Product Technologist

**Product Technologist**:
**Salary**:Competitive Plus Benefits**
**Location**:Holborn Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1N 2HT**
**Contract type**:Permanent**
**Business area**:Food Commercial**
**Closing date**:01 May 2025**
**Requisition ID**:296352**:
We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Here, everything in our stores starts out in Food Commercial. Whether it’s the product, proposition, packaging or price, or the fact that something tastes great, our team is responsible for all food items available in store, digitally and on demand. You’ll discover it’s incredibly fast-paced. People here are in it together and not afraid to take risks. They’re enthusiastic too, and their amazing leadership team is right behind them. The knowledge and experience you gain here could set you up for career moves, anywhere else in the business. So, if you’re passionate about food and just as hungry to learn, you’ll fit in perfectly.

**Division/Department**

Sainsbury’s Commercial/ Technical

**Location**

**Holborn Store Support Centre**

**Reporting to**

Lead Technical Manager (C5)

**In a nutshell**

The role of a Technologist is to manage the delivery of all aspects of the Sainsbury’s Brand product and technical plans for their product area with emphasis on safe, legal, appropriate quality legality and supplier performance. Technologists work with the suppliers, our Sainsbury’s Central Technical Operations (CTO)team, product developers, trading, supply chain and retail teams to deliver great quality products that are consistently produced to the correct standard and meet our agreed specifications, standards and policies. Technologists drive the quality and technical agenda for their product area, which includes responsibility for delivering through our suppliers our Plan for Better commitments and keeping the customer at the heart of all decisions.

In this role, you will work with the cross functional General Merchandise (GM) category team as Sainsbury’s GM integrates into Sainsbury’s Commercial. We will leverage joint Sourcing and Technical services for Argos and Sainsbury’s GM, and as our strategy develops and we transform and integrate GM into Sainsbury’s Commercial, we will continuously review our approach to ensure it remains appropriate and effective across all areas. Your role will be to work with the Lead Technical Manager to ensure we have appropriate Technical understanding and oversight from within Sainsbury’s Commercial for Sainsbury’s GM products, to support with the shift required to adapt to Sainsbury’s ways of working (e.g. the gated process for NPD) and to support the development of the GM strategy.

**What I am accountable for**
- Implement ways of working with the cross functional GM team and work with them to implement the gated process into day-to-day ways of working
- Work as part of a cross functional team to implement the technical audit process into a standardised approach
- Work as part of a cross functional team to implement the ethical audit process into a standardised approach
- Support on activity as part of the cross functional team to establish what the appropriate product range will look like and what this means with regards to the supply base
- Support in establishing how Argos technical resources will be used as a shared service and how this will operate day to day
- Support the CTO team in reviewing all the data, systems, reporting, Policy/Legislation, governance and compliance against the Sainsbury’s ways of working
- Work with the CTO team to establish a clear approach for supplier, third party providers and product assurance (PSI) using the expertise from the Argos team to guide and direct, ensuring no duplication occurs
- Supporting in managing safety, legality and quality of Sainsbury’s brand products ensuring brand reputation and proportionate due diligence is maintained
- Is a custodian of quality and Sainsbury's Brand reputation by adopting a zero tolerance approach to all failings of quality, safety, legality and brand reputation.

**What I need to know - essential criteria**
- Degree or equivalent in relevant scientific, technology, product design/development, manufacturing or engineering discipline.
- Strong experience in technical within the supply base or retail environment, with relevant category knowledge required for the role. Relevant sourcing, retail or manufacturing experience will also be considered.
- Knowledge of quality systems, UK legislation and requirements, ethical audits, testing requirements and manufacturing processes
- Computer literate
- Commercial awareness
- Minimum of 2 years’ experience in a technical role either in the supply base or at a retailer
- The role will require travel within the UK and overseas (depending on product area and supply base location)

**What I need to show**
- Good judgement, drive and influence and a clear targeted personal development plan to enhance the