Salary up to: Competitive About the role: Nando’s is on a journey to Create Lasting Happiness, making a difference to the lives of our people, our customers, and the communities we work in. Originally started in Johannesburg, South Africa, we pride ourselves on creating memorable experiences for everyone involved in Nando’s: from our employees, communities, founders, and suppliers, but most importantly, our customers. Our Supply Chain Services teams play a crucial role in helping to deliver the Nando’s strategic goals through providing a robust and stable supply chain, supporting running restaurants brilliantly, improving gross profit and margin, and addressing risk. T he Technical Sourcing team i s responsible for developing strategies with purpose, ensuring we source ethical, safe, legal and great quality products and services for our customers, and sustainability and animal welfare commitments. The team are seeking a Technologist with quality systems and technical expertise to contribute to Nando’s delivering on these strategies and commitments in a commercially savvy, safe way. Key Responsibilities & Expectations: Regularly review external landscape, to determine legislation change, best industry practice and product category emerging risks to ensure communication with the Nando's Technical Sourcing Team. The development and implementation of new procedures and policies within the Technical Sourcing Team and supporting the wider business, with input from the Technical Managers and Technologists, for review and approval with the wider Supply chain and Nando's teams relevant to the product lifecycle. Update relevant policies, procedures and processes with change, incorporating industry emerging risks, legislation change and best practice with internal and external stakeholder input, to drive continuous improvements for all the quality and safety aspects of the products and the supply b ase. Complete the relevant Nando's period report for the Head of Technical Sourcing on a monthly basis, liaising with the Technical Sourcing Team. Keep abreast of supply chain and product trends for Nando's suppliers, actively updating the team enabling them to drive change and influence Nando’s NPD and Policy to meet any new trends Manage the Audit and Laboratory partner relationship, ensuring the contract deliverables are met in line with Nando's priorities/ bussiness requirements Trend laboratory results, informing the Technical Sourcing team where results do not meet Nando's specification, to enable supplier corrective action and specification compliance. Trend 3rd party Nando's audit and supplier visit report data, informing the Technical Sourcing Team where trends are identified, that do not meet Nando's expectations, to enable supplier corrective action and specification compliance. Suppliers: Develop and manage a risk-based plan for existing supplier compliance visits, based on supplier KPI performance and Nando's Food policy compliance, ensur ing actions are closed and suitable templates are created for visits. Develop a 3rd party Nando's audit standard template, liaising with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring Nando's chosen audit partner, is fully traine d. Develop a risk-based Nando's supplier audit schedule and effectively manage the audit partner, to assess supplier performance against Nando’s Standards. Report on supply base continuous improvement/compliance and Food policy gap analysis progress to support internal and Su pplier review meetings. Liaise and communicate with relevant industry bodies, in support of Nando's supply chain processes to drive and effect change within the industry landscape. Management of and effective relationship building with laboratory and audit partners to deliver Nando's expectations supply base wise ensuring the contracts are reviewed, aligning with the Head of Technical Sourcing to ensure they are fit for purpose, engaging in additional opportunities where change is necessary to deliver the needs of the business. Ensure Nando's Food Policy (Risk Assessment Tool & Determination of Supplier Approval Method) for all products is kept up to date with Technical Manager and Technologist input. Products: Maintain a risk-based product surveillance testing plan for new and existing Nando's products and report trends. Maintain the Nando's product risk assessment and QC testing trackers with Technical Manager and Technologist input. Create relevant reports from the Foods Connected system to support Technical Managers and Technologists supplier and product management. Advise Central Support functions on product-related quality, safety, legal, ethical and sustainability issues. The candidate should possess / have : Min 5 years experience in food manufacturing or food retail sector, ideally from a large, fast-paced, multi-site environment Demonstrable experience managing food certification standards, audits, quality management systems Knowledge of BRCGS/GFSI certification requirements and relevant industry legislation Appropriate/relevant food certification standards Strong understanding of food safety standards, quality assurance protocols, and regulatory compliance. Effective communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills with the ability to work across multi-functional teams Qualifications: HACCP Min Level 3, Allergen Management, HACCP Min Level 3, Auditing, Food labelling/law Demonstrate and encourage behaviours that foster the Nando’s values of Pride, Passion, Courage, Integrity & Family