Food Technologist
Kepak Group · Kirkham, Preston
Our estimate of how close this role sits to decisions about what gets sourced, specified, bought and served. How we score
Why this role matters
Where the work sits relative to real sourcing and menu decisions.
This is a technical role inside a meat manufacturer, reviewing and approving the raw material specifications and pack copy for products made from meat. Whoever checks those specifications is looking at what actually went into the product and whether it matches what suppliers claim — a foothold, even if this role doesn't yet set the welfare or sourcing bar itself. Spend a year or two here building fluency in specifications, HACCP, technical compliance and supplier documentation and you're in a strong position to move into roles that do set those standards, since technical teams like this one feed directly into supplier approval and raw material policy at meat businesses. It's a stepping stone rather than a lever in itself, but it's a stepping stone inside the part of the business — meat technical and quality — where sourcing standards for animal products eventually get written.
About the role
Kepak Group, a meat manufacturer operating across Ireland and the UK with brands including Rustlers, Big Al's and John Stone, is hiring a Food Technologist for its Foods Division, based across Kirkham (2 days), York (1 day) and home (2 days) in a hybrid arrangement. Reporting to the Senior Food Technologist, the role manages artwork, packaging specifications, customer requirements, supplier documentation and technical compliance activities, ensuring product information, pack copy, specifications and technical documentation are accurate, compliant and maintained to meet customer, legal and business requirements. Responsibilities span product quality (creating, maintaining and verifying pack copy information, reviewing and approving raw material specifications), planning and delivery (completing supplier questionnaires (SAQs), customer queries and technical documentation to deadline, coordinating technical activities for product launches and artwork approval), operational excellence (owning packaging specification management and generating product/packaging codes including DB, SE, NWF, PK and other business coding systems), food safety and compliance (keeping specifications and technical information current, managing artwork approval for legal, regulatory and customer compliance across key markets), customer focus (communicating customer requirements, responding to technical queries) and cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, NPD, Operations, Procurement and Technical teams. Requirements are a degree in food science, nutrition or a relevant subject; 1+ year experience in Quality, Technical or Labelling within the Food Industry; knowledge of HACCP principles and Critical Control Points (CCPs) and associated monitoring; and knowledge of legislation, customer standards, food safety requirements and technical systems relevant to the role. The advert asks for someone able to work to high standards in a fast-paced environment. Benefits listed include Company Pension, Further Education support, a dedicated L&D team, a Bike to Work Scheme, Long Service Awards and a free BUPA Cash Plan.
This is an extract. Read the full advert on the employer's site.
Key terms to include in your CV and cover letter
What this employer asks for, in their own words. Applications are often screened by software matching exact phrases, so where these genuinely describe your experience, use their wording rather than your own.
- raw material specifications
- packaging specification management
- pack copy verification
- HACCP
- Critical Control Points
- artwork approval process
- supplier questionnaires (SAQs)
- technical compliance
- food labelling legislation
- customer portal management
- cross-functional collaboration
- food science degree
- product launch support
- regulatory compliance
- technical documentation
How to position yourself
The language that lands with hiring managers in this kind of role.
Frame your interest around accuracy, compliance and risk reduction — getting specifications, artwork and technical documentation right protects the business from recalls, legal exposure and customer complaints, which is exactly the language this role rewards. Build HACCP literacy (already asked for) alongside broader technical/specification management experience, and use this role to learn how raw material specifications and supplier documentation work in a meat supply chain, since that knowledge underpins any later move into supplier standards or category-level roles.
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