap analyses (against a Technical Standard), at company premises, to identify technical needs and define action plans for implementation.

What you’ll bring

With excellent interpersonal skills and a flexible approach to working, you will be able to confidently and independently engage with clients and stakeholders from all levels of the businesses and organisation.

• You will bring extensive experience of working within NPD and keep yourself up to date with key trends in innovation in the food and drink manufacturing sector.
• Your attention to detail and project management skills will be applied to all areas of the role.
• You'll hold a degree in a relevant Science discipline i.e. Food Science (or equivalent experience) and have worked in at least 3 product categories in NPD or related areas.
• Relevant previous experience in the food manufacturing industry in the field of technical, process or quality systems and compliance management.
• Experience of managing technical/compliance areas of the food industry.
• Experience of managing part of, or the whole of BRCGS /QMS compliant technical systems.
• Effective project management skills to include time management, logistics, meeting management and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead and develop teams, assess both written work and team member’s performance as appropriate, giving positive feedback for improvement.

We are a values-based University. We are proud of our culture, and we are there for our people. Our community spirit is the golden thread that underpins our values and behaviours. We support and embrace inclusion that enables everyone to feel respected and able to perform at their best. By joining our University, you'll find yourself in a unique environment where a wealth of knowledge and resources are readily available, supporting you with your career development.

We offer excellent benefits such as:

• Annual leave of 35 days, plus 12 bank holiday / concessionary days.
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme with generous monthly contributions.
• Excellent family friendly policies - take a look on our Policy Hub page.
• Opportunities to learn and develop your skills with access to library and digital services facilities.
• Excellent sports and fitness facilities with subsidised membership.
• Free family access to our independent specialist wellbeing support provider, Health Assured.

Cardiff Metropolitan University is proud to be a Disability Confident employer and a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant.

All applicants with disabilities, or those who are part of the Armed Forces community who during the shortlisting process meet the essential criteria for the role will be progressed to the next stage.

The University is committed to creating a highly inclusive culture. We offer family friendly and flexible working arrangements and a range of staff networks, forums and events to support and develop our people. We warmly welcome applications from those traditionally underrepresented in the higher education sector.

Why Work Here?

We invite you to join our collaborative community!

Dating back to 1865, we remain rooted in Wales with a global reach, offering you a world of opportunity. Our education, research and innovation deliver positive impact for equality, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, locally, nationally and internationally.

Are you ready to contribute to something remarkable?

Join us in helping us to progress and deliver real change.