Drinks Technologist

Are you an innovative problem solver, who looks to optimise safety, consistency, and guest satisfaction at every opportunity? In this challenging yet rewarding role you will ensure that all drink and drink food related products within your product portfolio are safe to consume, and that accurate technical data is produced to enable the provision of allergen information plus any future nutritional information that can be provided to our guests for them to make an informed decision on the drinks product they consume when at our sites across the UK.

With over 1,600 sites we’re the home of some of the nation’s favourite restaurants, bustling bars, cosy country pubs and the local you didn’t know we owned. If you’re as passionate about making a difference within hospitality as we are, we want to hear from you!

An opportunity presents itself for a Drinks Technologist, on a 14 month fixed term basis.

As a Drinks Technologist within our Food Development Team, you will report into our Head of Food Technical & Supplier Quality Assurance in a mobile role and this may require you to have a flexible approach to travel.

You’ll be well rewarded…

• Company Car or Car Allowance
• Flexible working – to work around the other important things in life.
• Love eating out? You'll love it even more with a massive 33% discount across all our brands, so whether its date night at Miller & Carter or family roast at Toby Carvery we’ve got you covered.  What’s more, you can also choose FIVE of your nearest and dearest and sign them up to 20% family and friend’s discount.
• Private Medical Scheme – To keep you safe and secure

On top of all this, we offer; a pension, 26 days paid holiday, high-street shopping discounts; There's also a free employee helpline- to support you with whatever life throws at you!

The Opportunity – Drinks Technologist

• Responsible for the accurate production of brand specific drink allergen guide information in a suitable electronic format to suit our guests’ requirements. Managing the ingredient change process alongside to support the accurate publication of drinks allergen & nutritional information.
• Liaise with the drinks team/ procurement, company nutritionist, retail systems, product data, safety technologists & marketing to develop and train the teams to support. A streamlined process to meet the multiple critical paths and support product set up.
• Ensuring suppliers performance and certification are maintained to our guest’s expectations.
• Managing and collating supplier product specifications to support our allergen, provenance & nutritional claims for the drink’s portfolio.
• Ensuring the appropriate supportive certification is provided to support this to meet legislative claims and ensure safety.
• Manage cross check meetings ensuring the output of bar bibles, cheat sheets, menus, allergen information and product claims all marry up with one another.
• Approve drink’s menus signing off allergen and product claim against descriptors and food information attributes. Support the drinks team with innovation if they plan to use allergen claims to make it more marketable and reduce their usage where possible, along with health claims and share this with the nutritional team.
• Ensure all development work for preparation or processing has taken into account the requirements of all relevant legislation, industrial codes of practise, HACCP requirements to meet the Food Safety Act.
• Verify any new production methods for drinks or added ingredients to drinks with development managers to evaluate newly identified procedures and present this evidence to our safety technicians and then our primary authority partnership.
• Manage safety & safety quality complaints for drinks. Assist our development managers and brand teams to implement changes to reduce any identified trends.
• Review investigation reports of alleged foreign bodies through to closing out the root cause.
• Provide information and training for the auditors of the Consumer Protection audit to ensure compliance is being achieved. Produce a half yearly report of recommendations to improve this new process.
• Keep up to date with relevant sector knowledge and gain exposure to sector leading food technical systems through ongoing training and maintaining accreditation through a professional body.
• Provide technical guidance on drinks and provide and maintain technical briefs, training shorts and documents.
• Provide emergency cover outside of office hours and for team colleagues and conduct Safety Audits for product withdrawals, recalls as required.

What you’ll need to bring to the Drinks Technologist role:

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a industry related role
• Understanding of EU allergen, provenance and nutrition health claims
• Understand technical specifications and ability to decipher complex technical information and research unknown information and cascade.
• Operational experience in compiling allergen and special diet information for development through to guest experience.
• Ability to understand technical information and relay this information in a way that is easy to understand for others
• Experience in building training material
• Demonstrate high level of integrity
• Maintain professional internal and external relationships that meet company core values
• Demonstrate the ability to interact and influence a wide variety of functions across a broad range of (technical and non-technical) business stakeholders
• Ability to translate complex data feeds into customer-facing information
• A good understanding of production processes and development limitations
• Ability to work to strict deadlines through strong project management skills and leadership
• Ability to maintain a methodical approach on projects, ensuring that objectives are completed prior to moving to the next stages
• A true problem solver with a can-do attitude
• Good verbal and written communication and presentation skills
• Commercial awareness with innovative thinking
• Strong IT Skills with a basic understanding of excel to manage projects and their progression
• Full Driving Licence essential
• A Bachelor of science degree in a food science related subject is desirable

What makes Mitchells & Butlers a great place to work?

To us, a career isn’t just about ‘clocking in’. We really care about our colleagues, and we’re an employer that keeps a promise. In fact, as one of the largest employers in the country, with over 44,000 people working for us, we have the responsibility of valuing every contribution from a diverse workforce that are representative of our guests, and who make us stronger.

Sounds like an opportunity where you could make a difference?