Avondale Foods is a leading food manufacturing company of Fresh and Chilled products supplying leading retail businesses including Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Dunnes, Morrisons, Aldi & Lidl throughout the UK & Ireland. The Raw Material Technologist is responsible for ensuring that all incoming raw materials meet safety, quality, legal, and customer requirements. This role supports supplier approval, raw material risk assessment, specification management and continuous improvement across the supply chain.
What you will do:
Raw Material Specifications & Compliance
- Maintain and approve raw material specifications to ensure accuracy and compliance.
- Verify allergens, nutritional data, ingredients, and processing information.
- Ensure compliance with food safety legislation, customer codes of practice, and certification standards (e.g., BRCGS).
- Site Integrity Control deputy in absent of Raw Material Lead.
Supplier Approval & Management
- Support supplier approval processes including audits, questionnaires, and risk assessments.
- Manage and update the approved supplier list.
- Manage and update sieve risk assessment
- Liaise with suppliers to resolve technical queries or specification issues.
- Part of the internal audit team e.g. audit factory segregation controls, GMP, traceability
- Complete bi-weekly horizon scanning
Raw Material Assessment & Risk Management
- Conduct raw material risk assessments (e.g., VACCP, TACCP, allergen, microbiological).
- Monitor raw material performance and trends (OOS, complaints, non-conformances).
- Investigate material issues and lead root cause analysis and corrective actions.
- Completion of traceability exercises with High At Risk ingredients.
Testing & Quality Monitoring
- Coordinate raw material testing (micro, chemical, physical).
- Review certificates of analysis (COAs) and ensure compliance.
- Support sampling plans and verification activities at intake.
Operational & Cross-Functional Support
- Work closely with Procurement, NPD, Manufacturing, and Quality teams.
- Assist with raw material changes, cost optimisation, and reformulation projects.
- Support trials involving new or alternative raw materials.
- Provide technical support during customer visits or audits.
Documentation & Systems
- Maintain specification databases and document control systems.
- Ensure traceability documentation and raw material records are up to date.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of raw material processes and controls.
Person Specification- Essential Criteria:
- Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Microbiology, or related discipline.
- Experience in a food manufacturing or technical environment.
- Knowledge of supply chain and raw materials used in food production.
- Understanding of food safety (HACCP), allergen control, and quality systems.
- Attention to detail and excellent organisational ability.
- Problem-solving and analytical thinking.
- Demonstrated management of KPIs such as completion, non-conformances, complaint and OOS turnaround.
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