Retail Category Technical ManagerHead Office

We have an exciting opportunity for a Category Technical Manager to join our Fresh Core Chilled, Bakery & Counters team.

At Asda, we're committed to becoming Britain's most trusted retailer, and this role plays a critical part in helping us achieve that ambition. You'll be responsible for ensuring our own-brand products consistently meet the highest standards of food safety, legality, quality and responsible sourcing, while supporting innovation and delivering great products for our customers.

Working closely with suppliers and cross-functional teams, you'll protect and enhance the Asda brand, drive continuous improvement across the supply base, and ensure robust due diligence and compliance standards are maintained across your category portfolio.

This is a fantastic opportunity to influence product quality from concept to customer, working across a dynamic and fast-paced area of the business.

What You'll Be Responsible For

Supplier & Technical Leadership

  • Lead and support our supplier partners to deliver safe, legal and consistently high-quality products for our customers.
  • Act as the technical lead for your category areas, supporting the Lead Technical Manager in delivering the business strategy and driving technical innovation.
  • Champion Asda's technical standards both internally and externally, ensuring products consistently meet our quality and compliance expectations.
  • Develop and implement quality improvement plans with suppliers to drive product excellence and customer satisfaction.
  • Build strong relationships across the supply base, driving continuous improvement and proactively managing quality and compliance issues.
  • Use your category and supplier knowledge to identify opportunities, mitigate risks and add value to the wider business.
  • Conduct strategic supplier risk assessments and support category plans through effective technical governance.

Risk, Due Diligence & Incident Management

  • Lead the management of product incidents in line with Asda's incident management processes.
  • Participate in the technical on-call rota, including occasional weekend support where required.
  • Drive investigations into customer complaints and dissatisfaction, working collaboratively with suppliers and internal stakeholders to implement effective corrective actions.
  • Use horizon scanning, emerging industry trends and risk intelligence to anticipate future challenges and strengthen category resilience.
  • Support continuous enhancement of technical frameworks that protect customers and uphold the Asda brand.

Innovation & Business Delivery

  • Support the delivery of Asda's trade plans and own-brand innovation pipeline.
  • Partner with Trading and Customer Planning teams to bring innovative, customer-focused products to market.
  • Lead the technical delivery of new product development projects, ensuring products launch safely, legally and on time.
  • Manage and influence critical paths to support successful product launches.
  • Deliver agreed business objectives while balancing customer, quality, compliance and commercial priorities.

Systems, Compliance & Governance

  • Ensure all active supplier sites and associated product specifications are accurately maintained within Asda's due diligence systems.
  • Verify that all required compliance, ethical sourcing and responsible sourcing documentation is in place and actively managed.
  • Support the development and implementation of policies, standards and processes relevant to your category areas.
  • Monitor and manage key technical performance measures, including:
    • Product specifications
    • Audit compliance
    • Withdrawals and recalls
    • Customer complaints
    • Supply chain mapping
  • Support the delivery and ongoing development of Asda's audit framework, using risk-based decision making to drive improvements.
  • Ensure supplier visits, audits and assessments are completed to a consistently high standard and supported by documented risk assessments.

People & Leadership

  • Continuously develop your own capability while supporting the growth of the wider technical team.
  • Provide coaching, guidance and knowledge sharing to colleagues and stakeholders.
  • Line manage and develop direct reports where applicable.
  • Support effective supplier engagement through conferences, training programmes and collaborative improvement initiatives.
  • Act as a role model for Asda's values, promoting a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture.

Let's Find Out About You

You'll be an experienced Technical Manager with a passion for food quality, safety and innovation, and a strong track record of delivering results in a retail, FMCG or food manufacturing environment.

You'll bring:

  • Proven experience managing complex food categories and supplier networks.
  • Strong technical expertise in food safety, quality management and regulatory compliance.
  • A degree, or equivalent qualification, in a food-related, scientific or relevant technical discipline.
  • Knowledge of manufacturing environments and industry standards, including BRCGS and HACCP.
  • Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to build credibility at all levels.
  • Commercial awareness and a strong understanding of customer needs.
  • The ability to prioritise effectively and adapt in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
  • A track record of making sound decisions and delivering measurable results.
  • Experience building strong, sustainable and mutually beneficial supplier relationships.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate across multiple teams and functions.
  • A proactive mindset focused on innovation, continuous improvement and problem solving.
  • The confidence to challenge constructively and drive positive change where required.

Why Asda?

At Asda, you'll have the opportunity to shape the quality and safety of products enjoyed by millions of customers. You'll work with passionate colleagues, industry-leading suppliers and a business committed to delivering great value without compromising on quality.

If you're looking for a role where you can make a genuine impact, influence strategic decisions and help drive continuous improvement across a major retailer, we'd love to hear from you.

Everything you'll love

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Over and above this, each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots.

You will also get an excellent benefits package including:

  • Discretionary company bonus

  • Company pension up to 7% matched

  • Company Car allowance of £5,700

  • 15% colleague discount in store and online

  • Free access to wellbeing services such as Stream, 24/7 virtual GP, counselling, health and dental cash plans and a 24/7 employee assistance helpline, alongside discounts across a range of services and activities, from airport parking, enhanced to theme parks and cinemas.

  • Asda Allies Inclusion Networks – helping colleagues to make sure everybody is included and that our differences are recognised and celebrated

  • Excellent parental leave policies, including maternity & adoption leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave, and support for those doing fertility treatments.

We want all colleagues to be able to bring their best and true selves to work, every day. Simply put, we want our colleagues to be Proud to be Asda and proud to be themselves

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Rewards and Recognition

Benefits you’ll only find here

10% off Asda pet insurance

10% off selected Asda Pharmacy services

10% off Asda Tyres

10% off Asda Travel insurance

20% off Asda Mobile bundles

Free remote GP service

Available to you, your partner and your children, 24/7, year round.

Pension

Save for retirement with contributions paid into your pension account by you and Asda.

Free physiotherapy consultations

Helping you and your partner take care of yourselves with 8 free sessions per year.

Colleague discounts

15% off at our stores - get discounts on groceries and George all year round.

Car cash allowance

Eligible colleagues will receive a cash allowance as part of their benefits package. In addition, all salaried colleagues can choose to register for the Salary Sacrifice Electric Car scheme*.

(*Conditions apply)

Mortgage advice

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, renewing your mortgage, looking at buy to lets, or simply after some advice in getting a mortgage, get free* unbiased advice through the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB), one the UKs largest mortgage brokers.

Confidential support helpline

Find free emotional, practical, and financial support that’s fully confidential, through a helpline that’s available 24/7, year round.

Cycle to work

Buy a bike through this scheme and save on tax and national insurance.

Financial support

Find financial wellbeing tools and support, including the ability to stream your pay.

Free eye tests

Head to our in store opticians for a free checkup and take care of your vision.

Bonus

Sharing our success with a discretionary bonus scheme for salaried colleagues that really rewards your contributions.

Cancer support

Guidance and support for you and your family, from before diagnosis, to treatment and beyond.

Paid time off

From holiday to sick leave and other types of leave, such as parental leave.

Mental health support

Access free mental health support for you and your family.

Support and advice with care

If you’re supporting older family or friends with care and support, find free, confidential information, expert support, and guidance about later life care for your loved ones through the Legal & General Care Concierge service.

Hybrid working

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots

Save money on every day spends

Access to hundreds of high-street discounted Vouchers, discounts on days out, gym memberships, airport parking, and more

Setting your loved ones up for the future

As part of the team, you’ll get life assurance.

Guaranteed contracted hours

All colleagues are guaranteed weekly contracted hours / guaranteed weekly shifts via their contract of employment which is agreed with the hiring manager.

Holiday buying

Once a year our salaried colleagues are able to buy up to 5 additional days holiday via salary sacrifice (subject to eligibility).

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Our commitment to the Armed Forces

Here at Asda, we’re dedicated to helping the Armed Forces rediscover their everything after service. We guarantee interviews for people who have left service and meet the minimum criteria for a role, provide leave for reservists’ training, support for cadet training, and employment opportunities for their partners. And that’s why we have over a thousand new colleagues from the Armed Forces Service Leaver Community join us every year.

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Head Office roles

Thinking bigger, looking forwards, and always asking what’s next, Our Head Office teams aren’t afraid to challenge how we think, and embrace fresh perspectives, experiences, and change – all to keep us growing.

Discover our Head Office departments
If you're looking for a new opportunity and you want a challenge within a fast-paced environment with great culture then a role at Asda would be ideal for you.

Polly,

Commercial and Propositions Lead

The flexibility is great, I can attend school events like sports days and I can go for my morning run when I'm working from home and in the office as they have showers.

Tom,

Seasonal Packaging Design Specialist

The role is really varied and diverse. You get involved in so many different things! Everyone is so supportive and really cares about your personal development.

Hayley,

Buying Manager

Work where it works

Here at Asda, we think that the best way to work is to do it where it works best. That’s why all of our teams who are able to work from home, work with each other to figure out a pattern that works for you all, and the business needs. So you can get the most out of work, whether that’s at home, the office, or both.

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