John Lewis Partnership
Product Development Technologist, Handbags and Accessories
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
ABOUT THE ROLE
As a Product Development Technologist, in the Sourcing & Technical Profession, you will expertly manage the safety, legality, quality, product development, sustainability and provenance aspects of the product life cycle. In doing so you will ensure compliance with technical standards & policies across multiple categories. To do this you will utilise your deep specialist & generalist technical knowledge. Remaining customer-focused to exceed customers' expectations and create industry-leading products.
You will be responsible for managing supplier/factory technical relationships and proactively lead in managing improvements to Product & Process.
Expected salary - Salary up to £60k depending on experience.
Contract type - This position is a fixed term contract/secondment for 14 months
Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The team meets in the office 3 days a week in the office to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings.
Location - The normal place of work for this role is our London Central Office in Pimlico.
Key responsibilities
- Delivering compliant, safe, legal and the right quality product assortments (Own Brand) that are customer-focused, and understanding and complying with all relevant product regulations and safety standards.
- Setting, maintaining & clearly communicating product specifications & standards, interpreting designs and briefing new products.
- Developing & implementing the technical strategy into the category strategy, including lessons learnt, compliance - Ethical, Technical, and Sustainability requirements.
- Reviewing & approving product development against an agreed set of standards.
- Testing & certification approval of all legal & performance standards (inc. chemical compliance) maintaining up to date and accurate technical files.
- Supporting the end-to-end product development process from concept to delivery to ensure quality products. Using product expertise to assess product suitability including, performance of the complete product, technical suitability of design:, quality and safety and functionality ensuring product is fit for purpose.
- Drives continuous improvement by analysing suppliers' technical performance.
- Carrying out Product Insight, horizon scanning, innovation, competitor analysis, benchmarking, upkeep & detailed knowledge of technical/legal requirements.
- Drives continuous product improvement by using and analysing quality performance, returns figures, reviews & customer voice data, escalated complaints and stakeholder feedback.
- Works collaboratively with suppliers, and internal & external stakeholders to ensure product compliance, and reduce faulty returns and customer complaints through failure analysis and root cause investigations.
- Managing key raw material/sustainability data to ensure compliance to the raw material targets.
- Provides quality & technical contributions to product tenders and assortment reviews.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Essential skills/experience you’ll need
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
- Experienced in a technical role in retail or manufacturing typically covering:
- Product development
- Product testing & compliance
- Supplier engagement
- Strong fitting and garment and accessories construction knowledge.
- 3D fitting knowledge is desirable.
- A degree or equivalent industry 'on the job' training in an appropriate discipline.
Important points to note
- It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.
- We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.
- We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Location