At Pret, We Believe in Growing Good Things.
Growth is at the heart of everything we do. From the freshly hand-made food we create every day, to supporting our teams, we help our people grow in confidence, skills and to pursue their unique paths.
The Role
The Senior Technical Manager is responsible for ensuring that all foods in global equity shops comply with Pret standards, the law and food safety requirements through establishing, maintaining, reviewing and continuously improving all systems, processes and standards required for food safety and due diligence. This role plays a key part in maintaining the reputation of the Pret Brand (Quality, Safety, Legality), supporting "Pret's approach to food" with robust food science and effective supply base management.
This role focuses on ensuring that all ingredients and finished products are safe, legal and comply with the Pret standards in global equity shops. It involves advising shops and the food leadership team on quality issues as well as managing the supply base. It requires not only a of knowledge of food technology but also a clear understanding of the Pret mission statement to ensure that all products meet the standards, and a willingness to drive continuous improvements. This role reports to the Head of Technical within the Technical Team working closely and collaboratively with buying, launch, food and supply chain teams,
Responsibilities
* Ensure compliance to the Pret's Food Technical & Safety Framework for equity shops in your applicable market (global / non-UK)
* Maintain strong, collaborative technical relationships with food suppliers.
* Drive continuous improvement in supplier performance demonstrated in KPI's.
* Manage quality issues and incidents, ensuring effective RCA and corrective actions to close out and prevent reoccurrence.
* Ensure appropriate processes are in place, to deliver effective manufacturing technical management to achieve quality standards and deliver long-term improvement plans.
* Support unexpected supply chain challenges e.g. capacity issues, factory moves, and crisis management.
* Deliver Pret's ESG strategy at supplier level.
* Ensure all products have accurate specifications and all relevant systems are updated to reflect this.
* Maintain thorough and current risk assessments with the appropriate HACCP & prerequisite program.
* Ensure legal compliance of all Food (BTS and MTS) labels and published food information with current legislation knowledge for the market you are managing.
* Conduct quality taste panels for ingredients and finished products to uphold standards.
* Monitor, trend and respond to shop and customer complaints, driving reductions through supplier action plans.
* Generate and review launch documents (e.g. Allergen Guide, Shelf Life Guide, Langar tickets).
* Ensure timely and accurate delivery of NPD, working with suppliers, buyers, and developers.
* Responsible for ensuring all technical due diligence is completed on time as per Pret's NPD Stage Gate process for NPD or EPD including robust allergen management, quality standards, optimisation of shelf life and safety due diligence.
* Responsible for the investigation of innovation in my area.
* Responsible for maintaining a network to "bring the outside in" within my area or a passion of my own, as well as sitting on industry groups to ensure Pret stay on top of industry changes and best practice.
* Support policy development driving standards within the wider technical team, including any specific amendments required for the market you are managing.
* Collaborate with commercial teams to identify and implement cost-saving opportunities
* Audit Compliance - To comply with Pret's internal audit requirements and ensure thorough due diligence and processes are properly documented and systematically tracked at all times.
Skills & Experience Required
* Extensive experience in food technical roles, preferably within food manufacture, retail or food service.
* Strong technical expertise Food science or Food technology qualification at degree level.
* Level 4 qualification in HACCP, advanced Food Safety certification, and Lead Auditor training are desirable.
* Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
* Proficiency in French is highly desirable, particularly for reviewing specifications and labelling.
* A proactive mindset with a focus on continuous improvement and problem-solving.
* Empathy with natural, fresh food, sustainability, and the environment.
Additional Information
* The role will include nationwide and international travel on a regular basis
We offer
* Gold Card: We love making people's day through our food and drinks. That goes for our teams too. That's why everyone gets a Gold Card. When you're in the office, your food and drinks are on us. And when you're not, you can use your Gold Card to get up to 5 Barista-made drinks a day, and 50% off everything else (food, snacks, bottled drinks – the lot).
A few more perks
* Up to 38 days of holiday including (flexi) Bank Holidays
* Free private medical cover, with the option to add family or partner at an additional cost
* 4% of your pension contribution matched by Pret
* Life assurance at 3x annual salary
* Loyalty award for 5, 10, 15, 20 years' service
* Flexi-time and hybrid working (3 days in the office, two days at home)
* Lifestyle savings
* Season ticket loans
* Healthcare cash plan
* Financial wellbeing provisions
* Free mortgage services
* Sabbatical after 3 years
* Opportunities to support our charity, The Pret Foundation
We also offer
* Individual ways to grow – We offer lots of opportunities for learning, whether you join us for a short stint or the long game, you're good to grow with us. Including fully funded professional qualifications, leadership development and mentoring.
* Diversity and belonging – Everyone is welcome at Pret, we want you to feel confident and valued for who you are and to truly belong.
* Pace and variety – Our work is fast paced with lots of variety, you'll build a diverse skill set and learn a lot
* At Pret, we're proud to make a positive impact through The Pret Foundation. From tackling homelessness to reducing food waste, you'll be part of meaningful change in your community and beyond.
Our values
* Happy Teams Happy Customers
* Amazing Standards Every day
* Never Standing Still
* Doing The Right Thing
We'd love to get to know you, not a robot, so please do not rely on AI to complete your application.