Product & Customer Technologist

Product & Customer Technologist – Food Manufacturing
(Raw Materials Co-ordinator for Meat Manufacturing)
Location: South Kirkby, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire
Salary: £40,000–£43,000 per annum, depending on experience
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Working arrangement: Factory/site-based
Major Recruitment is recruiting a Product & Customer Technologist for an established meat manufacturing business near Pontefract.
Reporting to the Technical Services Manager, you will help ensure raw materials meet agreed specifications and customer requirements. This is a practical role combining factory-based quality checks, supplier communication, specification management and performance reporting.
The position would suit someone with experience in food manufacturing, raw-material quality or meat processing who enjoys identifying problems and working with suppliers and production teams to resolve them.
Key responsibilities

Assess incoming raw materials against agreed purchasing specifications and quality standards.

Maintain and update approved supplier and raw-material specifications alongside the technical team.

Carry out product assessments at intake and during production, including raw-material analysis, cook-up checks and butchery assessments.

Identify materials that do not meet specifications, raise non-conformance reports or rejection notices, and communicate findings to suppliers.

Report quality findings to the Technical, Commercial and Operations teams.

Support raw-material production planning, responding to logistical challenges and changing production requirements.

Build effective supplier relationships and help improve raw-material quality and consistency.

Produce reports and analyse trends to monitor quality issues and supplier performance.

Support supplier claims and material downgrades through accurate assessment and supporting evidence.

Help production teams understand meat cuts, butchery specifications and customer requirements.

Support supplier visits, factory visits and technical audits.

Identify opportunities to improve butchery methods, packaging formats and raw-material utilisation.
Essential requirements

Relevant experience in food manufacturing, food packaging or raw-meat handling.

Level 2 Food Safety qualification.

Strong attention to detail, with the ability to identify specification discrepancies and errors in data.

Good planning and organisational skills, with a structured approach to work.

Intermediate Microsoft Excel and Word skills, including reporting, graphs and data trending.

Confident communication skills and the ability to work effectively with suppliers and internal teams.

A proactive approach to problem-solving, willingness to learn and flexibility around operational requirements.
Desirable experience

Knowledge of beef, lamb and pork cuts and butchery specifications.

Understanding of HACCP, VACCP and TACCP.

Experience with raw-material inspection, supplier specifications or food quality assurance.

Experience investigating non-conformances and supporting supplier improvements.
To apply, submit your CV to Major Recruitment, highlighting your relevant food-sector, raw-material or meat-processing experience

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