Packaging Technologist

Company Description

We are FBC UK, Foxs Burtons Companies! ……And we bake the UKs most incredible biscuits (we might be slightly biased, but we will leave that for you to judge).

FBC UK was a match made in heaven, with two of the top UK biscuits manufacturers (Burtons Biscuits and Foxs Biscuits) coming together to create one unique, integrated company.

We are home to famous iconic brands, including Maryland, Foxs, Jammie Dodger & Rocky, to name just a few. We are proud manufacturing partners to some of the biggest UK retailers and household names. We bake our incredible biscuits at eight bakeries across the UK, located at Isle of Arran, Livingston, Blackpool, Llantarnam, Edinburgh, Kirkham, Batley & Dorset and our HQ in St Albans. Together, we employ circa 4,000 amazing colleagues across all our locations.

Whilst we know that we have delicious products we also know that that the key ingredient to our success is our people, and the passion we have for our brands. You could be the jammy to our dodger, party ring to our Fox’s or the choc-chip to our Maryland?! We knead people with innovative ideas, an entrepreneurial spirit, and the commitment to drive FBC UK to success.

We are committed to building an inclusive workforce that feels empowered to build a fulfilling and successful career. By embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) we create a supportive environment for people to thrive and strive to have more positive impact.

We understand that having formal and on-the-job learning opportunities is key to our colleagues’ professional and personal growth. We are committed to providing an environment where everyone can learn from each other and grow through a variety of learning experiences.

Our colleagues make our business special. With strong community values, we believe FBC UK is a more prosperous and fun place to work when people feel free to be themselves. We believe in the power of being authentic, entrepreneurial and supporting each other whilst meeting our business goals.

About The Role

Reporting to the Head of Packaging, Packaging Technologist is responsible for delivering the programme of packaging activities at Dorset site, ensuring the smooth and effective launch of all packaging changes planned for the site. This position requires a dynamic individual to manage packaging development and trials, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and act as the sites’ primary packaging contact. They will also feed into Brand and Retailer ideation sessions to ensure NPD is designed to reflect capabilities and limitations of the Dorset site.

Role plays a pivotal role in supporting continuous packaging improvement projects, specification changes, and ensuring all packaging elements are delivered on time, in full, and within budget. Their expertise will be crucial in reviewing the suitability of new packaging materials and formats, providing technical support throughout the process. The role will champion knowledge-sharing across teams, ensure best practices, and drive visibility for packaging contributions at the sites and beyond.

Main Responsibilities

Packaging Innovation & Sustainability

• Lead packaging solutions: Support the business on short, mid, and long-term packaging developments from handover through to commercialization via the established Gate process.
• Adopt and implement sustainable packaging solutions that align with company policies, reducing environmental impact while maintaining functionality and cost-efficiency.
• Provide technical guidance on packaging materials and specifications, continually improving packaging performance and stability across the bakeries.
• Ensure Packaging Compliance, meeting quality, functionality, regulatory, and cost-effectiveness standards.
  
  

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing

• Regularly liaise with other Packaging Technologists to share insights, best practices, and innovations across the company.
• Champion information sharing, best practices, and WoW improvements (internal and externally) across the Packaging technologist,
• Act as the key point of contact for packaging updates and changes at site/s, ensuring alignment across stakeholders, advising on pallet configurations, and ensuring systems and departments are up to date with packaging changes and innovations.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring the adoption of best-in-class practices and the exploration of emerging trends.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with packaging suppliers and external agencies, staying updated on industry trends.
  
  

Trial Management & Industrialization

• Plan, coordinate, and execute packaging trials on production lines, ensuring robust evaluations and seamless integration of new materials and formats.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot technical issues and optimize packaging performance.
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting of trial outcomes, including transit tests and scalability assessments, identifying any issues, and troubleshooting where needed.
  
  

Who We Are Looking For

• Excellent communication thorough all the interactions/channels (meetings, presentations, daily updates)
• Project Management and accountability to ensure projects are delivered in time in full.
• Strong Packaging background to propose, challenge, enhance all our innovations and guide the implementation in our factories.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset, bringing a proactive, creative approach to problem-solving and innovation, driving bespoke solutions for the site.
• Business acumen to promote and challenge ideas understanding the full impact in the business.
• Technical curiosity to explore new trends, innovations, materials and push to take FBC to the next level.
• Remarkable Teamwork to liaise with peers and other functions, work together and support each other to elevate Packaging in the company.
  
  

Diversity Statement

FBC UK is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all of our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at FBC UK. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative and highly rewarding.

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