Non-Food and Baby Department Compliance Technical Role

Full Time

Non-Food and Baby Department Compliance Technical Role

Dunnes Stores is Ireland’s leading retailer positioned at the cutting edge of food, fashion and home retailing. We have over 130 stores in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Spain, a strong e commerce business and are expanding our service and product offering all the time.

The Department Merchandisers key function is to create and manage the Open to Buy and stock targets for the season. They are responsible for maintaining the availability of core & volumes lines and developing the overall range plan with the buyer agreeing quantities, ranging by grade and the intakes required to achieve the budget, reforecasting in season and the actions on aged stock / slow sellers and markdowns.

Roles and responsibilities

A senior member of the Dunnes Stores Food Safety Technical Team, the Non-Food Technical Manager plays an integral role in the safe & legal application of baby and non-food product development, product upgrade, product launch and product maintenance, ensuring all Dunnes Stores and Dunnes Stores associated product specification requirements are met, working with the relevant Technical, NPD and Buying Teams as well as Suppliers. Inherent in this process is ensuring suppliers & their sites are aware of their legal and safety obligations and application of Dunnes Stores policies through supplier audits, specification checks and complaints analysis in compliance with EU legislation, DS Supplier Manufacturing Standard & associated policies

Key to this role is the development of the non-food technical compliance strategy for the business including the

Brand Compliance – Non-Food

Technical Manager for the Non-Food Categories to include Household, Beauty, Toiletries, Baby (non food) & Pet Food

  • Ownership of the Brand Compliance System for the non-food category
  • Manage existing product specification migration to the Dunnes Stores Brand Compliance system (DSBC) – approval and activation
  • Manage the non-food new supplier on boarding process
  • New product specification upload to DSBC
  • Review and approval of specifications on DSBC and packaging on ZiFlow
  • Work with Category Development Manager (CDM) & buying on DSBC Projects modules, Audit/Visit modules and new DSBC applications.
  • Monitor timely scheduling of TM’s specification checks

Brand Compliance – Baby Food

  • Ownership of the Brand Compliance System for the high risk baby food category
  • Manage the new supplier on boarding process
  • Ensure suppliers meet food safety legislation pertaining to the preparation, formulation, packing and claims for baby food.
  • New product specification upload to DSBC
  • Review and approval of specifications on DSBC and packaging on ZiFlow
  • Work with Category Development Manager (CDM) & buying on DSBC Projects modules, Audit/Visit modules and new DSBC applications.
  • Monitor timely scheduling of TM’s specification checks

Senior Internal Auditor

The Technical Manager will manage the supplier auditing function for the non-food categories including supplier approval audits, announced audits, unannounced audits and attend NPD/Buying visits as required.

  • Carry out a gap analysis of the Dunnes Stores Supplier Manufacturing Standard to include non-food section and clauses
  • Devise supplier auditing plan based on new supplier approval, complaint trends, new product and/or process introduction
  • Carry out supplier audits in accordance with the Dunnes Stores Supplier Manufacturing Standard & associated legislative directives and accreditations.
  • Accompany other TM’s on supplier audit as lead or observing auditor (may be food or non-food).

Wine and other Alcohol Category

There has been a significant focus on the wine and alcohol sectors at a European level over the last few years. New legislation is beginning to emerge – Wine nutritional and ingredient declaration requirements from 08.12.23 and additional alcohol labelling legislation which Ireland alone in EU has signed up to due in 2025 .

  • Manage the technical role for newly emerging wine (Dec 2023) and other alcohol labelling legislation (2025)
  • Work as part of a wider project team to ensure Dunnes Stores fully conform with this emerging legislation.
  • Ownership of the Brand Compliance System for the alcohol category

Sustainability and Compliance

There is a significant broadening of the compliance and legislative environment for grocery retailing – play a key role in the in leading or working as part of a wider project team across both food and non-food where relevant to include:

  • Ensuring all sites have social audit accreditation (Sedex, SMETA, BSCI)
  • EU and UK timber and deforestation regulations and commodity due diligence.
  • Packaging reduction project for own label products
  • Deposit Return Scheme
  • Reformulation
  • Horizon Scanning

Liaising with External Organisations/Accreditation

  • EUTR
  • Ethical/Bureau Veritas
  • HSE…

Day to Day Operations of the Technical Department

  • Liaising with key stake holders – CDM, Buying, Hospitality, Store Ops, Stores, Suppliers……….
  • Product withdrawals and recalls
  • Addressing customer complaints

If this sounds like the job for you, please apply now!

Dunnes Stores is an Equal Opportunities Employer

This opportunity is closed to applications.