Description:
You will be part of a passionate team of people and a growing business. Come on the journey with us where you will grow and develop and truly feel a sense of belonging. At Keelings, we don't just grow quality fresh produce, we also nurture people and their professional development. The Keelings family always employ the best people for the job, the key to our success is the quality of the people we employ.
Keelings Values
- People Matter - We support and treat each other in a clear, fair and respectful way. We all learn, develop and encourage everyone to contribute
- Teamwork - We inspire and help each other to deliver our ambitions together as One Keelings
- Integrity - We do the right thing and deliver on our commitments
- Passion for Achievement - We motivate ourselves and each other to achieve our ambitions with energy, knowledge and courage. We are always striving to be better.
Keelings is hiring a Technical Manager. Reporting to the Senior Technical Manager, the purpose of your role will be:
- To ensure ensuring the business is compliant on ethical and environmental issues.
- To category manage all aspects of product quality, safety and legality from the supplier base to the customer.
- To liaise and consult with other departments in on all aspects of food quality, legality and safety within the
- category through training and generation of information and to maintain all technical management systems i.e. SEDEX, ETI, Retailer Websites, etc.
Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities
Supplier
- To develop working relationships with supplier and grower contacts. To include supplier risk assessments &
- audits and the management of supplier KPI’s with a view to year-on-year quality improvement plans.
- To ensure that systems are in place to manage quality, safety and legality of product by either 2nd or 3rd
- party auditing systems.
- Maintenance of supplier/grower due diligence to meet all customer business and legal requirements.
- To ensure clear reporting/communication systems are in place back to the supplier to report any matters
- relating to non-conformance and supplier improvement.
- Internal
- Develop/maintain good working relationship with internal contacts, e.g. commercial, operations, transport
- etc. working with them for best solutions.
- To ensure Internal category audit of systems and procedures are in place against BRC/TFS/SOP’s etc.
- To ensure full Investigation of internal NC’s and agree resolution
- To ensure that shelf-life integrity is maintained and agree NC resolution
- To support all areas in product knowledge training according to business/external requirements.
- Development of robust product knowledge training materials.
- Advise on stock rotation and residency issues
- Advise on control of waste/rework.
- To manage internal projects agreed with the business or external parties.
- To assist in internal disputes in relation to quality, safety and legality of product and/or services.
- To category manage a pesticide screening programme by risk assessment, by supplier and source of origin.
- To manage visits by local authorities that relate to product quality, safety and legality and ETI and the
Environment.
- To manage customer visits that relate to product quality, safety and legality and ETI and the environment.
- To ensure that valid systems are in place internally to manage quality, safety and legality of product by either
- 2nd or 3rd party auditing systems.
- To manage a benchmarking programme based on an agreed annual programme or on request of the
- Commercial & Marketing departments.
Customer
- To develop/maintain trust, confidence and effective working relationships with all customer contacts.
- To represent the company in line with the company values.
- Respond to enquiries and requests for quality and technical information.
- Involvement in complaint / rejection investigations.
- To manage supplier visits with the customer that relate to product quality, safety and legality and ETI and the
- Environment.
- Any other duties or tasks as outlined by the customer category technical managers in relation to safety and
- Legality of product and year on year quality improvement plans.
Experience & Skills Required
- Proven track record developing, implementing and managing Quality Systems within the Food/Fresh Produce industry
- Good understanding of the requirements of major retailers.
- Knowledge of 3rd party auditing to a minimum of BRC standards.
- To have directly worked or to have a clear understanding of retail accreditation standards, F2F, TN11, Global Gap, Bord Bia.
- Ability to work in a busy environment meeting time/budget deadline.