Based - Barnsley (S71 3HF
12 Month FTC, Full Time
Join Premier Foods — where people, brands and purpose come together.
We’re proud to be one of the UK’s largest listed food businesses, with over 4,000 colleagues across 13 sites shaping the future of some of Britain’s best‑loved brands, found in 94% of households nationwide, making us one of the UK’s top three ambient food suppliers. From much‑loved household names such as Mr Kipling, Bisto, Oxo, Batchelors and Sharwoods, to our recently welcomed brands Fuel10k and Merchant Gourmet, our portfolio is packed with iconic favourites — and continues to grow.
At Premier Foods, we’re proud to create products that millions of people love — and behind every great product is great data, great teamwork and great people. We’re now looking for a Specification Technologist (Raw Materials) to join our supportive and knowledgeable Technical Information team.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone early in their technical career or an experienced Specification Technologist looking to deepen their expertise within a well-established, people‑first organisation. Reporting into the Senior Specifications Technologist, you’ll play a key role in ensuring our raw material data is accurate, complete and compliant. Working with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, you’ll manage specifications from request through to approval, supporting compliant and safe finished products across our portfolio of best‑loved brands.
You’ll be fully supported with training and ongoing development as you build confidence and capability within our systems and processes.
What you'll be doing?
1. Requesting, reviewing, processing and approving raw material specifications using the Hamilton Grant system
2. Working closely with suppliers to obtain and validate ingredient data
3. Ensuring all specifications meet internal “Gold” standards and relevant legislation
4. Supporting accurate finished product specifications and labelling
5. Managing raw material changes and ensuring impacts to retailer specifications are captured and communicated
6. Answering technical queries relating to allergens, nutrition, country of origin, shelf life and claims
7. Liaising with Factory Technical, R&D, Procurement, Regulatory and Consumer Care teams
8. Maintaining workload trackers and contributing to team KPIs
9. Supporting projects from concept through to completion
10. Ensuring specifications remain within agreed SLAs and review cycles
What we need from you?
We’re open to both junior and experienced candidates and will tailor training and support accordingly.
You’ll bring:
11. A degree, HND or HNC (or equivalent) in a relevant subject
12. Strong attention to detail and confidence working with data
13. Excellent communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships
14. The ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast‑paced environment
15. Good IT skills and the confidence to learn new systems
16. A proactive, organised and self‑motivated approach
17. Behaviours aligned to our leadership values
Experience in the food industry and/or specification writing is beneficial but not essential for junior candidates.
What we offer you in return?
18. Competitive salary
19. Up to 7.5% pension
20. Life assurance
21. Sharesave scheme and the option to purchase additional holiday
22. Extensive learning and development opportunities
23. Access to a wide employee discount scheme
Ready to apply?
Click Apply and submit your CV tailored to this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you.
At Premier foods we believe in inclusion, authenticity and individuality. We aim to ensure all existing and future colleagues are given equitable opportunities and are respected, valued and encouraged to bring their true authentic selves to work no matter who they are, what they look like, who they love or what they believe in. Our culture is one where everyone is welcome.
We're proud to be a Disability Smart employer and are committed to supporting disability inclusion throughout our recruitment process. If you experience any access issues or require reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know so we can ensure you have the support you need.