Category Technologist – Fresh Food

Are you interested in working for one of Britain’s number one retailers?

We have a fantastic opportunity in a fast paced and exciting category. As the Category Technologist in meat, fish and poultry you will play a critical role in ensuring that our customers can trust our private label products in terms of product safety and legality, ensuring that agreed specifications are met consistently across all ranges. You will also take a leading role in the quality and development of our primal meat products and natural fish. So, if you have a passion for food safety, quality and innovation then this is the role for you.

About The Role

You will support the delivery of product and supplier compliance across ASDA supply base for products we sell to our customers. You will play a pivotal role in the development of product in our own brand ranges ensuring we are giving our customers the best quality at affordable prices and giving them the Asda feeling. The role will involve travel and you will get to grow your auditing skills as you work hand in hand with our supplying partners to ensure we provide safe products that delight our customers. You will get to work with various teams around our business. You will play a crucial element in helping us grow our business at a really exciting time for Asda through:

• Investigation into complaints or product trends to identify root cause.
• Support the technical manager in conducting strategic risk assessment reviews of the supplier base in conjunction with risk and strategic category plans.
• Ensure all visits and audits are completed as required after following a consistent, robust and documented risk assessment.
• Ensure all specifications in the HIVE have a risk assessment, are agreed with your business partners and actioned as required.
• Ensure all active supplying sites are on the HIVE, and have required compliance and Responsible sourcing documentation
• Active participation in Horizon Scanning (internal / external) of the category area, investigating anomalies and supporting development of policy and processes to mitigate Asda brand exposure to risk.
• Supporting the team to deliver the own brand strategy for your product areas, understanding the market and developing fantastic products to delight our customers.
• Deliver the critical path for development and launch of own brand product.
• Agree and implement quality plans with our supplying partners to ensure we offer consistently great quality.
• Implement plans for benchmarking, consistency and improvement based on customer feedback, such as online reviews, customer complaints.

The role will be offered as a 12 month fixed term contract.

About You

• You will be a graduate in food science, technology or similar discipline.
• You will have practical manufacturing experienced including BRC and HACCP in a factory or retail environment.
• You will have the confidence and expertise to communicate with knowledge and passion with our trading teams as well as senior management in our factory base.
• You will be computer literate with experience to navigate specification and supplier management systems, ensuring all specifications in the system are current and signed, and agreed with your business partners.
• You will possess the ability to prioritise and flex to business needs, our customer is number 1 and you will seek to understand their concerns and requirements as well as the customer and commercial impact of decisions made.

Work Where it Works. Our hybrid way of working gives you the choice to work where it works. This enables you to choose where you’ll be the most effective. It offers a mix of working from home and in an office environment that works best for you and your team.

You will also get an excellent benefits package including;-

• Discretionary company bonus
• Company pension up to 7% matched
• 10% colleague discount, free parking and many additional rewards.