Food Technologist

**The Role**:
In your role you will report to the Food Innovation & Development Manager. You will be tasked with driving our “Food on the Move” Innovation strategy in line with DELI LITES strategy. You will play a key role in assisting with concept to launch projects, working closely with all key stakeholders, ensuring these projects are delivered on time. You will also have a key role in packaging development within the team.

As **Food Technologist, **you will echo the quality, legality, and authenticity of all our values at DELI LITES and give customers the opportunity to achieve their extraordinary results through the passion we have for our people and food.

**Your Duties**:

- Proactively executing key actions on department projects, aligned with the strategic business plan.
- Assist in the creation and maintenance of project plans and critical paths.
- Manage bespoke customer specification systems and technical libraries to ensure they are appropriately maintained and updated.
- Build and maintain customer QAS documents. Manage new products and amend existing products.
- Support the integration of new products into Operations, to including a comprehensive, documented handover and necessary follow ups post launch.
- Proactively stay in touch with the market including interpreting and monitoring consumer trends, new relevant concepts and product innovations.
- Assist in ensuring best practise sample submission to customers. Work closely with chefs to ensure all the relevant product information is submitted in a timely manner.
- Proactively stay in touch with the market including interpreting and monitoring consumer trends, new relevant concepts and product innovations.
- Participate in the company’s benchmarking schedule, producing reports and providing feedback to key stakeholders.
- Creation and maintenance of comprehensive department project documentation including all required legal compliance paperwork.
- Work closely with the NPD team to update packaging to include all relevant, complaint product information.
- Working in collaboration with the team you will work towards data driven KPIs.
- Build and maintain relationships with business representatives and stakeholders at head office and sites and act as a point of contact for the project or portfolio.
- Assist in the development of consumer friendly and market leading packaging and labelling across all product categories - Chilled, Frozen and Bakery. Present new concepts, that are aligned to our sustainability programme, to the NPD, Commercial and Operations team.
- Support research projects identified by the company that feed into the strategic business plan.
- In conjunction with internal and external stakeholders, manage new packaging development and packaging upgrades from concept to launch, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and defined performance requirements and specifications.
- Identify improvements to packaging formats and capability to enhance the company’s product offer and drive operational efficiencies and cost improvement, such as lightweighting and pallet utilisation.

**Desired Criteria**:

- Tertiary qualifications in Food Science or related discipline.
- A passion for food and an interest in consumer & market trends
- Demonstrated understanding of industry regulations relevant to packaging technologies, legality and formats.
- Experience in project management & organisational skills with the ability to manage projects on time, on budget with measurable outcomes.
- Ability to deliver accurate and concise reports regarding project(s) status
- Have a can do mentality and used to problem solving
- Resilience combined with emotional intelligence to build collaborative powerful relationships
- Sound knowledge of problem solving and facilitation techniques
- Strong communication and presentation skills
- Data Driven with commercial awareness
- Computer literate (MS Office, Intact, Powerpoint)

**In Return you will receive**:

- Competitive Salary
- Discounted Award Winning Sandwiches, Salads, Wraps, Traybakes and Treats
- Free On-Site Parking
- Cycle To Work Scheme
- Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme
- Staff Events
- Staff Learning and Development Opportunities

**Salary**: From £24,000.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Company events
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free or subsidised travel
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
- Store discount

Schedule:

- Day shift

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Newry, BT34 3FN: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: In person