Our Head Office department is in the heart of Piccadilly and occupies the 5th & 6th floor of our beautiful flagship store. This central London location offers so much to explore including restaurants, bars, cultural sites, shopping and more, and only a short walk from the Green Park Tube Station and plenty of bus stops.
This role leads and manages the technical team responsible for all own‑label and branded food products, including those produced in house and through hospitality suppliers. It ensures all technical requirements for NPD and EPD are met, data is captured accurately, suppliers are robustly audited, and food safety, legality, and external commitments are fully upheld. The role manages technical supplier relationships to control risk, ensure traceability, and maintain a sustainable supplier quality management system across the F&M supply base, while driving continuous improvement in standards. Working closely with NPD, Buying, and cross‑functional teams, the role influences the business to deliver products right first time, provides clear and measurable technical updates, and leads collaborative change to ensure all technical actions are delivered on time.
Key Accountabilities
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership
Act as the technical authority for the assigned category.
Define and implement technical standards, specifications, and best practices.
Provide guidance to cross-functional teams including buying and NPD.
Deputise for the Head of Technical when required.
Category Strategy & Management
Work closely with suppliers to ensure robust food safety and quality management systems are in place.
Conduct or support supplier audits and risk assessments.
Lead resolution of supplier non-conformances and drive corrective/preventive actions.
Build and maintain relationships with suppliers to drive technical improvements and innovation.
Quality & Compliance
Oversee quality performance of products within the category, including shelf-life assessments, sensory evaluation, and complaint analysis.
Lead technical investigations into quality or safety issues and implement corrective action plans.
Ensure compliance with all relevant food safety management systems (e.g., SALSA, BRCGS, HACCP, ISO standards).
Support traceability exercises, product recalls, or withdrawals if required.
Work closely with suppliers to ensure technical capability and product consistency.
Conduct supplier audits and performance reviews.
Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners.
Qualifications
Scientific degree or equivalent
At least 5 years’ experience in a technical area in either retailing or manufacturing
Experience in influencing cross functional teams to deliver new processes
Line management experience is essential
Gated development process experience is a key requirement
Supplier auditing experience, specification creation and sign off experience is required
Role Specific Criteria (Experience/Behaviours/Technical Ability)
We expect the successful candidate to have the following skills and experience:
Demonstrate good judgement, drive and influence
Support team to develop Codes of Practice and train out to our supply base.
To proactively drive the technical agenda and to take a leadership role in all technical matters
Deliver on time every time
To provide accurate and timely information
Manage cross departmental relationships to ensure delivery of technical requirements
Create and deliver long term sustainable relationships with our supply base
Good understanding of Quality management systems and Food Safety management and HACCP. Manage the QMS system.
Strong questioning and probing skills to discover issues and to verify the accuracy of information, results and data
Ability to drive positive change at supplier locations
Demonstrated troubleshooting ability
Familiarity with law and regulatory guidelines
Ability to make timely, consistent and well-balanced decisions.
Why Work For Us
A generous store and restaurant discount of up to 40%
25 days holidays (excluding bank holidays) and an extra day off for your birthday
A fantastic subsidised staff restaurant which uses Fortnum's ingredients
A range of opportunities to develop and grow personally and professionally
We are committed to developing your career and nurturing your talent, regardless of age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation. We respect and embrace each other's differences, to create a truly inclusive environment.
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