Lead Senior Category Technical Manager

Lead Senior Category Technical Manager – Maternity Cover – London Our Head Office department is in the heart of Piccadilly and occupies the 5th & 6th floor of our beautiful flagship store. This central London location offers so much to explore including restaurants, bars, cultural sites, shopping and more, and only a short walk from the Green Park Tube Station and plenty of bus stops. This role leads and manages the technical team responsible for all own label and branded food products, including those produced in house and through hospitality suppliers. It ensures all technical requirements for NPD and EPD are met, data is captured accurately, suppliers are robustly audited, and food safety, legality, and external commitments are fully upheld. The role manages technical supplier relationships to control risk, ensure traceability, and maintain a sustainable supplier quality management system across the F&M supply base, while driving continuous improvement in standards. Working closely with NPD, Buying, and cross functional teams, the role influences the business to deliver products right first time, provides clear and measurable technical updates, and leads collaborative change to ensure all technical actions are delivered on time. Key Accountabilities: Key Responsibilities 1. Technical Leadership * Act as the technical authority for the assigned category. * Define and implement technical standards, specifications, and best practices. * Lead continuous improvement initiatives. * Provide guidance to cross-functional teams including buying and NPD * Deputise for the Head of Technical when required. 2 . Category Strategy & Management Work closely with suppliers to ensure robust food safety and quality management systems are in place. Conduct or support supplier audits and risk assessments. Lead resolution of supplier non-conformances and drive corrective/preventive actions. Build and maintain relationships with suppliers to drive technical improvements and innovation. 3. Quality & Compliance Oversee quality performance of products within the category, including shelf-life assessments, sensory evaluation, and complaint analysis. Lead technical investigations into quality or safety issues and implement corrective action plans. Ensure compliance with all relevant food safety management systems (e.g., SALSA, BRCGS, HACCP, ISO standards). Support traceability exercises, product recalls, or withdrawals if required. 4. Supplier & Stakeholder Management Work closely with suppliers to ensure technical capability and product consistency. Conduct supplier audits and performance reviews. Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners. Qualifications: * Scientific degree or equivalent * At least 5 years’ experience in a technical area in either retailing or manufacturing * Experience in influencing cross functional teams to deliver new processes * Line management experience is essential * Gated development process experience is a key requirement * Supplier auditing experience, specification creation and sign off experience is required Role Specific Criteria (Experience/Behaviours/Technical Ability) We expect the successful candidate to have the following skills and experience: Lead audit qualifications Demonstrate good judgement, drive and influence Support team to develop Codes of Practice and train out to our supply base. To proactively drive the technical agenda and to take a leadership role in all technical matters Deliver on time every time To provide accurate and timely information Manage cross departmental relationships to ensure delivery of technical requirements Create and deliver long term sustainable relationships with our supply base Good understanding of Quality management systems and Food Safety management and HACCP. Manage the QMS system. Strong questioning and probing skills to discover issues and to verify the accuracy of information, results and data Ability to drive positive change at supplier locations Demonstrated troubleshooting ability Familiarity with law and regulatory guidelines Ability to make timely, consistent and well-balanced decisions. Why Work For Us: Competitive salary A generous store and restaurant discount of up to 40% 25 days holidays (excluded bank holidays) and an extra day off for your birthday A fantastic subsidised staff restaurant which uses Fortnum’s ingredients A range of opportunities to develop and grow personally and professionally Excellent pension scheme We are committed to developing your career and nurturing your talent, regardless of age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation. We respect and embrace each other’s differences, to create a truly inclusive environment. In the last year alone, our people have been recognised and celebrated, winning awards for their outstanding contributions to Retail, Technology, Global Hospitality & Tourism, Visual Merchandising & Display, Customer Service and Local Community Awards41bf1e1f-b16b-4260-a40a-17c77a06fd15…