Technical Services Compliance Manager

Waitrose & Partners; Bracknell; Hybrid; GBP 58,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK grocery retailer is seeking a Technical Services Compliance Manager based in Bracknell. You will oversee technical compliance for B2B third-party concessions and ensure product safety and legality across the supply chain. The ideal candidate will have a degree in Food Science, experience in export and regulatory management, and possess strong stakeholder influencing skills. This role offers a competitive salary and hybrid working arrangements.

Qualifications

• Export knowledge/experience.
• Experience leading/working in a cross category/international sales/export support role.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day food and non-food regulatory management for B2B customers.
• Maintain accuracy of the global export regulatory database.
• Ensure products supplied are safe, legal, and compliant with standards.

Skills

Influencing Stakeholders

Customer Driven Innovation

Agile Leadership

Business Strategies

Education

Degree in Food Science or similar

HACCP L3/Allergens/Risk Assessment qualifications

Job description

About the role

As the Technical Services Compliance Manager, you will play a pivotal role in identifying and implementing the strategic procedures and programs required to deliver our Partnership objectives. Working within the Own Brand Directorate, you will collaborate closely with Quality & Technical, Product Innovation, and Regulation, Policy & Compliance teams to ensure our standards remain industry-leading.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical & Regulatory Oversight: Supporting the Commercial Sales Technical Compliance Manager, you will lead the day‑to‑day food and non‑food technical and regulatory management for assigned B2B third‑party concessions, key customers, and non‑standard propositions across both UK and export markets.

• Data Integrity: You will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance and accuracy of our global export regulatory database, ensuring a seamless flow of information for international trade.

• Stakeholder Collaboration: You will build and maintain high‑level relationships both internally and externally. You will act as a central coordinator, reporting against critical business KPIs and compliance data to facilitate smooth operations across the Own Brand Directorate.

• Safety & Legality: You will ensure all products supplied to our B2B customers and third‑party partners are safe, legal, and compliant with relevant standards. This involves working cross‑functionally with Trading, Retail, Planning, and Category Proposition teams to uphold our brand reputation.

At a glance:

• Salary Band: £49,000.00 - 72,000.00 per annum

• Expected Salary: Up to £58,000.00 dependant on skill and experience

• Contract type: This is a secondment opportunity until April 2027

• Hours and location of the role:

  • 35 hours per week

  • Your home location will be our Bracknell Head Office

  • The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The team typically attend the office once a week to connect and attend key meetings on more of an ad‑hoc basis.

  • This role will require travel both within the UK and Internationally, therefore candidates must have the relevant documentation to travel.

Key responsibilities:

• Support the day to day management, coordination and queries relating to your areas of responsibility as agreed with the Commercial Sales Technical Compliance Manager.

• Coordinate and maintain the Food & Non‑Food Technical management of any assigned B2B customers (eg. Export, Welcome break, Shell and branded concessions such as Sushi).

• Development and delivery of training in area of specialism either by self or 3rd party suppliers to Waitrose Partners, to ensure all Partner knowledge and application is up to date in your area of expertise.

• Manage and respond to export legislation enquiries within Waitrose identifying the means for legal compliance Safe and legal trading within areas of control.

• Act in accordance with the Partnership's purpose and democratic principles, constructively participating in co‑ownership, and demonstrating to customers and each other that it is a better way of doing business.

The successful candidate will have the following skills:

Influencing Stakeholders:

• Works collaboratively to achieve the optimum and mutual agreement for a way forward for all parties.

• Resolves professional differences along the way through active listening and appropriate assertive communication to reach a win‑win outcome.

• Is prepared to adapt communication style to each situation and has the best interest of the Partnership at the forefront of all interactions.

Brand Differentiation:

• Is passionate in establishing brand loyalty and projects confidence in promoting and selling our complete Partnership brand.

• Has a deep understanding of all our services to offer the best customer experience.

• Is proactive in making suggestions and selling across both brands.

Customer Driven Innovation:

• Explores possibilities with enthusiasm and acts on instinct to generate well formed ideas and understands how new concepts, theories and ideas fit in with future direction and business objectives - as a result of this develops new objectives and initiatives for the business.

Agile Leadership:

• Appreciates and embraces change, addressing ambiguous or uncertain situations directly; easily adapts to changing circumstances/demands and helps others to accept the unknown.

Business Strategies:

• Thinks for the long term whilst making sense of the current climate.

• Cuts through any issues in order to reach the defined goal and ensures continued alignment to current business objectives. Puts these strategies in place for peers and team and in doing so, creates a culture where everyone contributes.

Essential skills and/or experience you'll need:

• Export knowledge/experience.

• Experience leading/working in a cross category/international sales/export support role.

• Degree in Food Science or similar.

• HACCP L3/Allergens/Risk Assessment qualifications or significant experience.

Desirable skills and/or experience you may have:

• HACCP L4/Food Safety L4, Lead auditor qualifications.

• Relevant experience within the Food Retail Industry - as a technical manager, or technical specialist with experience of service provision and legality/safety knowledge.

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About The Partnership

We're the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We're not just employees, we're Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there's never been a more exciting time to join us.

We're ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we're free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.

Important points to note:

It's important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you'll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work‑life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.