Specifications & Vendor Technologist

About Us

Established in 1985, Dawn Farms is a family-owned company and the largest dedicated supplier of cooked meat and plant-based ingredients and fermented and dried sausage products outside of the US. The company currently supplies world-leading food brands across more than 44 markets, including the UK, Europe, Asia and Africa. With over 1,000 employees we are committed to meeting the needs of our customers in a safe, innovative and sustainable way, all while strengthening the communities where they live and work.

Job Purpose

Dawn Farms is currently seeking an Specifications and Vendor Technologist to join our Food Safety and Quality Assurance Department (Technical Team) to be based in our state of the art production facilities in Naas, Co. Kildare. Our Specificaitons and Vendor Technologist will be in a customer - and suppier - facing role, responsible for maintaining and supporting the finished product, raw material, dry Ingredient and packaging specifications to the Dawn Farm Foods standards, in line with EU Food Legislation, Customer & Retailer requirements, ensuring that they comply with both customer and legal requirements.

Positions: Full-Time, Permanent.

Location: Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland.

Salary: DOE

Working Hours: 39 hours per week, Mon. - Fri. (some flexibility required)

Reports to: Technical Manager

Role Responsibilities & Accountabilities:

• Responsible for building and completing Customer product specifications.
• Responsible for the generation of raw material, dry ingredient & packaging risk assessments and specifications.
• Vendor approval & administration of approval system.
• Engaging with customers, suppliers and internal teams to resolve queries and provide expertise.
• Participate in customer, regulatory and internal audits as required.
• Responsible for Management of the Retailer & Customer online Specification Management Systems.
• Responsible for ensuring specification & labelling information is accurate and complies with food labelling legislation.
• Responsible for approving labels on the Loftware label system.
• Responsible for reviewing and approving codes on Business Central.
• Any other admin duties as required

Competencies Required for Role:

• Ability to work cross-functionally with other departments
• Action orientated to manage work volume with quality results
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and work to seek out information regarding new specifications or technical queries
• Customer Focus – focus on producing high-quality specifications, meeting customer needs at all times
• Functional & Technical skills and expertise
• Excellent informing skills, transferring information and knowledge regarding new legislation and compliance needs
• Work Integrity, supporting high-quality, well-written specifications
• Organisational agility
• Technical learning ability, taking on board new requirements and translating them into practical requirements for the business
• Excellent written report writing skills

Qualifications & Experience:

• BSc Food Science & Technology or similar
• Experience in a similar role in a high-risk food environment.
• Basic Haccp training
• Good Understanding of EU Food Legislation.
• Good Understanding of BRCGS requirements.
• Good understanding of Food Labelling legislation.
• 1 years plus experience in a Technical or Product Development Role.
• Experience with similar large retailer specification systems.
• Good Understanding of Retailer Food Standards.
• QA & QC experience in a Food Manufacturing Business.

Specific I.T. Skills and level (Basic / Intermediate / Advanced):

• Excellent Word & Excel Skills – Intermediate level.
• Business Central experience preferable but not a requirement.
• Outlook experience - Intermediate level.

Why Dawn Farms?

We can offer an excellent opportunity to be part of a world-class team, equipping our teams with the knowledge and the necessary skills to achieve their full potential. Innovation is a key ingredient of our success in protecting our market position and keeping our competitive edge. To be truly innovative, we invest in recruiting and developing a highly skilled, ambitious and talented team.

What we can offer you?

• 22 Days Annual Leave.
• Health Insurance Contribution.
• Pension Plan.
• Subsided Canteen.
• Training and Development Opportunities for further career progression.
• Employee Assistance Programme (Free access/support to Life Coach’s, Dietitians, Work Relocation advice etc.)
• Bike to Work Scheme.
• Christmas savings scheme.

'Dawn Farm Foods Ltd. is an equal opprtunities employer'