Job Description
We're looking for a highly experienced Senior Technologist to lead our Home Hard Goods category, ensuring every product meets the highest standards of product safety, compliance, quality, and ethical sourcing. In this role, you'll manage category adherence in line with all relevant legislation and corporate policies, acting as the guardian of trust for our customers.
You’ll stay ahead of the curve by identifying global innovation and market trends, translating them into customer‑focused benefits, and feeding them into our Design & Product Strategy (DPS). With a sharp eye for detail and a strong commercial mindset, you’ll drive product quality, innovation, and compliance, ensuring our ranges are not only desirable but also safe, responsible, and future‑ready.
To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.
Benefits
* After completing your probationary period, you’ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third‑party brands for you and a member of your household.
* Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
* Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
* A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
* A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
* Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
* Industry‑leading parental, adoption, and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
* Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
* A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you’re passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.
What you’ll do
Your key accountabilities will include
* Drive quality standards across category and wider BU, manage product safety, legal, ethical & quality compliance through technical & ethical audits.
* Own technical product information in PLM system, work with suppliers and design/buying teams to develop and review samples, approve and seal in line with critical path.
* Filter industry technology trends into category strategy, drive the sustainability agenda, ensure quality, sustainability and innovation is embedded into the fabric / raw material strategy.
* Make recommendations into Sourcing Strategy, manage cost engineering opportunities with suppliers.
* Monitor the voice of our customers, benchmark M&S products against competitors, feed insights into ongoing product strategy.
Who you are
Your skills and experience will include
* Expert in the field of technology including hard goods areas such as home accessories, kitchens (cook and dine), seasonal product and luggage.
* Electrical and/or lighting experience preferred but not essential.
* Excellent communication skills within Technical Function, Design and Buying, Supply Base and Global Sourcing Offices.
* Able to manage Blue Sky thinking for newness and project delivery of innovation.
* A multi-tasker used to working to tight deadlines while maintaining entrepreneurialism and able to adapt to an ever‑evolving strategy.
* Experience of briefing and specifying direct design sourced product, working with Buying and Design teams to create Tech Packs.
Commitment to diversity
We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.
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