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R&D Process Technologist

Permanent employee, Full-time · Haverhill, London
KatKins Opportunity

For uncompromising cat parents who want the best, KatKin goes hardcore for cat health. We make the UK’s only fresh cat food: 100% human-quality meat, gently cooked, and frozen for freshness. 

Where the competition cuts corners, catfishes customers and puts profits over health, we put cat wellbeing first. No shortcuts. No secret recipes. We’re cutting the fluff, thinking fresh and channelling hardcore love into industry-wide change. So cats live long and cat parents can love hard without compromise.

Why You’ll Love Working With Us
We’re all-in for cats, and it shows: our energy will blow you away from day one. You’ll be surrounded by knowledgeable scientists, big creative thinkers, astute business brains, and a whole team of hardcore cat parents. All on a mission to make hardcore love the new standard in cat care – with a fresh take on every product in the cat industry.
The Role
The role of R&D Technologist is to be responsible for carrying out practical work in support of R&D projects and collaborate with technical and operations to contribute to the development of existing and novel fresh cat food. This role will help solving challenges associated with the formulation and/or application of novel ingredients, and contribute to scale-up projects for new products and processes into live production environment. The R&D Technologist will own trial preparation on site, including trial ingredients stock management, trial products management, transport/logistics arrangements, and overall R&D samples management. The role will be working in accordance with the quality and safety requirements of the KatKin kitchen. The R&D technologist role will report to the R&D Manager; this position is full time and based at our KatKin kitchen in Haverhill, Suffolk.

Key ownership areas

  • Ensure effective preparation and organisation for trials to guarantee successful execution of trial plans, provide high quality product samples, and timely/accurate provision of results.

  • Manage preparation and printing of trial related paperwork and handover to operations in timely manner

  • Follow trial briefs and product formulations provided by R&D to support with the production of samples to a high standard 

  • Support with on-site oversight of In-Home-Panel boxes preparation and send-offs

  • Manage trial product preparation with warehouse team and logistics arrangements  for off-site testing (palatability and laboratory)

  • Fulfil product sample request for weekly panel in London office and ad-hoc samples reviews

  • Support on pilot plant and scale up trials 

  • Be competent in the operation of all kitchen equipment

  • Be responsible for general housekeeping within the pilot kitchen, ensuring a clean, tidy and safe working environment

  • Attend weekly team meetings; other ad-hoc meetings and project updates when requested

  • Manage stock for trial related ingredients and consumables, including one-off dry ingredients, fresh/frozen meat ingredients (not used in regular production), trial packaging, labels for In-Home-Panels

  • Assist with the documentation of SOPs for new equipment and the generation of Risk Assessments and COSHH

  • Work to the highest standards of safety and quality by ensuring that appropriate SOPs are understood and followed 

  • Work as part of an efficient development team

Who we are looking for:

  • Min. 2 years experience as an NPD or trials technologist preferred

  • Able to work independently on-site and prioritise R&D’s needs within the manufacturing environment

  • Strong communication, organisation and collaboration skills

  • Good understanding of food manufacturing equipment

  • Previous experience managing sample stock, samples collection, lab send-offs and communication with labs is desirable

  • Food Hygiene certificate is desirable

  • Previous experience with Google suite (sheets, docs, slides) is a plus

  • English fluency (written and spoken)

  • Accountable, honest, hardworking and able to work efficiently in a team

  • Flexible and adaptable to meet customer/business requirements and priorities

What We Offer

  • Competitive salary and a MacBook

  • Career defining opportunity in being instrumental to scaling our brand, fast

  • No egos and a small close-knit team

  • 33 days holiday every year (inclusive of Bank holidays) plus your birthday off

  • 12 Weeks Maternity/Paternity Leave

  • Discount for KatKin fresh meals

  • AXA Health Insurance including optical and dental

  • Yearly personal development budget 

  • Company pension KO

  • Access to discount portal

  • All the tea and coffee you can drink, fresh fruit and great banter 

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About us
We aim to encourage a culture where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. At KatKin we celebrate differences, and everything that makes our colleagues unique, by upholding an inclusive environment in which we can all thrive. 

We want to make our recruitment processes accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you to be the best you can be, please contact terrie@katkin.com
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