Lead Technologist
Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits
Location: Coventry Store Support Centre - Ansty Park and Home, Coventry, CV7 9RD
Contract type: Fixed-Term Assignment
Business area: Argos
Closing date: 14 May 2026
Requisition ID: 400059090
At Argos, we’re a digital-led UK retailer that keeps pushing boundaries to meet every generation with what they want, how and when they want it. As a market leader in general merchandise, serving millions of customers through our website, app, same-day delivery and Click & Collect services, we offer real opportunities to learn, grow and shape your career. With roles spanning Commercial, Buying, Merchandising, Design and Supply Chain, through to Digital, Operations, Customer Experience, Marketing, and People and Transformation, you will work with brilliant colleagues and directly shape how we serve our customers every day. From enabling inspiring choice across our owned brands, including Habitat, Chad Valley and Bush, alongside the world’s biggest brands like Apple, Lego, Xbox and Samsung, to making shopping effortlessly convenient, championing trusted value and accelerating our strategy - Argos is an exciting place to build your future.
About the team
Our Technical & Ethical team is central to delivering safe, high‑quality and legally compliant Hardline Homeware products for our customers. Working at the heart of General Merchandise, the team partners closely with Buying, Design, Sourcing, Sustainability and Supply Chain to bring innovative, commercially viable products to market. With a strong focus on customer experience, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement, the team plays a key role in protecting brand reputation while driving quality and value.
More about the role
As a Lead Technologist within Hardline Homeware, you will be responsible for the technical delivery of product categories from concept through to launch and post‑sale performance. You will ensure all products meet required safety, quality and legal standards, managing technical risk, due diligence and approvals in line with the critical path. You will work closely with suppliers, global technical teams, sourcing and commercial stakeholders to support new product development, range reviews and category technical strategy.
In addition, you will provide leadership and direction to a small team of Technologists and / or Assistant Technologists. This includes line management responsibilities, coaching and development, performance reviews and ensuring technical standards are consistently applied. You will lead the investigation and resolution of quality issues, manage held stock where required, analyse customer returns and feedback, and ensure learnings are embedded into future product development to continuously improve quality and reduce returns.
More about you
You are an experienced Technologist with a background in manufacturing or retail within Hardline Homeware, and a strong understanding of the regulatory landscape. You are confident managing technical risk, product approvals and multiple priorities in a fast‑paced retail environment, while maintaining high standards of accuracy, documentation and due diligence.
You are a supportive and effective people manager who enjoys developing others and setting clear direction. You communicate confidently with suppliers and internal stakeholders, challenge constructively, and use data, customer insight and commercial context to inform decisions. You take ownership, adapt positively to change, and are motivated by delivering safe, compliant and high‑quality products that enhance the customer experience.
Essential criteria
- Experience in a technical role within manufacturing or retail, specifically across Hardline Homeware products
- Demonstrated knowledge of product safety, quality and legal requirements, with experience managing regulatory compliance and technical risk
- Experience leading, coaching or line managing Technologists or technical team members
- Proven ability to manage technical approvals, documentation and timelines in line with a critical path
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with experience working collaboratively with suppliers and cross‑functional teams
#ACDTechnicalandEthical #LI-AH1
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 save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. 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 10% 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 up to an additional week's 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, salary 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. Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).
