Andover, GB-HAM, SP116DB, GBRFull TimeMid-levelPosted 1mo ago
Job opportunity: Supplier Technical Manager
Hours: 40 per week
Working pattern: 0800 – 1630
Location: St Mary Bourne (nr Andover) with travel to our farms and suppliers
Salary: competitive with eligibility for incentive scheme, company pension and private medical insurance
Can you lead supplier technical assurance across a fresh produce supply chain, ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety and compliance? Are you confident acting as the key link between growers, suppliers and factory teams to drive performance, resolve challenges and deliver continuous improvement?
In this role…
• Support and advise our farms and suppliers in meeting requirements on food safety and due diligence with the sharing of best practice
• Act as the key technical link between growers, suppliers, factory teams and customers
• Manage supplier risk, proactively identifying and resolving crop quality, pest, disease and food safety challenges
• Lead supplier visit and auditing programmes covering crop quality, ethical and food safety topics with collaborative agreement with procurement based on risk assessment
• Influence supplier performance through collaboration with procurement, agronomy, technical and commercial teams
• Drive improvements in quality, shelf life, sustainability and overall supply chain capability
You’ll do this for us…
• Manage supplier due diligence, onboarding and compliance documentation across raw materials and ingredients
• Lead supplier audit and visit programmes covering crop quality, food safety and ethical standards
• Monitor microbiological and pesticide residue testing programmes and drive corrective actions where needed
• Review crop risk, pre-harvest assessments and HACCP compliance across the supply base
• Produce weekly crop quality reports and track supplier performance through KPIs and end-of-season reviews
• Support customer visits, internal teams and investigations while building strong supplier relationships and sharing best practice
• Drive improvements in quality, shelf life, sustainability and supplier capability
• Manage web-based platforms such as Food Experts and Land App, plus any relevant customer portals
• Actively participate in weekly farm and supplier meetings and write crop reports for customers
You can do this if you have…
• Proven experience in supplier assurance, auditing, quality and compliance within fresh produce or agri-food supply chains
• Strong knowledge of BRCGS, Red Tractor, Global GAP, LEAF and ethical compliance standards
• Solid understanding of farm risk assessments and ideally HACCP Level 3 certification
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with a proactive, customer-focused mindset
• Commercial awareness and the ability to drive continuous improvement across suppliers
• A degree in Food Science, Agri-Food or other relevant area
• A qualification in BASIS and/or FACTS would be advantageous
Vitacress Salads, based in leafy St Mary Bourne, Andover is one of the principal salad and watercress suppliers in the UK. With our own salad leaf farms, we take immense pride in delivering a field to fork operation. We grow, wash, pack and distribute salad and watercress for retailer own brands and our own brand Steve’s Leaves. We take pleasure in ensuring the best possible standard and we will empower you to do the same. From the way we grow our products, to the relationships we maintain with customers, everyone knows exactly what is going on. We are authentic and grounded. At the centre of everything is a trust that you can feel every day at work. From the salads that are grown on site; to the investment in facilities and the growth of the business; to growing and nurturing out talented employees, growing is truly at the heart of what we do. Join us and become a trusted partner in our business.
Hours: 40 per week
Working pattern: 0800 – 1630
Location: St Mary Bourne (nr Andover) with travel to our farms and suppliers
Salary: competitive with eligibility for incentive scheme, company pension and private medical insurance
Can you lead supplier technical assurance across a fresh produce supply chain, ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety and compliance? Are you confident acting as the key link between growers, suppliers and factory teams to drive performance, resolve challenges and deliver continuous improvement?
In this role…
• Support and advise our farms and suppliers in meeting requirements on food safety and due diligence with the sharing of best practice
• Act as the key technical link between growers, suppliers, factory teams and customers
• Manage supplier risk, proactively identifying and resolving crop quality, pest, disease and food safety challenges
• Lead supplier visit and auditing programmes covering crop quality, ethical and food safety topics with collaborative agreement with procurement based on risk assessment
• Influence supplier performance through collaboration with procurement, agronomy, technical and commercial teams
• Drive improvements in quality, shelf life, sustainability and overall supply chain capability
You’ll do this for us…
• Manage supplier due diligence, onboarding and compliance documentation across raw materials and ingredients
• Lead supplier audit and visit programmes covering crop quality, food safety and ethical standards
• Monitor microbiological and pesticide residue testing programmes and drive corrective actions where needed
• Review crop risk, pre-harvest assessments and HACCP compliance across the supply base
• Produce weekly crop quality reports and track supplier performance through KPIs and end-of-season reviews
• Support customer visits, internal teams and investigations while building strong supplier relationships and sharing best practice
• Drive improvements in quality, shelf life, sustainability and supplier capability
• Manage web-based platforms such as Food Experts and Land App, plus any relevant customer portals
• Actively participate in weekly farm and supplier meetings and write crop reports for customers
You can do this if you have…
• Proven experience in supplier assurance, auditing, quality and compliance within fresh produce or agri-food supply chains
• Strong knowledge of BRCGS, Red Tractor, Global GAP, LEAF and ethical compliance standards
• Solid understanding of farm risk assessments and ideally HACCP Level 3 certification
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with a proactive, customer-focused mindset
• Commercial awareness and the ability to drive continuous improvement across suppliers
• A degree in Food Science, Agri-Food or other relevant area
• A qualification in BASIS and/or FACTS would be advantageous
Vitacress Salads, based in leafy St Mary Bourne, Andover is one of the principal salad and watercress suppliers in the UK. With our own salad leaf farms, we take immense pride in delivering a field to fork operation. We grow, wash, pack and distribute salad and watercress for retailer own brands and our own brand Steve’s Leaves. We take pleasure in ensuring the best possible standard and we will empower you to do the same. From the way we grow our products, to the relationships we maintain with customers, everyone knows exactly what is going on. We are authentic and grounded. At the centre of everything is a trust that you can feel every day at work. From the salads that are grown on site; to the investment in facilities and the growth of the business; to growing and nurturing out talented employees, growing is truly at the heart of what we do. Join us and become a trusted partner in our business.