Food Technologist

Company background:

FSC is a family business with more than 30 years of award-winning experience in creating,

rolling out and managing bespoke customer food-on-the-move solutions. Our

customers include a selection of blue-chip companies in various industries, such as Shell, National Trust, Waterstones and Dunelm.

We offer a range of consultancy services drawing on our in-depth knowledge of the

food-on-the-move sector and have managed projects all over the world.

Our Head Office is located in the world-famous village of Cheddar, our Innovation Centre is based near Bristol in Flax Bourton, in addition to offices in Prague (Czech Republic) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

Although our colleagues are based all over the world, we regularly get together to review performance, share best practice and socialise! As well as working in a challenging and fast-moving environment, we believe it is important to have a big chunk of fun and no day is ever the same at FSC.

At FSC we believe in ethical stewardship of all aspects within our business. This means that we thrive in a diverse, equitable culture where we celebrate inclusion and empowerment within our teams, and seek to always support our global community, minimising our carbon footprint wherever possible. To help grow this awareness we have adopted a companywide ESG focus.

Purpose of role:

FSC is looking for a (Senior) Food Technologist to implement new products, and modify existing ones, in-line with briefs for a variety of customers (currently including Shell UK, Shell Canada, and HMS Host), ensuring food safety, legality and quality standards are met for all products.

Key deadlines will need to be met, with a focus on customer requirements and financial targets, project tracking, proactively communicating throughout the development process and managing expectations across the business.

The role will involve:

Product Development

Owning products from chef handover/3rd party supplier product sign off to launch (in-line with the critical path) with a strategic approach, considering factors such as cost, market trends, customer preferences and being the contact for individual products

Providing food technological guidance to all relevant departments when new products are developed

Ensuring food safety, legality, and quality standards are adhered to in line with the businesses policies and procedures for all new products

Ensuring the ingredient/product information is accurate, up-to-date, and consistent across different ingredients and suppliers in the online NPD system (Recipe Professor)

Ensuring all new raw materials are assessed appropriately and assessed against the current HACCP plan, raising any concerns where appropriate

Coordinating/attending factory trials, product launches and product photo shoots at various locations across the UK and Ireland

Making sure post trial actions are documented, followed up and completed e.g., product spec sign-off, organising samples for microbiological and organoleptic shelf-life testing, transit trials, and hot hold testing, as well as arranging customer samples

Ensuring product specifications and QAS documents are created, agreed, approved, and issued in a timely manner prior to launch

Approval of packaging artwork and accountability for updating allergen matrices following a thorough risk assessment

Ensuring that any new procedures are implemented effectively, and continually updating existing ones where necessary

Assessing ingredient changes during the development process that reduce environmental impact

Engaging the team/customers in discussions around minimising environmental impact due to wastage

Working collaboratively with the NPD department on raw materials both new and current for cost saving projects and product/process quality improvement initiatives

Performing any other duties and objectives as required from time to time to contribute effectively to the achievement of the business aims and objectives

Collaborative Engagement and Team Leadership

Presenting products (existing and new) at internal and customer presentations, passionately demonstrating good market and food trend awareness to achieve product approval

Building strong relationships with manufacturers, assessing capabilities, and collaborating closely with their development teams to create exciting products in an efficient way, following the journey from conception through to launch and beyond

Leading post launch reviews for all products within the range to validate that financial, operational and sales KPIs have been achieved and to capture lessons learned for future product designs and launches

Marketing Communications

Managing and coordinating all point-of-sale (POS) materials throughout the marketing calendar with key shell partners, including creating or updating POS info (e.g., allergens, price, kcal), on-site testing of new POS, and creation of monthly MyShop (using Adobe Illustrator and InDesign Software) in accordance with current legislation and customer brand standards

Delivering the product manual and process guides

Creating monthly allergen matrixes

Qualifications (academic and work-related)

Essential

BSc Food Science/Technology (or similar)

Valid driving licence

Experience

5+ years experience in NPD/process within FMCG, and having visited/worked in several different food manufacturing sites

Experience in working in a fast-paced environment, working with a high volume of SKUs

Customer facing

Knowledge of UK (& Canadian) labelling legislation is an advantage

A strong interest in food outside of work and awareness of market trends

Skills

Computer literate, particularly EXCEL (Adobe Illustrator/InDesign knowledge would be advantageous)

Meticulous attention to detail

Excellent organisational skills

A self-starter

Able to work independently and as part of a team

Relishes working in a fast-paced environment in a hands-on capacity

Has a natural can-do attitude

Shows initiative

Has the ability to learn to use new software quickly

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

If required to drive to suppliers/clients or between offices, a valid UK driving licence is essential

Ability to multitask