Product Safety Manager

About the roleThe critical purpose of the Product Safety Manager role is to be the business expert on product safety within a commercial setting. The successful candidate will be the business lead for microbiology, allergens, chemical food safety and authenticity for Waitrose branded food products. The Product Safety Manager will also own the development and delivery of Waitrose product safety policies, working internally and externally to ensure their development and execution. You will work collaboratively with all functions within the trading teams, third parties and suppliers to deliver compliance and achieve shared KPIs and well as facilitate horizontal working across technical, category pods, central teams and operations.

At a glance:

• Salary: £59,000.00 - 85,600.00 per annum

• Contract type: This is a permanent position 

• Hours and location of the role:

  • 35 hours per week

  • Your home location will be our Bracknell Head Office

  • The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The team attend the office 1 - 2 days per week to connect and attend key meetings and any training days on more of an ad-hoc basis

Key responsibilities:

Product Safety and Policies relating to Product Safety:

• Business expert on product safety and microbiology and application of product safety within commercial setting

• Providing review on arising and current issues to ensure brand reputation is maintained

• Lead and drive the implementation of product safety rationales and ensure compliance within the business

• Drive food safety and authenticity initiatives ensuring category teams are supported with the expert knowledge to make product and supplier decisions

• Lead Food Safety Policies with regulatory, ensuring the policy is up to date, trained and compliance is maintained within the business and with suppliers

• Approve derogations related to food safety matters

• Lead food safety audits and troubleshooting where required

Surveillance Programme Management:

• Lead the microbiological, chemical and authenticity surveillance programme for Own Brand

• Manage risk and escalation of issues. Manage escalation of issues raised and support category and suppliers to close out non conformances

• Lead the reporting to the business on surveillance KPIs.  Reviewing data and managing investigations related to formal samples (e.g PRiF)

• Manage the external provider relationship and budgets for testing of products

Risk Management:

• Lead the horizon scanning programme for Waitrose. Managing and identifying emerging risks and reporting back to the business on issues and mitigation actions

• Lead completion of Product Impact Assessments where industry issues arise where impact on supply/safety/availability is at risk

• Engage and work with third party businesses and suppliers to ensure Waitrose is up to date with business risk

Leadership:

• Lead the product safety agenda for Waitrose internally and externally

• Conduct technical product safety training to the technical team where appropriate

Internal and External Relationships:

• Constructive involvement with industry bodies and government: eg  BRC, Anaphylaxis UK, FSA etc. Reporting back to the business on industry knowledge and actions related to Waitrose

• Lead food safety relationship with other teams including hospitality, retail compliance, events, nutrition, regulatory. Lead food safety audits and troubleshooting where required

Essential skills and/or experience you’ll need: 

• Degree in food science or similar

• HACCP training, Lead Assessor

• Evidence of manufacturing experience either direct or indirect

• Specialist training e.g allergens, microbiology, pesticide management, specification management 

Desirable skills and/or experience you may have: 

• Relevant Food Science, Microbiology degree or equivalent formal qualification

• Good commercial understanding

• Ability to train technical teams

About The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.  

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.