Our business has a long and proud history of food excellence. We produce award-winning dressings, condiments and marinades for many of the UK’s leading food manufacturers and retailers as well as nurturing our own brands: English Provender, Very Lazy and Newman’s Own. We believe it’s our passion for good food, fine ingredients and technical excellence that sets us apart and gives us our success.
We’re a spirited, adventurous and resourceful team, and we think these qualities make for something pretty unique and coveted these days. From the mayonnaise and chutneys we create to the management styles and choices we make, everything is guided by our core company values: Creativity, Agility, Respect and Excellence. It's these values that make us look forward to coming to work every day and make English Provender company a great place to work.
About the role
EPC is going through a period of change and requires a passionate customer technical manager to join the team at Newbury. There is a dedicated team of raw material technologists and technical information officers who are looking for a leader who will help navigate them through the demanding technical challenges our customer and supply base present.
You will be our senior technical representative to our customers, and you will be a key point of contact to ensure customer satisfaction and you will have the autonomy to deliver to their needs. You will be responsible for ensuring their needs are communicated to the factory to ensure they are fulfilled.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES / KEY TASKS
* Portray a positive image of the company and its values in a professional manner at all times being a role model demonstrating effective and fair leadership behaviours.
* Be the key point of contact for customers – developing proactive partnerships with key customers ensuring that their needs are met on time in full.
* Responsible for the technical information officer team who act as a first point of contact resource at EPC for our customers.
* Assist customers during site audits and trials, specifications, responses to complaints, certificates of analysis and provide help and advice regarding the use of the products we sell.
* Be self-motivated and take responsibility in making decisions concerning the customer technical aspects of products made at EPC.
* Represent the company to customers from a technical point of view at both the office and at customer premises, including audits & technical visits.
* Manage the voice of the customer internally – ensure audit and visit dates are effectively communicated and that close out actions of these visits are delivered on time in full in line with EPC commitments.
* Ensure that the technical team provides the factory with sufficient standards and specifications to manufacture products consistently and correctly.
* Implement changes to site standards following site audits by customers or changes to customer codes of practice.
* Manage the customer complaint system and provide trended complaint data and plans of corrective actions to prevent reoccurrences, working with other departments as necessary.
* Ensure any internal incidents are dealt with in a timely manner, making timely decisions on distressed stock.
* Work with the NPD, commercial and operational departments to develop safe, legal, and innovative products which meet customer codes of practice.
* Ensure effective management systems are in place to monitor, report and manage the microbiological status of products in development, at production, and at end of shelf life.
* Create an environment of continuous improvement within the team, where all team members feel a sense of responsibility for improving overall team performance.
* Manage direct reports and succession planning within the department.
* Be a member of the crisis management team.
* Adhere to all company rules and procedures, paying particular attention to health and safety.
TIO team
* Develop a one team approach to QA activities onsite.
* Ensure that the job description and duties of the ‘QA Supervisors’ are being adhered to and are correct for the needs of the business.
* Ensure that the factory operations team is supported by the QA department.
* Ensure sufficient resource for the QA team (including night shift) to complete their responsibilities and duties.
* Manage and develop systems and procedures to maintain product quality on site through the company's quality management systems, critical and quality control points and company policies and procedures.
* Ensure that the controls identified in the HACCP plans for the site are adhered to and developed in conjunction with the needs of the business.
* Ensure that all checks, data entry and paperwork are carried out accurately and on time, conforming to company policies.
* Communicate observable and measurable performance expectations, providing prompt feedback and taking early action to resolve quality problems.
* Run disciplined and effective review meetings for the QA team to review performance against targets, propose solutions for any issues and set stretch targets.
Raw Material team
* Support the work of the raw material technologists to ensure they align with the Billington group ways of working.
* Offer guidance and support for exceptions arising from foods connected.
* Ensure that 100% of raw materials have specifications & appropriate supplier approval documents in place.
* Ensure testing schedules for raw materials are in place in line with the risk assessment.
CORE VALUE BEHAVIOURS
Creativity
* Can produce new ideas, approaches or insights to produce innovative work and solutions.
* Keeps an open mind to ideas and solutions from others.
* Keeps up to date with current trends and innovations.
* Asks questions and challenges in a positive manner.
Agility
* Makes prompt, clear decisions.
* Takes the initiative, acts with confidence and works under own direction as appropriate.
* Able to manage and prioritise a varied workload.
* Adapts positively to changing circumstances.
Respect
* Adapts to the team and builds team spirit.
* Demonstrates honesty and has strong moral principles.
* Arrives punctually for work and meetings.
* Excellent interpersonal skills, listens, consults others and communicates proactively.
* Shows respect and sensitivity towards other viewpoints and cultural differences.
Excellence
* A results-oriented individual with adherence to high standards and continuous improvement.
* Proactive in establishing good relationships with internal customers and staff.
* Bright and engaging with a high work ethic and ability to work under pressure.
Key Metrics
Why introduce this role now:
EPC is the flagship company of the Billington group and it wants to ensure this status is maintained. The company is going through a period of change and needs to refocus on standards to ensure the customer is looked after.
How success will impact the business:
EPC will have technical partnerships with our customers, enabling us to navigate issues easily.
Success of the role will ensure that EPC will:
Success will mean customer deadlines are achieved 100% of the time. Customer codes of practice and requirements are communicated within the business and effectively implemented.
Key tasks/expectations in the first 90 days:
* Understand the customer base and establish a presence with customers.
* Understand the challenges of the Food Technologist and Specifications Technologist and establish a plan to address these challenges.
* Set out a plan for customer codes of practice to ensure full compliance.
Essential:
* Food Safety Level 3
* HACCP Level 3
* Retailer portals
* BRCGS Standard & Customer standards
* Raw material & packaging specifications
* Customer technical management
* Customer management experience
* Hosting audits
* People management
* Computer literate & adaptable skills
* Team & Time management
* Project management
Desirable:
* Food Safety Level 4
* HACCP Level 4
* Degree in food-related discipline
* Retailer certification
* CIMSCEE
* Our product range – Ambient stable
* Unity
* M&S Customer
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: Up to £58,000.00 per year
Additional pay:
* Bonus scheme
Benefits:
* Company pension
* Life insurance
* On-site parking
* Referral programme
* Sick pay
Schedule:
* Monday to Friday
Experience:
* Technical Management: 3 years (preferred)
Work Location: In person
Reference ID: EN0132
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