Supplier and Raw Materials Technologist
Valeo Foods · York, North Yorkshire
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Why this role matters
How close this job is to real sourcing and menu decisions.
This role sits inside the approved supplier list and raw material specifications for a major UK food manufacturer, the documents that decide which suppliers pass ethical and quality checks and what each ingredient must meet before it goes into production. The advert doesn't name meat, dairy, eggs or seafood specifically among Valeo's raw materials, so you can't point to a direct lever over standards for those categories here, but the ethical audit work (SEDEX) and supplier risk assessments are exactly the skills that transfer into roles with that scope. Think of this as a credibility-building seat: you'd learn how specifications and ethical compliance actually get written and enforced inside a real manufacturer, which is precisely the technical fluency that opens doors into roles where sourcing standards for food categories are explicitly on the table.
Where this role can take you
What this job teaches you, and the jobs it can lead to.
Where it can lead
- Technical Manager
- Ethical Sourcing Manager
- Senior Supplier Quality Manager
These roles typically hold wider authority over which suppliers are approved and what ethical and quality standards are written into contracts, a lever reaching further into supply chain practice, including sourcing of animal-derived ingredients.
About the role
Valeo Foods UK, owner of brands including Kettle, Rowse, Matthew Walker and Barratt Sweets as well as a major private label supplier, is hiring a Supplier and Raw Materials Technologist based at its Heanor office, working hybrid with three days on site per week. The role sits at the centre of the supply base, ensuring raw materials meet quality, safety and ethical standards, and works closely with Procurement, Technical, NPD and Quality teams to strengthen supplier performance and drive continuous improvement. Core responsibilities include building proactive supplier relationships, leading ingredient and raw material risk assessments against Valeo Foods' standards, customer expectations and third-party certification requirements, and ensuring suppliers comply with Valeo Foods' Ethical Framework including SEDEX through audits, documentation reviews and on-site visits. The postholder maintains and updates the approved supplier list, conducts raw material risk assessments, manages testing schedules including Free From campaigns, oversees raw material traceability and mass balance across the supply base, ensures supplier compliance with HACCP, BRC and other food safety standards, carries out supplier audits per a risk-based schedule, reviews and improves raw material specifications, supports site Technical and Quality teams on supplier issues and non-conformance initiatives, and works with HR on supplier ethical compliance risks. The role also supports customer technical teams and participates in customer visits and audits. Essential requirements are demonstrable food industry experience with a focus on supplier management, a HACCP Level 3 qualification, hands-on BRC compliance and audit experience, proven experience in supplier audits and risk assessments, strong communication and influencing skills, a proactive and solution-driven mindset, and a full driving licence. A degree in Food Science or a related discipline is desirable. Benefits include a matched pension scheme, death in service cover, cycle to work scheme, canteen, retailer discount platform and staff discount.</role_summary> <parameter name="builds_skills">["Supplier ethical audit experience (SEDEX)", "Raw material risk assessment", "Specification writing and review", "HACCP and BRC compliance knowledge", "Supplier relationship management"]
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 is asking for, in their words. Applications are often screened by software looking for exact phrases, so if these describe your experience, use their wording.
- supplier management
- raw material risk assessment
- ethical sourcing
- SEDEX
- HACCP Level 3
- BRC compliance
- supplier audits
- raw material specifications
- supplier relationship management
- traceability
- mass balance
- non-conformance management
- cross-functional collaboration
- continuous improvement
- food science degree
How to position yourself
The language that works with hiring managers for this kind of job.
Frame your interest around food safety risk management, supply chain resilience and ethical compliance frameworks like SEDEX, this is language the hiring manager will recognise and value. Building HACCP Level 3 and hands-on BRC audit experience, which this role explicitly requires, is worth emphasising as credentials that carry into any technical or responsible sourcing track.
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