We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. From fragrance to car care, clothing and pots and pans, our General Merchandise team delivers all the non-food items for Sainsbury’s, Habitat and Argos customers. This multi-brand environment means you get to work across most areas.
You can also be a pioneer, because the team believes in being brave, iterating and learning as they go. They also develop deep connections to other departments, which opens up a lot of different career opportunities for you. What’s certain is that you’ll spend time on the shop floor to get closer to customers, and bring a broad perspective and the full support of your manager with you wherever you decide to develop next.
Why join us
As a member of our Product Technology team, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the quality, safety, and sustainability of our products. We are a close-knit and inclusive team, working together to support one another and share our achievements and best practises across categories. With opportunities to collaborate with suppliers, travel to different locations, and develop your skills in working with diverse cultures, you'll gain valuable experience in product development and performance.
We value communication, commercial awareness, and a commitment to delivering results in a fast-paced retail environment. Join us and be a part of a team that not only creates functional and safe products but also cares about their impact on people and the environment, all while enjoying a healthy work-life balance.
What you'll do
As an Assistant Technologist, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the quality and safety of products across Sainsbury's and our brands. You will support the Technical Manager and Lead Technologist in delivering the category strategy by managing various aspects of product delivery, including supplier and product approval, competitor benchmarking, customer and store feedback, range reviews, and post-implementation reviews.
Collaborating closely with buyers, designers, merchandisers, and the supply chain, you will contribute to identifying supplier selection, implementing improvements in supplier performance and product quality, and maintaining technical records in line with company procedures and legal guidelines. You will also support the technical team with administrative tasks, provide data analysis and interpretation, and contribute to product development and improvement. With your strong communication skills and commercial awareness, you will engage with stakeholders at all levels and deliver results in a fast-moving, dynamic retail environment.
Who you are
You will have a strong curiosity about how products are made, developed, and perform, you contribute to delivering the category strategy by supporting the Technical Manager and Lead Technologist. Collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders, including manufacturers and trading teams, your excellent communication skills enable you to build strong relationships and effectively manage supplier selection, product approval, and range reviews. With your attention to detail and ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced retail environment, you play a vital role in driving product development and improvement while maintaining a strong commitment to ensuring fairness, sustainability, and positive environmental impact.
About us
We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new - whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits.
Here are some of them:
Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 5% of salary, depending on how we perform.
Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.
Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.
