Senior Technical Manager

Co-op; Kettering; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cooperative retailer in the UK is seeking a Senior Technical Manager to join their GCL team in Manchester. In this hybrid role, you will lead a category team and ensure technical excellence in supplier products. The role includes upstream engagement with the food industry and regular site visits nationwide, making it suitable for individuals with a strong background in food science and safety. Enjoy a competitive salary along with benefits including a pension plan and private healthcare.

Benefits

Annual bonus based on performance

28 days holiday, rising to 32

Pension with 10% employer contributions

Private healthcare

Access to subsidised onsite gym

Coaching and training

Wagestream app access

Qualifications

• Experience leading a team in a fast-moving environment.
• Strong understanding of food safety regulations.

Responsibilities

• Work with supplier partners ensuring technical excellence.
• Engage with the food industry for insights.
• Manage and visit the supply base nationwide.

Skills

Experience working in food safety or a food technical role

HACCP / GMP qualification

Ability to network and build relationships

Education

BSC qualification in Food Science or related subjects

Job description

Overview

Senior Technical Manager £60,000 to £72,500 plus great benefits including 10% employer pension contribution, and private healthcare. Manchester City Centre - hybrid role with time split between home and office (at least once a week), and at least 2 days a week travelling nationwide to our supplier base. The role also involves 1 out of every 8 weeks on call, as well as some occasional overseas travel. 9 months secondment/fixed-term contract.

We’re looking for a Senior Technical Manager to join our GCL (Group Commercial and Logistics) team here at Co-op. In this role you’ll lead a category team who will deliver technical excellence, protecting Co-op’s brand quality and reputation. We’ll look to you to be connected to external industry discussions, ensuring Co-op is at the cutting edge of sustainable and resilient food systems and supply chains. This role provides an exciting opportunity to trial new ways of working and to be part of the fastest growing own brand in the current market.

What you’ll do

• Work with supplier partners to make sure Co-op products are made with technical excellence at the heart
• Prioritise workload for your category team, ensuring that food safety and technical excellence are at the heart of this
• Engage with the wider food industry, ensuring we are at the forefront of insight for the category you lead
• Be engaged and up to date with regulation changes, making sure that everything we do is safe, legal, and compliant
• Coach your team through high-pressured situations, ensuring regulations are followed and strategically plan to negate future risk to our company and brand
• Look for opportunities to help the team to continuously improve from a food safety perspective
• Actively manage our supply base, making visits nationwide

This role would suit people who have

• BSC qualification in Food Science or related subjects
• Experience working in food safety or a food technical role
• A qualification in HACCP / GMP
• The ability to network and build relationships within the food industry and supplier base whilst also managing manufacturing sites
• Previous experience of leading a team in a fast moving and collaborative environment

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. When you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Private healthcare for you and your family
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• Coaching and training to support your career development
• Wagestream app – giving you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn

Building a diverse environment

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We\'re also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we\'ll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

We\'ll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme at Disability Confident Scheme - Co-op Colleagues and more about our commitments to diversity and inclusion at Diversity and Inclusion

Please note that we may close applications for this role early.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.