Technical Lead: Fresh Produce Quality & Supplier Relations

MorePeople; Sittingbourne; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

MorePeople is seeking a Technical Manager to own the Tesco fresh produce category, working with growers, suppliers and Tesco to ensure products meet the highest standards of quality, safety and legality. You’ll be the technical expert, proactively improving standards rather than merely maintaining them.

You will build strong supplier relationships, lead investigations, manage customer complaints and drive continuous improvement across the supply chain, collaborating with Sales, Marketing and

Qualifications

• You’ll already have experience within a Technical, Customer Technical or Supplier Technical role in fresh produce or food manufacturing and be comfortable working with retailer standards.
• Experience managing retailer technical relationships.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, quality and legality requirements.
• Experience managing supplier performance and due diligence.
• Knowledge of retailer specification systems such as Tesco Quality Connect.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive approach with the confidence to challenge and influence where needed.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• A passion for continuous improvement and delivering the highest standards.

Responsibilities

• Taking full technical ownership of a Tesco fresh produce category.
• Building strong relationships with suppliers and maintaining regular communication throughout the season.
• Monitoring product quality and proactively managing any issues before they become problems.
• Providing technical recommendations during daily production meetings.
• Managing customer complaints, identifying trends and implementing effective corrective actions.
• Leading investigations following customer rejections and ensuring preventative actions are implemented.
• Ensuring Tesco Quality Connect specifications, product records and Brandbank information are accurate and up to date.
• Managing artwork approvals and packaging developments for your product area.
• Preparing products for benchmarking, customer visits and sample requests.
• Supporting trial work and product innovation projects.
• Completing weekly customer reports and technical documentation.
• Conducting end-of-season supplier reviews and driving continuous improvement plans.
• Managing supplier due diligence and ensuring all compliance documentation remains current.
• Supporting sustainability initiatives across the supply base.
• Working closely with Sales, Marketing and Packaging teams to deliver commercially successful product and packaging developments.
• Identifying opportunities for innovation, including new varieties, packaging improvements and sustainability projects.
• Supporting the ongoing development of Business Objects and technical systems.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Quality systems

Food safety knowledge

Retailer standards

Technical leadership

Job description

MorePeople is seeking a Technical Manager to own the Tesco fresh produce category, working with growers, suppliers and Tesco to ensure products meet the highest standards of quality, safety and legality. You’ll be the technical expert, proactively improving standards rather than merely maintaining them.

You will build strong supplier relationships, lead investigations, manage customer complaints and drive continuous improvement across the supply chain, collaborating with Sales, Marketing and