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FMCG

Packaging Innovation Manager

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The Group Packaging Innovation Manager will be the driving force behind the future of food packaging across the entire group. If it’s new, clever, sustainable, or game-changing, you’ll be leading the charge. From breakthrough materials to smarter, greener designs, this role shapes packaging that works brilliantly, looks sharp, and elevates the brand every step of the way.

You’ll thrive here if you come with a relevant degree (Packaging Tech, Materials Science, Food Science, Engineering, etc.) and 3-5+ years’ real-world packaging development experience-ideally in food. Solid knowledge of flexibles, paperboard, rigid plastics, barrier systems, MAP? Perfect. Curiosity for what’s next? Essential.

Based in Hamilton, you’ll be on the move-regularly visiting sites across Cardiff, Salisbury, Manchester, and Sheffield, plus suppliers. It’s a standout opportunity to join one of the UK’s biggest bakery groups, working with an upbeat, collaborative team that genuinely wants you to grow, stretch, and build a long-term career.

What you’ll actually be doing

You’ll spearhead the discovery and development of innovative packaging solutions that boost performance, cut environmental impact, and delight consumers. You’ll hunt down new materials, technologies, and formats-working with suppliers, start-ups, and innovators to assess feasibility, build prototypes, and run smart trials.

You’ll keep one eye on the horizon-tracking trends in sustainability, consumer behaviour, design, and regulation-then turn those insights into opportunities for Category Leadership Teams and other key players.

You’ll also shape packaging concepts from scratch, working hand-in-hand with Development, Marketing, R&D, Operations, Technical, SHE, and Procurement to make sure ideas don’t just look good but actually work. Benchmarking best practice, leading projects from concept to launch, and keeping everything moving at pace-that’s your rhythm.

Ideally, this is you

  • Degree in Packaging Technology, Materials Science, Food Science, Engineering, or similar

  • 3-5+ years’ experience in packaging development/technology (food experience strongly preferred)

  • Deep understanding of food-packaging materials: flexibles, paperboard, rigid plastics, barrier systems, MAP, etc.

  • Solid grasp of food safety, hygiene, and packaging compliance (EPR, PPT, BRCGS, FCM Regs)

  • Hands-on experience with packaging lines and production machinery

  • Top-tier project management and stakeholder engagement skills

  • Confident, clear communicator-written and verbal

  • Strong influencing skills and a bias for action

Business Account Manager

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· Serve as the lead point of contact for all customer account management matters

· Build and maintain strong, long-lasting customer relationships

· Negotiate contracts and close agreements to maximize profits

· Develop trusted advisor relationships with key accounts, customer stakeholders and executive sponsors

· Ensure the timely and successful delivery of our solutions according to customer needs and objectives

· Clearly communicate the progress of monthly/quarterly initiatives to internal and external stakeholders

· Develop new business with existing clients and/or identify areas of improvement to meet sales quotas

· Forecast and track key account metrics (e.g. quarterly sales results and annual forecasts)

· Prepare reports on account status

· Collaborate with sales team to identify and grow opportunities

· Assist with challenging client requests or issue escalations as needed

1. Knowledge, Skills and Experience

· Proven work experience as an Account Manager, Key Account Manager, Sales Account Manager, Junior Account Manager or relevant role

· Demonstrable ability to communicate, present and influence key stakeholders at all levels of an organization, including executive and Board level

· Solid experience with MS Office (particularly MS Excel)

· Experience delivering client-focused solutions to customer needs

· Proven ability to juggle multiple account management projects at a time, while maintaining sharp attention to detail

· Excellent listening, negotiation and presentation abilities

· Strong verbal and written communication skills

· BA/BS degree in Business Administration, Sales or relevant field

Business Account Manager

by

· Serve as the lead point of contact for all customer account management matters

· Build and maintain strong, long-lasting customer relationships

· Negotiate contracts and close agreements to maximize profits

· Develop trusted advisor relationships with key accounts, customer stakeholders and executive sponsors

· Ensure the timely and successful delivery of our solutions according to customer needs and objectives

· Clearly communicate the progress of monthly/quarterly initiatives to internal and external stakeholders

· Develop new business with existing clients and/or identify areas of improvement to meet sales quotas

· Forecast and track key account metrics (e.g. quarterly sales results and annual forecasts)

· Prepare reports on account status

· Collaborate with sales team to identify and grow opportunities

· Assist with challenging client requests or issue escalations as needed

1. Knowledge, Skills and Experience

· Proven work experience as an Account Manager, Key Account Manager, Sales Account Manager, Junior Account Manager or relevant role

· Demonstrable ability to communicate, present and influence key stakeholders at all levels of an organization, including executive and Board level

· Solid experience with MS Office (particularly MS Excel)

· Experience delivering client-focused solutions to customer needs

· Proven ability to juggle multiple account management projects at a time, while maintaining sharp attention to detail

· Excellent listening, negotiation and presentation abilities

· Strong verbal and written communication skills

· BA/BS degree in Business Administration, Sales or relevant field

Business Account Manager

by

· Serve as the lead point of contact for all customer account management matters

· Build and maintain strong, long-lasting customer relationships

· Negotiate contracts and close agreements to maximize profits

· Develop trusted advisor relationships with key accounts, customer stakeholders and executive sponsors

· Ensure the timely and successful delivery of our solutions according to customer needs and objectives

· Clearly communicate the progress of monthly/quarterly initiatives to internal and external stakeholders

· Develop new business with existing clients and/or identify areas of improvement to meet sales quotas

· Forecast and track key account metrics (e.g. quarterly sales results and annual forecasts)

· Prepare reports on account status

· Collaborate with sales team to identify and grow opportunities

· Assist with challenging client requests or issue escalations as needed

1. Knowledge, Skills and Experience

· Proven work experience as an Account Manager, Key Account Manager, Sales Account Manager, Junior Account Manager or relevant role

· Demonstrable ability to communicate, present and influence key stakeholders at all levels of an organization, including executive and Board level

· Solid experience with MS Office (particularly MS Excel)

· Experience delivering client-focused solutions to customer needs

· Proven ability to juggle multiple account management projects at a time, while maintaining sharp attention to detail

· Excellent listening, negotiation and presentation abilities

· Strong verbal and written communication skills

· BA/BS degree in Business Administration, Sales or relevant field

Category Marketing Manager

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We’re on the hunt for a sharp, data-driven, and commercially-savvy Category Manager who knows how to translate insights into action – and results. This is a Category Marketing role – Not a purchasing / buying role

If you love digging into trends, spotting opportunities before anyone else, and turning insights into compelling stories that sell, this could be your next big move.

💼 What You’ll Be Doing

  • Own and lead the strategy for a specific category – keeping it fresh, focused, and forward-thinking.
  • Be the voice of the shopper and consumer, using data, trends, and insights to drive decision-making.
  • Create and deliver powerful selling stories that bring our brands to life – in partnership with Sales, Marketing, and Innovation teams.
  • Collaborate with major retailers, building strong relationships that unlock profitable growth.
  • Drive branded growth through strategic category planning and insight.
  • Champion a culture of insight, turning numbers into meaningful actions.
  • Present confidently to customers – bringing the category to life through storytelling and evidence.

🎯 What You’ll Bring

Must-haves:

  • 2+ years in FMCG Category Management or Customer Marketing (especially with major UK retailers)
  • Strong experience with EPOS, panel data, and category tools (e.g., shopper insights, space planning)
  • Commercial acumen – you know how to spot an opportunity and drive profitable growth
  • A confident communicator and presenter with a knack for making data make sense
  • Self-starter and team player, able to juggle multiple priorities
  • Solid understanding of P&L and financial levers
  • Proficient in PowerPoint & Excel
  • Degree-qualified and full driving license

Nice-to-haves:

  • Experience using retailer loyalty card data platforms
  • Previous exposure to a food-related category

Category Marketing Manager

by

We’re on the hunt for a sharp, data-driven, and commercially-savvy Category Manager who knows how to translate insights into action – and results. This is a Category Marketing role – Not a purchasing / buying role

If you love digging into trends, spotting opportunities before anyone else, and turning insights into compelling stories that sell, this could be your next big move.

💼 What You’ll Be Doing

  • Own and lead the strategy for a specific category – keeping it fresh, focused, and forward-thinking.
  • Be the voice of the shopper and consumer, using data, trends, and insights to drive decision-making.
  • Create and deliver powerful selling stories that bring our brands to life – in partnership with Sales, Marketing, and Innovation teams.
  • Collaborate with major retailers, building strong relationships that unlock profitable growth.
  • Drive branded growth through strategic category planning and insight.
  • Champion a culture of insight, turning numbers into meaningful actions.
  • Present confidently to customers – bringing the category to life through storytelling and evidence.

🎯 What You’ll Bring

Must-haves:

  • 2+ years in FMCG Category Management or Customer Marketing (especially with major UK retailers)
  • Strong experience with EPOS, panel data, and category tools (e.g., shopper insights, space planning)
  • Commercial acumen – you know how to spot an opportunity and drive profitable growth
  • A confident communicator and presenter with a knack for making data make sense
  • Self-starter and team player, able to juggle multiple priorities
  • Solid understanding of P&L and financial levers
  • Proficient in PowerPoint & Excel
  • Degree-qualified and full driving license

Nice-to-haves:

  • Experience using retailer loyalty card data platforms
  • Previous exposure to a food-related category

Category Marketing Manager

by

We’re on the hunt for a sharp, data-driven, and commercially-savvy Category Manager who knows how to translate insights into action – and results. This is a Category Marketing role – Not a purchasing / buying role

If you love digging into trends, spotting opportunities before anyone else, and turning insights into compelling stories that sell, this could be your next big move.

💼 What You’ll Be Doing

  • Own and lead the strategy for a specific category – keeping it fresh, focused, and forward-thinking.
  • Be the voice of the shopper and consumer, using data, trends, and insights to drive decision-making.
  • Create and deliver powerful selling stories that bring our brands to life – in partnership with Sales, Marketing, and Innovation teams.
  • Collaborate with major retailers, building strong relationships that unlock profitable growth.
  • Drive branded growth through strategic category planning and insight.
  • Champion a culture of insight, turning numbers into meaningful actions.
  • Present confidently to customers – bringing the category to life through storytelling and evidence.

🎯 What You’ll Bring

Must-haves:

  • 2+ years in FMCG Category Management or Customer Marketing (especially with major UK retailers)
  • Strong experience with EPOS, panel data, and category tools (e.g., shopper insights, space planning)
  • Commercial acumen – you know how to spot an opportunity and drive profitable growth
  • A confident communicator and presenter with a knack for making data make sense
  • Self-starter and team player, able to juggle multiple priorities
  • Solid understanding of P&L and financial levers
  • Proficient in PowerPoint & Excel
  • Degree-qualified and full driving license

Nice-to-haves:

  • Experience using retailer loyalty card data platforms
  • Previous exposure to a food-related category

Commercial Controller

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We are seeking an accomplished and commercially astute Commercial Controller to lead our strategy and growth across the Manufacturing (B2B), Wholesalers, and Foodservice sectors.

This senior position will manage and develop a team of four account managers, ensuring they deliver on business objectives while fostering strong client partnerships. The successful candidate will take ownership of shaping the commercial strategy, driving new opportunities, and strengthening the company’s position as a market leader in flour and ingredient supply.

This is a home-based role, but the candidate must be within a commutable distance of our East Midlands sites.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

  • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of four account managers, driving high performance, engagement, and professional growth.
  • Define and execute the commercial strategy for Manufacturing (B2B), Wholesalers, and Foodservice channels.
  • Set clear objectives, KPIs, and growth targets aligned with company strategy.
  • Champion cross-functional collaboration, ensuring the commercial team works seamlessly with production, supply chain, and technical functions.

Commercial Growth & Business Development

  • Own and lead relationships with senior stakeholders across major manufacturing, wholesale, and foodservice accounts.
  • Drive growth through strategic business development, identifying and converting new opportunities across targeted channels.
  • Lead commercial negotiations, ensuring profitability and sustainable partnerships.
  • Monitor industry trends, competitor activity, and category performance to anticipate shifts and guide strategic planning.

Account & Customer Management

  • Oversee account management activities across the team, ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality service.
  • Develop long-term customer plans for key accounts, focusing on profitability and value creation.
  • Build senior-level relationships with clients, acting as an escalation point for complex or strategic matters.
  • Ensure the business maintains its reputation for exceptional customer service and technical excellence.

Sales Forecasting & Reporting

  • Provide robust and accurate sales forecasting across all channels.
  • Deliver insight-led reporting to the Sales Director, highlighting risks, opportunities, and performance against objectives.
  • Use data and analytics to inform decision-making, ensuring commercial activity is evidence-based and strategically aligned.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential:

  • Significant experience in a senior commercial role within the UK food or ingredient manufacturing industry.
  • Strong track record of managing teams, with proven leadership and people development skills.
  • Deep knowledge of the UK manufacturing, wholesale, and/or foodservice landscape.
  • Exceptional negotiation, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
  • Demonstrable success in delivering sales growth and shaping strategy.

Desirable:

  • Degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, or related discipline.

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  • Familiarity with UK food safety, technical, and quality standards.

Key Competencies

  • Strategic Leadership – ability to set vision, direction, and inspire a team.
  • Commercial Acumen – understands markets, margins, and commercial levers to drive growth.
  • Customer Centricity – committed to building lasting partnerships and delivering value.
  • Analytical Thinking – uses insight and data to shape decisions and strategies.
  • Collaboration – builds trust across teams and functions to deliver results.
  • Resilience & Adaptability – thrives in a dynamic environment and manages change with confidence

Category Marketing Manager

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Do you love combining data and creativity to build best-in-class category strategies? Thrive on working with top-tier retailers and being the “voice of the shopper”? Fancy shaping the future of a fast-paced, insight-driven category with a supportive, values-led team? If yes – this is the role for you.

💼 The Opportunity:

We’re looking for a Category Marketing Manager to join our high-performing commercial team in a site-based role in the East Midlands. This is a senior-level position focused on one of the UK’s largest and most influential grocery retailers – Tesco.

You’ll work cross-functionally with commercial, insight, NPD, and senior leadership to shape and deliver category plans that unlock real growth for both the business and our retail partner. You’ll be a trusted strategic voice, combining shopper insight, retailer understanding, and market data to drive intelligent decisions and long-term value.

🛠️ What You’ll Be Doing:

  • Creating and delivering strategic, insight-led category plans that support both our business and Tesco’s growth objectives.
  • Leading regular market and customer reviews, presenting with clarity and impact.
  • Bringing the shopper voice to life, identifying behavioural trends and gaps in knowledge, and working with insight teams to fill them.
  • Supporting the Stage Gate process, ensuring insight informs innovation and NPD briefs at every level.
  • Getting hands-on with merchandising, ranging, and promotion planning to optimise in-store and online performance.
  • Collaborating with internal stakeholders across commercial, technical, and development teams.
  • Supporting and mentoring junior team members to build broader team capability.

This is an influential, fast-moving role where insight meets action – and where your voice will genuinely shape category direction at the highest level.

🌟 What You’ll Bring:

  • Proven experience in category management within an FMCG environment (manager level or equivalent).
  • Excellent understanding of shopper and market insight tools (Kantar, Dunnhumby, EPOS, etc.).
  • Experience working with UK retail customers, ideally including Tesco.
  • Strong communication and storytelling skills – you can turn data into clear, compelling strategies.
  • A naturally collaborative approach and a hands-on, “can-do” attitude.
  • Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint – you know how to build a killer deck.
  • A full UK driving licence.

Bonus if you’ve worked with loyalty card data or have experience mentoring or managing junior colleagues.

Quality Assurance Technician (Food Manufacturing)

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Quality Assurance Technician (Food Manufacturing)

Location: Coventry
Department: Technical
Salary: £29000 per annum
Shift: 4 on 4 off – Night Shift (7pm to 7am, 12-hour shifts)
Pension: Statutory
Holiday: 23 days (inclusive of bank holidays)

About the Role

We’re seeking a Quality Assurance Technician to join our Technical team in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.

You’ll play a key role in maintaining and monitoring the company’s Food Safety and Quality Management Systems, ensuring that all products meet internal, customer, and third-party standards. This role promotes a strong quality culture across all departments and supports continuous improvement through Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).

Key Responsibilities

  • Perform quality inspections according to Quality Assurance and HACCP plans.

  • Monitor and verify product traceability throughout production.

  • Maintain accurate records critical to product quality and safety.

  • Conduct finished product testing within a laboratory environment.

  • Collect microbiological and chemical samples, liaising with external laboratories.

  • Carry out environmental, surface, and hand swab testing.

  • Conduct factory audits (GMP, Hygiene, Fabrication, Glass & Plastics, Internal System).

  • Support the implementation of corrective and preventive actions.

  • Monitor and help reduce risks of foreign body contamination.

  • Manage calibration and verification of equipment.

  • Control laboratory consumable stock levels.

  • Participate in product shelf-life testing and customer complaint investigations.

  • Assist with traceability exercises and mock recalls.

  • Support customer and accreditation audits.

  • Ensure controlled documentation is current and properly implemented.

About You

You’ll be detail-focused, organised, and confident working both independently and as part of a team. You should have a proactive approach to maintaining quality and safety standards and the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.

Essential Skills & Experience

  • Previous experience in Quality Assurance or Quality Control, ideally within food manufacturing.

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

  • Strong attention to detail and organisational ability.

  • Competent in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

  • Basic knowledge of Food Hygiene and Health & Safety.

  • Competent in HACCP and internal auditing.

  • A good standard of written and spoken English.

  • Willingness to learn and continuously develop.

Key Competencies

  • Accountability & Execution

  • Customer Focus

  • Teamwork & Collaboration

Working Environment

  • Based primarily on the production floor, with laboratory and administrative tasks.

  • Fast-moving, highly automated environment requiring a proactive approach.

  • Mostly dry and warm areas, with occasional work in cold zones.

  • Adherence to strict hygiene and food safety policies required at all times.

Why Join Us?

  • Competitive salary of £29000 per annum

  • 4 on 4 off night shift pattern (12-hour shifts)

  • 23 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays

  • Statutory pension

  • Opportunities for ongoing learning and career development

Apply Now
If you’re passionate about food quality, safety, and continuous improvement – and you’re ready for a challenging and rewarding night shift role – we’d love to hear from you. Please apply now or forard CV or donnabanks@major-recruitment.com or call 02475264248