* Location: Northfleet, Kent, United Kingdom
Prepworld is looking for a Customer Technologist to effectively manage and deliver the technical agenda and build strong relationships with selected retail customers. The role involves representing PrepWorld with customers and third parties from a technical perspective and ensuring there is relevant and adequate technical capability of our premium, high care, ready-to-eat products from raw material to PrepWorld customers in line with customer codes of practice and technical requirements.
Customer Account Support
* Support delivery of customers' quality plan and review.
* Ensure there is adequate provision of technical support to the factory and wider team to ensure compliance with customer requirements.
* Ensure retailer online portals/systems are maintained with accuracy and all alerts and communications are responded to/actioned accordingly.
Customer Relationship Building
* Ensure that strong and proactive relationships are built with retailers' technical representatives and that all requests and tasks are managed efficiently both for individual accounts and across the wider customer technical team.
* Represent PrepWorld in customer technical meetings, conferences, benchmarking, visits, audits, and other customer events, feeding back relevant information to the wider PrepWorld Team and following up actions appropriately.
* Exchange quality and availability information with customers throughout the season.
* Proactively engage with the retailer’s technical representative to ensure continuous and mutually beneficial development of the account.
Monitor and Report on KPIs
* Manage the investigation process into product rejections and complaints and communicate with suppliers and customers to understand causes of product issues.
* Produce corrective action plans and ensure implementation.
* Communicate regularly with the retailer regarding the site’s KPIs and trends.
* Quantify and analyse technical information and feedback to the PrepWorld management team to influence and support commercial decisions.
* Actively take part in company-wide initiatives to combat complaints and rejections.
New and Existing Product Development
* Actively work with the NPD team to lead and drive the delivery of new product development projects.
* Work with the retailer’s technical representative to ensure any NPD / EPD is in line with the factory’s capabilities and their expectations of the finished product attributes are aligned to what is achievable.
* Manage and advise on new product development from a technical perspective.
* Ensure all technical activities required to launch NPD / EPD are completed within the required timeframe.
* Manage the writing of specifications, artwork approval, pre-production trials, and other key NPD activities.
Quality Management
* Proactively engage in site-wide initiatives and projects to improve quality and shelf life.
* Understand and pre-empt quality issues by conducting store visits and providing feedback to the factory.
* Manage and support the creation and maintenance of customer quality contracts and QASs and ensure their content is accurate and achievable.
* Work with the wider team to implement corrective actions in light of any quality issues found either internally or by the retailer.
Who We Are Looking For:
* A qualified graduate in Horticulture, Postharvest, Food Technology or similar fields (Desirable).
* HACCP Level 2 (Essential), Auditing, Food Safety qualification (Highly desirable).
* Minimum of 1 year experience in a food technical role (ideally customer facing) (Essential).
* Experience of working with and managing the major UK retailers (Highly desirable).
* Experience of a high care, ready-to-eat environment and preferably with fresh produce (Essential).
* Involvement in the NPD process (Desirable).
* Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook (Essential).
* Driving license holder with own transport (Essential).
What We Provide in Return:
* Hybrid working (initial period full time in office for training).
* Internal Learning and Development programme including Management essential skills.
* Medicash (allowances to cover costs such as dental and optical bills, physiotherapy, alternative therapies, and even consultancy charges, available for employees and their families. A taxable benefit).
* Wagestream (track your earnings and instantly access up to 50% of your money as you earn it, without waiting for payday).
* Annual bonus (non-contractual).
* Free, on-site parking with electric charge points.
* Staff events.
* Staff restaurant serving heavily subsidised hot and cold food.
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