Product Technologist

Product Technologist

Salford – 1-day WFH

Home Textiles

Our client is a leading supplier of home textiles to the retail sector in the UK, who now have an excellent opportunity for an experienced Technologist to join their team based near Salford.

The role:

An exciting opportunity for a Product Technologist in the Home Furnishings industry, supplying UK High Street retail and e-commerce sectors. Your job is to ensure a product moves from its design and development stage into the hands of the retailer or end user. You will work closely with internal stakeholders, overseas manufacturers, and the customer to fully meet or exceed expectations for product compliance, quality, packaging, sustainability, on time delivery and end user performance.

Key Duties:

• Work closely and collaboratively with teams across the business.
• Evaluate new developments/products to ensure they are suitable for bulk manufacture and compliant with UK/EU statutory requirements, meet performance requirements and customer expectation.
• Attend and contribute to pre-production & handover meetings via close liaison with Design, Development and Customer Account stake holders.
• Issue detailed product and packaging specifications to overseas manufacturers.
• Populate, maintain and manage relevant sections of a detailed critical path to ensure timely product launch. Communicate with overseas manufacturers to ensure key milestones are met.
• Attend & contribute to weekly critical path meetings.
• Take responsibility for assigned product categories. Provide regular updates with internal and external stake holders.
• Review strike-offs, bulk fabric, packaging proofs and red/gold seal samples against standards to ensure compliance to internal and customer requirements. Communicate appropriate approvals and rejections back to the supplier.
• Hold suppliers accountable and maintain KPIs. Encourage ‘right first time’ sample submission within agreed deadlines.
• Ensure products are tested to relevant standards and perform product risk assessments where appropriate.
• Review test reports to ensure products are compliant and meet specified standards.
• Deal quickly and effectively with daily email communications to and from suppliers, customers and internal stake holders.
• Evaluate pre-shipment inspection reports in partnership with our overseas teams.
• Analyse product returns, faults and customer complaints to resolve issues quickly and efficiently.

Skills & Experience:

• Must have experience in a similar role, ideally within Home Textiles.
• Technical knowledge of products, specifications and testing.
• A good understanding of manufacturing methods and quality standards.
• Ability to understand and follow a critical path and work to deadlines.
• Organised, and capable of prioritising multiple tasks.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Experience using Adobe Illustrator desirable, but not essential.
• A strong communicator with ability to present confidently via email, audio conferencing and face to face with internal stake holders, suppliers and customers.
• Ability to work effectively in a high volume, fast paced environment.
• Competent using Microsoft Excel, Word and Office.

Apply online or for further information contact one of our specialist consultants quoting reference number: NJR100014