Project Assistant; Part Time, Remote

Food packaging has to be right before it reaches a supermarket shelf: the ingredients list, the allergen wording, the claims on the front of the pack and the specification behind them all get checked. Someone has to keep that checking moving on time, and this vacancy is for that person. SGS, the global testing, inspection and certification company, wants a part-time Project Assistant to support its UK food team from home, handling the administration behind specification, pack copy and artwork reviews for UK retailer clients.

SGS describes itself as the world's leading testing, inspection and certification company, with about 100,000 employees and a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories. In the UK, its food services page lists specification creation and review, pack copy generation, product label review, regulatory support and complaints management for retailers, with laboratories in Cambridge, Hebden Bridge and Cramlington and a UK office in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

The page names no retailer clients, so you won't find out who the accounts are until you speak to the company.

The hours don't add up. The advert says 27.5 hours a week, but it also says five days a week at six hours a day, which is 30. Ask which is correct, because it changes what you earn per hour.

Here is what £19,000 means per hour. At 27.5 hours a week, £19,000 works out at roughly £13.29 an hour. At 30 hours it would be about £12.18, which is below the £12.71 National Living Wage for adults from April 2026. The advert doesn't say whether £19,000 is the actual salary or a full‑time equivalent. Our reading is that it must be the actual salary, because a pro‑rata cut of £19,000 would fall well below minimum wage, but confirm it before accepting an offer.

Core hours are fixed. Remote doesn't mean flexible here. You work within 9am to 5pm, and the work is tied to tight client timelines.

No sponsorship is mentioned. At this salary a Skilled Worker visa would not be realistic, so assume you need existing right to work in the UK. This is general information, not immigration advice.

We couldn't find this vacancy on SGS's own careers page. SGS is a verified, long‑established employer, but confirm the post is still open and apply only through SGS's official channels.

• Managing the administration behind food specification, pack copy and artwork reviews for UK retailer clients
• Passing the technical teams the submissions and information they need to complete each review
• Keeping inboxes, job records and trackers up to date
• Keeping billing up to date so account managers and technical teams can deliver within client deadlines
• Escalating issues when something is off track, rather than waiting for it to resolve itself

• Pay: £19,000 per year (see the note above on hours and hourly rate)
• Hours: 27.5 per week, over five days, within core hours of 9am to 5pm
• Location: Remote, UK
• Sector: Food, health and nutrition
• Performance‑related bonus (discretionary and subject to eligibility criteria)
• Private medical cover, with immediate access
• Pension scheme and life assurance
• Annual leave that increases with service, plus bank holidays
• An extra day off for your birthday
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Length of service awards
• Health and wellbeing initiatives
• Discounted gym membership

• Experience in an administrative or support role in a busy workplace
• Good working knowledge of Excel, and confidence with different systems and shared inboxes
• Strong organisation, with the ability to juggle several priorities and deadlines
• Close attention to detail when working with data, records and reports
• Able to follow processes, work independently and
• Experience with invoicing, purchase orders or supplier follow‑up is an advantage

Most remote admin vacancies are generic. This one sits inside a specialist food compliance team, which is a useful place to learn how product specifications and labelling work. If you want to move later into food technical, quality or regulatory work, spending time around that process is a more relevant start than general office admin. Just weigh it against the pay, which is modest for a role with fixed hours.