Product Technologist

The company is proud to be celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. As an established name in Home and Interiors the company is at an exciting and pivotal time. We are looking for an experienced Home Technologist, with a strong understanding of managing both Furniture and Electrical, to work with our teams in country of origin. It is a great opportunity to take ownership and lead this area.

Purpose of role:

As an integral part of the Quality team, the Product Technologists role sits across all product categories and has primary responsibility to proactively manage the development and manufacture of all Collections. This will be achieved through working closely with the Buying Team and effective management of teams in country of origin, suppliers, and inspection agencies. Working in a Hybrid capacity, on site in Newmarket and from home, the technologist will be responsible for: managing the timely and accurate QC process; ensuring products comply with standards; UK compliance and Libra's own Labelling & Packaging guidelines. And to ensure our products exceed customers’ expectations in every aspect.

The Technologist is the first point of contact for the business on all quality, compliance, ethical and packaging issues. With responsibility for continuous improvement and effective communication to the business and all stakeholders. We require someone who is a self-starter, can organise their own time and the timely resolution of issues with colleagues or partners, and someone who has the ability to anticipate issues, providing solutions to limit the impact to the business.

The Technologist will work closely with the Buyer to develop and sign off product and oversee every quality at every stage through to customer returns. The key objective being that all customers receive a high-quality product that exceeds their expectations.

Main areas of responsibility and principal duties:

• To participate in assessment of new suppliers, ensuring all suppliers agree with Trading Terms, compliance regulations and Libra quality standards as stated within the supplier agreement
• To plan, organise and monitor quality inspections across all suppliers
• To respectfully manage & maintain all relationships with Suppliers or Partners
• To ensure inspections, quality standards & on-time delivery are maintained or adhered to in accordance with "critical path" and "ex-factory" benchmarks
• To actively manage supplier performance and inspections against the Company's metrics
• To collate and analyse supplier performance against the Company's metrics to inform "Forward Supplier" strategy
• To ensure the effective management of the receipt and approval of samples into the business, managing feedback to suppliers and inspection agencies on an ongoing basis to achieve ongoing improvements to the quality of product
• To act as principal point of contact for supply chain and the wider business for all Goods-in, quality and returns management issues, including inline, mid-line and final inspections, compliance and certification, ensuring complies with its legal obligations
• To continually review, maintain and manage all quality information relating to product, supplier, and inspection performance. To ensure all aspects of product, price and supplier information are accurate and complete, paying particular attention to supplier terms, material, finish, quality, UK compliance, packaging, labelling and product assembly or cleaning instructions.
• To ensure commodity codes and duty rates are reviewed regularly

Communications

• To communicate with suppliers and inspection agencies regarding all aspects of the product lifecycle: sample approval; pre-production comments; verification of production process, production, quality, and compliance.
• To communicate with colleagues in both the Buying and Warehouse Team to update on sample, production, inspection, or QC issues.

Reporting

• To produce reports as required covering: inspections; claims, compliance, QC issues by supplier and summarising active quality issues
• To undertake effective, timely and frequent internal communication of quality control issues together with the status of on-going and active quality issues
• To report on inspection activity and performance for all Lsuppliers and inspection agencies

Management and Supervision

• To support and assist new members of the Libra team, answering colleagues’ queries and supporting them in their development and to ensure adherence to the company's quality processes and procedures

Financial Responsibilities

• To manage all quality control issues, ensuring the financial impact to business is minimised by reducing quality control issue costs with suppliers, including claims, "FOC" goods and parts. To establish and approve the management of costs incurred by third parties within the budget allocated
• To check, validate and propose penalties to suppliers based on performance and in accordance with the provisions of the Supplier Manual
• To check, validate and approve all invoices relating to samples, courier charges and inspections, ensuring all costs are managed within the allocated budget
• To constantly challenge established ways of working to improve efficiency and to reduce overhead costs and inefficiencies