Technical Manager

We have an excellent opportunity for a Technical Manager to join a leading high street Retailer. This is a strategic role, covering Home, Footwear and Accessories so previous experience in these categories is required.

Excellent salary + benefits!

Key responsibilities include:

• Responsible for co-creating and delivering the Client’s Quality Strategy

• Ensuring the Technical team KPI’s are aligned with the client’s quality objectives

Team leadership and ways of working

• Continuously looking at how to improve ways of working to ensure that the Technical team have a best in class reputation both internally and externally.

• Representing the Technical team within the wider Trading function. Focusing on ensuring that all are clear on the role of the team and the part they play in delivering the overall trading strategy.

• Creating an environment for the Technical team where

• Colleagues feel included and engaged in what is happening at strategic level as well as within the Technical team. There are clear communication channels and regular touch points in place at an individual and team level.

• Each colleague is clear in their role and the part they play in delivering the overall team strategy and KPI’s.

• Everyone can develop their skills and capabilities and see opportunities for personal growth.

Supplier management:

• Help onboarding all new suppliers so they are clear of the client’s quality requirements and ways of working

• Continuous improvement of supplier performance to drive efficiency and effectiveness. Responsible for Quality and QC Supplier Score carding. Accountable for ensuring the correct processes are in place to manage all for new and key line suppliers.

• Responsible for ensuring right product is placed in the right factory and conducting all required due diligence or responsible for assessing and matching products to appropriate factories and ensuring all due diligence has been completed.

• Reviewing and approving technical audits for all new factories

• Risk Assessment – continuously assessing and managing risk to the client arising from product safety, legislation and an evolving supply base

• Looking at best practices across supplier empowerment, AQL Inspections, internal tech team ways of working, working towards cost savings e.g. reduction in sampling, improving first time sample approval percentage, working to trading critical path, reacting to change in business requirements e.g. online, improving speed to market etc.

• Travel - Be able to travel (national and international) when required based on business needs

Conformance responsibilities:

• Commercial approvals – responsible for commercial approvals on major product failures and management of supplier non-compliance on products that fall below required standards. Accountable for managing penalties for failures and noncompliance

• Returns management & customer complaints – managing the team to analyse returns data weekly / monthly, and responsible for reducing quality related returns. Dealing with any major customer complaints

• Trading Standards relationship – accountable for holding the relationship, ongoing maintenance of this to ensure that any issues are dealt with promptly and effectively

Candidate requirements:

• Extensive multi product technical experience at a similar level. Experience in Homeware is essential for this role

• Experience of leading Technical teams is a must!

• Experience of and clear understanding of working with multi-product offshore factories

• Must have in depth knowledge of factory workings / manufacturing experience