Northern Soul Recruitment

Reports to:Technical Manager Direct reports: Raw Material Section Leader Coordinates with: NPD Manager, QA Manager, Sales, Procurement and Production Job Purpose: Oversees supplier approvals and is responsible for creating, maintaining, and updating specifications for own-label and branded finished products using web-based retailer systems, including artwork sign-off, allergen and nutrition information, to ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements. Key Accountabilities (This list is not exhaustive) Product Specification Management: Overseeing the development, review, and approval of detailed product specifications, covering ingredients and other relevant factors. Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring all product specifications comply with current food safety, quality, nutritional, and legal labeling regulations. Project Support: Proactively managing critical path items and addressing issues during the specification-to-launch process to ensure timely and successful product introductions Supplier & Customer Liaison: Acting as a key point of contact for both internal and external stakeholders, including suppliers, customers, and technical teams, to resolve issues and manage compliance audits. Documentation & Systems: Maintaining accurate, up-to-date documentation and ensuring effective document control and management within relevant systems Functional / Operational excellence Reviewing artwork against specification, to ensure full compliance with legal and customer specifications. Managing and maintaining the raw material and service suppliers approval database, including risk assessment, VACCP, food defence and product authenticity. Ensuring retailers technical requests, including customers specifications, questionnaires are responded to promptly Provide up to date labelling, nutritional and allergen information on all new product introductions and existing products when label change revision is required Ensure technical co-approval of packaging by verifying that artwork aligns with specifications and complies with current market regulations on quality, safety, and labelling. Guarantee that all product information, including nutritional data, allergen declarations, and ingredient lists, complies with UK,US,EU food safety legislation and customer-specific standards. Support product launches (shelf-life testing and QAS) Provide comprehensive documentation and support for customer and third-party audits, such as those for BRC accreditation Ensure that all own-label and branded specs are up to date Own and manage the Hamilton grand recipes & specification system. Knowledge and Specific Skills Food Science & Technical Expertise: A strong understanding of food science, manufacturing, and packaging. Attention to Detail: The ability to meticulously manage critical information and ensure accuracy. Analytical & Project Management Skills: Strong analytical thinking and project management abilities to oversee complex processes and timelines. IT proficiency: Must be competent with Microsoft Office, and experienced with various retailer specification management. Food hygiene level 3 and above Relevant industry experience Good Communication skills Literacy skills Numeracy skills. Desirable BRC experience Internal auditor course Hamilton Grand recipes and specification programme. At least 2 days a week on site every week, Monday-Thursday 06:30-17:00

Job Title: Retail Specifications Technologist Location: Manchester, UK Department: Technical / Quality Reports to: Technical Manager / Head of Technical Employment Type: Full-time - Hybrid Role Purpose The Retail Specifications Technologist is responsible for the accurate creation, maintenance, and submission of customer-facing product specifications for major UK retailers. Working closely with NPD, Technical, Quality, and Commercial teams, the role ensures all product data is compliant with legal, customer, and internal requirements, supporting successful product launches and ongoing supply. Key Responsibilities Specifications Management Create, maintain, and update end-to-end product specifications for retailer own-label and branded products. Manage specifications through retailer portals. Ensure all data is accurate, complete, and submitted within agreed timelines. Maintain version control and audit-ready records for all specifications. Compliance & Legislation Ensure all specifications comply with current UK and EU food legislation, including: Food Information Regulations (FIR) Allergen labelling Nutrition, ingredient declarations Work with internal teams and suppliers to validate ingredient, allergen, and nutritional data. Support responses to customer technical queries related to product data and labelling. Cross-Functional Collaboration Liaise with NPD to support new product development, launches, and artwork sign-off. Work with Quality and Technical teams to ensure alignment with HACCP, risk assessments, and factory capabilities. Communicate with suppliers to obtain accurate raw material and packaging information. Key Accountabilities Right-first-time specification submissions. On-time completion of customer and internal deadlines. Accuracy of allergen, ingredient, and nutritional information. Maintenance of compliant, audit-ready specification systems. Skills & Competencies Technical Skills Strong understanding of UK food legislation and retailer technical standards. Experience using retailer specification systems and internal specification software. High attention to detail with the ability to manage large volumes of data accurately. Confident interpreting ingredient specifications, allergen matrices, and nutritional data. Personal Skills Well organised with strong time management skills. Able to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Proactive, methodical, and solutions-focused. Confident working independently and as part of a team. Knowledge & Experience Essential: Experience in a food manufacturing environment in a specifications, technical, or quality role. Experience managing retailer specifications for UK multiples. Working knowledge of food labelling and allergen legislation. Working Conditions Office-based with some flexibility for hybrid working May require flexibility to meet customer deadlines. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Specification accuracy and right-first-time submissions. Compliance with customer and legislative requirements. Timeliness of submissions and updates. Audit and customer feedback. This job description is not exhaustive and may be reviewed or amended in line with business needs.