Agriculture Technologist – M&S

M&S Food is changing, and fast! We are undergoing one of the biggest transformations in retailing today to build a bigger, better, fresher food business.

From Percy Pig to the freshest M&S Select Farms produce, we grow, source, and develop our own products to give our customers family-ready food that’s unbeatable on flavour and innovation.

We need motivated people who are ready to bring their whole self to work and give it their all in a fast-paced team committed to being the best. After all, this is not just food… This is M&S Food.

Reporting Into the Head of Agriculture & Fisheries Sourcing you will deliver the agricultural strategy for the M&S Food group with specific responsibility for key sectors. You will also ensure our Agriculture & Fisheries (Protein) raw material supply chains deliver security of supply, are customer focussed and operate with full integrity and where appropriate, differentiate us from the wider market

Delivering Carbon Net Zero workstreams in the agriculture Sector and working to be an innovative Solution Provider, crafting meaningful points of difference will also be a big part of this role as well as protecting and enhancing M&S Brand Integrity in relation to agriculture protein raw material sourcing and to manage the relationship between M&S and its farming supply base, Government regulators (in the context of farming policy) and NGO’s and industry representative groupsYou will be responsible for:

• Determine, set and maintain production standards for agriculture protein raw materials sourced for the Food Group (from point of slaughter and all aspects of production upstream)
• Ensuring the procurement of safe and legal agriculture protein raw materials across the M&S Food Group
• Delivering the agreed agricultural innovation and supply chain development ensuring activities meet brand values for the Food Group
• Providing agricultural technical direction for the Food Group, on aspects of raw material sourcing relating to protein
• Work with the commercial and wider technical team to ensure that the ethics of the sourcing approach are maintained in the face of business needs of margin achievement
• Fully collaborating and influence PR/Marketing to ensure that the wider audience of citizens understand and appreciate M&S’s approach to sustainable sourcing

For this role you will need:

• A formal agricultural qualification (HND Agriculture as a minimum) and practical experience of livestock production
• Project management skills and able to demonstrate delivering with pace
• An empathy with agricultural producers and a sound understanding of agricultural production
• The ability to communicate, influence, enrol and engage internal and external stakeholders
• To manage suppliers and the relationships with their farmers

M&S is ready to push boundaries to lead the industry into a greener, speedier, more inspiring digital era. That’s why we’re revolutionising how we work and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. There’s never been a better time to be part of our team. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make an immediate impact. We are committed to an active Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process, and we are happy to talk smart/flexible working.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process. If you consider yourself to have a disability or learning difficulty which means you are unable to complete the application process online, please get in touch either by phone on 0345 300 3725 or by email recruitment.online@marksandspencer.com so we can make alternative arrangements for you.