Product Technologist

Primark is an international clothing retailer employing more than 70,000 colleagues across 17 countries in Europe and the US. Founded in Ireland in 1969 under the Penneys brand, Primark aims to create maximum joy at minimum cost – less money and less impact on the planet. Primark continues to expand across new and existing markets with the aim of reaching 530 stores by the end of 2026. Every person impacts the culture at Primark. Our values: Caring (we always strive to put people first), Dynamic (we bravely push the boundaries to stay ahead) and Together (we learn more, laugh more and achieve more as a team) outline the behaviours we expect of our people as we work with each other, our customers, our suppliers and our partners. Let’s see what impact you can make!

Job Title: Product Technologist –  Food & Home Licenced Goods & Gifting

Reports To: Quality Manager – D11 – Home & Lifestyle

Team: Home & Lifestyle

Location: Dublin

Job Type: 12-month fixed term contract

Purpose of the Role

To ensure any product developed and supplied to Primark complies with international Quality Assurance Standards & Regulations. To work alongside buying teams, suppliers and key stakeholders to establish and maintain best practise and to meet the Primark customer's expectations.

Duties & Responsibilities

•  Deliver on Primark’s Quality Strategy: Support the implementation of Primark’s departmental and quality strategy to deliver the customer promise across all home categories, with food products as a key focus area alongside licenced soft and hard goods.
• Technical Expertise Across Categories: Demonstrate strong technical knowledge to ensure products are safe, legal, and fit for purpose, with particular attention to food safety compliance while maintaining high standards for other home product ranges.
• Compliance with Legal Requirements: Maintain a thorough understanding of legal and regulatory obligations for food, accessories, softs and hard goods, including the substantiation of all claims (e.g., allergens, food-contact safety, durability, performance).
• Testing and Quality Assurance: Apply relevant quality and safety standards across all categories when reviewing testing results and making commercial evaluations, ensuring full compliance with food safety protocols and industry standards for other home products.
• Approval and Sign-Off: Take responsibility for ensuring all products—food and non-food—are fully compliant with Primark quality requirements before sign-off, including correct labelling, certification, and traceability.
• Risk Assessment and Best Practice: Adhere to best practice processes for Risk Assessment Reviews, Black Seal, and Gold Seal approvals, ensuring robust checks for both food and home categories.
• Benchmarking for Quality and Performance: Conduct benchmarking of Primark products against competitors across all categories for food safety, fit, quality, and performance standards.
• Collaboration for Compliance: Work closely with the Compliance Team to ensure Primark quality standards for food and home categories are aligned with global regulations and industry best practices for value/volume retail.
• Supports and resolves quality issues in a timely manner with clear solutions and communication to all relevant stakeholders.
• Evaluating risk and ability to make commercial recommendations on quality priorities in a volume environment.
• Monitors the Returns Report to identify high returning styles/products, working with the supply base to resolve and improve future deliveries.
• Identifies risk suppliers/product for Pre-shipment and CFS inspection.
• Aware of emerging trends, innovations and legal requirements to proactively support product development.
• Liaise with retail teams to understand and interpret customer feedback on quality issues.
• Manage the customer complaints providing support to Quality Manager

Suppliers

• Through reporting (portal testing, store visits, pre-shipment inspections, returns and CFS reports) identify quality issues within the supply base and work with the buying teams and the Quality Manager to support solutions.
• In partnership with the buying teams and Quality Manager participate in supplier meetings to drive the quality agenda.
• Maintain regular updates to the supply base on Primark quality standards. 
• Engage with Sourcing and Ethical teams to understand supplier performance.
• Identify opportunities where process efficiencies can be developed and drive cost savings

Communication and Influence

• Through regular, timely and robust communication promote and represent Quality Assurance within the department, facilitating a culture of continuous improvement.
• Works with the Quality Manager on the strategy for the D11, Food & Gifting team.
• Through training and engagement with Buying and Suppliers, improve the sampling hit rate.
• Supports and delivers departmental updates and presentations both internally and externally, working with Marketing on communications and commercial presentations. 
• Attends allocated department meetings representing Quality Assurance. 
• Demonstrates ability to influence Buyers, Heads of and Directors with their decision-making regarding quality standards.

Working with others / Leading and Managing others

• Coaches’ others to identify their skills, abilities and development areas and aligns these to stretching and challenging development activities while maintaining motivation.
• Conducts regular, open discussions with direct reports about their strengths and development areas, facilitating an understanding of performance expectations and the creation of formal development plans.
• Facilitates team decision making, consistency and fairness when working with others.
• Actively seeks out stretching opportunities to support own development.
• Contributing to and supporting the delivery and content of the Primark Quality Academy training courses.
• Provides coaching and up-skilling to the Buying teams as required.
• Provides training in best practice for sample approval to QA, buying teams and suppliers.
• Provide regular updates to the buying teams and suppliers regarding new sections within the Primark Product Testing manual
• Identifies new training opportunities or training providers for Primark. 
• Work in collaborations with the offshore Quality Team and buying on CFS rejections.

Our fashion isn’t one-size-fits-all and neither is our culture. Primark promotes equal employment opportunity, we strive to create an inclusive workplace where people can be themselves, access opportunities and thrive together.