Job Title: Product Development & Technologist
Reporting To: Food Factory Manager
Salary: £38,000 - £41,000 Per Annum
Contract type: Permanent, fulltime. 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
Location: London, Deptford
About The Felix Project, our Vision & Mission.
The Felix Project is London's biggest food redistribution charity and the largest end-to-end food redistribution charity in Europe.
Our vision is a London where no one goes hungry and good food is never wasted.
Our mission is to rescue good food from becoming waste and divert it to people most in need. We work towards ending London hunger - and winning the fight against food waste.
What do we do and who do we work with?
We rescue surplus food from businesses, supermarkets, restaurants, and farms. This food is nutritious, in-date, and safe and includes a high proportion of fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, and fish.
If we did not rescue this food, it would be at risk of going to waste. Instead, we deliver it free of charge to London charities, schools, food banks, and other organisations serving people in need.
Our food is a vital lifeline for children and families, people on low incomes, people who have lost their jobs, the homeless, refugees, domestic abuse survivors, the elderly, and keyworkers.
We already operate a Central Production Unit (CPU) in East London where we use surplus food to create Felix Meals, these meals change daily depending on the ingredients available. On average we make 4,500 Felix Ready Meals, 6 days a week.
We are a very ambitious and dynamic young charity and we haven’t stopped growing since we were founded in 2016 in memory of Felix Byam Shaw, by his father, entrepreneur Justin Byam Shaw. Unit 17 is an exciting part of our future growth and our continued development in the world of production.
More about Unit 17
In early 2025 we will open our second production facility as part of the Coronation Food Project. The Coronation Food Project was set up to celebrate His Majesty King Charles' 75th birthday and seeks to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across the UK.
We will be taking in surplus food from our supplier network and creating a range of products which have added value and extended shelf life.
A particular focus will be seasonal produce gluts, using ingredients which we may otherwise not be able to redistribute.
Using four key processes (re-packaging, jarring/preserving, dehydrating, and freezing) we will create a range of products which will be used in these three main ways:
1. Distributed to our partner community organisations as ‘ready to eat’ or ‘easy to use’ products for their service users - always delicious, achieving relevant safety standards and meeting the needs of the eventual end user.
2. Used in the East London Central Production Unit (CPU) to support creating Felix Ready Meals.
3. Used in Unit 17 in the creation of other products (for example frozen produce later used to make jarred sauces or preserves).
A typical day at Unit 17 will likely include planning new product/s based on the ingredients available that day, agreeing relevant food safety requirements and working in line with this, working with the production team and volunteers to prepare, produce, and package delicious products, planning for future products and project work.
Purpose of the Job
To be the lead on product development & technologist, developing the range of products and ensuring new procedures and products are designed to meet all necessary safety requirements. Having full accountability on product labelling and leading on due diligence, ensuring paperwork is submitted fully and correctly for each product.
Your background in recipe creation and knowledge of food will be essential to support the team constantly developing and tweaking recipes based on the inbound food supply.
The core of this role will be to work closely alongside the Production Manager and wider team to ensure that we are set for our production runs, all information has been shared, and the team are ready to produce. Alongside this, you will work with the Supply team and Unit Manager to forecast incoming food supply and schedule products and production lines to be ready to receive the food and create.
This will be a truly unique operation, with a varied supply of food across the year so our product development will be a core part of every day in this unit. An agile and driven approach to this unique challenge will be key, product development done in a live production line, new products almost every day, a real chance to be creative and have real pride in the products we create.
Duties and Accountabilities
1. Be a key member of the project team that opens the new unit.
2. Leading in the creation and delivery of all required Food Safety aspects and HACCP plans.
3. Feeding into the reporting on and delivering against the unit's stated KPI’s and development goals.
4. Lead on conducting internal and external audits, feeding back solutions to any areas of improvement identified.
5. Working closely with the operations team on a daily basis in a hands-on fashion to ensure standards are met and challenges overcome.
6. Leading the continuous development of our product range and reacting to the changing nature of our food supply.
7. Ensuring all relevant Food Safety concerns have been factored in and addressed during the development of new procedures and products.
8. Ensure that any relevant food safety legislation and product quality factors are considered during development of new products and processes, and to evaluate all associated risks and establish relevant controls.
9. Support in the training of all levels of the team. Actively coach, develop, and train team members to the required level of competence ensuring that the necessary skills are in place at all levels.
10. Ensure that a safe working environment exists for all employees in the team and support the business plans relating to health & safety and the environment.
11. Support the technical function in the investigation and evaluation of innovative new process technology to improve existing practices and practice ongoing process development.
Person Specification
The Felix Project recognises the positive value of diversity and is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from all suitably qualified or experienced individuals, regardless of their race, gender, biological sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age.
This is a brand new and unique operation and requires someone with a depth of experience and an openness to creating and delivering on a new project. Someone who believes in the mission we have as an organisation and wants to put their experience and knowledge into a mission-driven project. We believe in an upbeat and enjoyable working environment but one that is driven to meet our targets and strategic goals.
Whilst extensive previous experience and knowledge within food production is essential, we are looking for someone who wants to grow into the role and be able to develop themselves and their knowledge whilst we create this new operation. Thriving in the challenge of a unit which works with an ever-changing food supply and a volunteer-driven workforce.
Essential skills/knowledge relevant to this role
1. Experience within a food technologist and/or food safety role in a food production operation.
2. Experience working on or developing new products.
3. Comfortable with all relevant aspects of Health & Safety and Food Safety procedures in a large-scale food manufacturing environment.
4. Previous experience in creating and delivering on detailed HACCP plans.
5. Clear eye for detail, team player, enjoys the work they do and a strong work ethic.
6. Strong people skills, a positive attitude and belief in an ethical, equitable and enjoyable working environment.
7. Comfortable in working in a fast-changing and growing work environment.
8. Very strong administrative and organisational skills.
9. Willingness to drive a project forward and take ownership of this.
10. Strong computer literacy and strong written communication skills.
11. Able to be fully transparent and accountable for all aspects of food and product safety.
12. Able to lead their area with a hands-on, on-the-ground mentality.
13. Previous or current level 3 or higher Food Safety qualified.
Desirable skills/knowledge relevant to this role
1. Previous experience in the charity or surplus food environment.
2. A track record of delivering new and innovative food products.
3. Experience in dehydration, pasteurization, and food packaging.
4. Experience working and managing volunteers.
5. A passion to reduce food waste and reduce food insecurity.
6. A desire to develop this role and department.
What you’ll get in return
You will be working in an upbeat, innovative charity with strong vision, ambition, and a fantastic culture and leadership team. This role is in our new facility at the Deptford Trading Estate, SE8 5HY but you may be asked to occasionally work in one of our other locations and will be asked to work in outside venues as part of your duties. The salary is £38-41,000 (FTE) per annum, 25 days annual leave + bank holidays.
Application procedure
Please apply via this recruitment portal. Please upload your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role (and make sure that they’re both uploaded before submitting your application). After you have submitted your application, you have 24 hours in which you can access your application and make edits. We suggest that you complete one last proof-read after submission and double-check that your CV etc. uploaded correctly.
Recruitment timeline
Updated Closing date: 30th February 2025
We are interviewing suitable applicants as and when they apply. We encourage early applications.
The Felix Project can only employ applicants who currently have the right to work in the UK.
#J-18808-Ljbffr