Quality Manager - Northampton

Due to ongoing growth, our client in Northampton is actively seeking a Quality Manager. This is a brilliant opportunity to work within a family business driving positive change on a daily basis.

The role provides a specific factory-based focus and sits within a small technical team with varying backgrounds and experiences.

The primary objective of the role is to ensure that all products manufactured at the site are safe, legal, authentic and fulfil quality expectations of customers and consumers.

The successful candidate is expected to steer the fast-paced site toward standards that would pass the most rigorous of inspections, maintaining audit ready status at all times.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist the factory in delivery of successful Third-party audits (BRCGS, RT, Organic, BMPA).
• Ensure the Quality Management System is fully implemented within the factory.
• To continuously improve factory standards and finished product quality.
• Investigate and manage the root causes of complaints to reduce them in line with KPIs.
• Collaboratively work to continually raise site standards to enable retail ready production.
• To improve and update procedures ensuring new legislation, BRCGS requirements and codes of practice are appropriately implemented.
• Monitor and improve factory standards with regards to GMP and Hygiene.
• Champion Food Safety Culture and a Quality Focus in the factory.
• Deputise for the Site Technical Manager.

Job Responsibilities

• To drive preparation of the site for audits and resolve any issues identified by collaboratively working to improve site preparedness.
• To maintain high level site certifications (BRC/RT / Organic/ BMPA) + any new standards the site will work towards by:
  • Working collaboratively to update procedures and processes against requirements and for continuous improvement.
  • Identifying and handling risks and gaps in processes and practices which could compromise site certification.
  • Identifying and managing housekeeping, fabrication, and hygiene concerns in a timely manner.
  • Conducting factory based Internal Audits and closing out non-conformances arising from findings.

• Improve site hygiene through training, cleaning method challenges, post clean inspections and sign offs.
• To lead customer and third-party factory tours and audits as required.
• Create, manage, and maintain Factory Quality Attribute Sheets to ensure clarity on the standards required for new and existing products and customers.
• Investigate to root cause, quality concerns with appropriate feedback and documentation.
• Develop, implement, and manage Quality Action Plans and other strategies within the factory, based on GMP, complaint and quality feedback to continually improve standards.
• To develop a QACCP system with clearly defined quality controls for all areas.
• Contribute to supplier review and approval through monitoring of raw material quality, raising rejections and non-conformances as required.
• Implement the Food Safety/Quality Culture Plan within the factory.
• Participate and initiate continuous improvement projects.
• To ensure QAs and QCs are effective within their areas, developing their competencies on an ongoing basis.
• To ensure all corrective and preventative actions are fully implemented within the factory.
• To provide factory-based training and development to operational staff on quality and food safety best practice.

Accountabilities

The Quality Manager is accountable to the Technical Manager and Operations Director, and other Directors.

The successful candidate will:

• Be committed and reliable.
• Have relevant qualifications and experience in managing quality within a factory.
• Be able to deal with challenges and influence behaviours in a fast-paced environment.
• Have previous experience with manufacturing for retail and foodservice.
• Have experience of high-risk chilled environments.
• Have experience of significant involvement in site food safety audits.
• Ability to analyse data and to continue quality improvement.
• Be on a development path to ultimately become a Technical Manager.

Benefits

The role will include opportunities to build a professional network through customer and supplier interactions. Exposure to site audits and standards will begin from early on. As a family run business there are opportunities to get involved and contribute substantively to new and continuous improvement initiatives within all areas of operations, with a specific sense of achievement as you drive a continuous improvement agenda collaboratively with the Technical Manager.

A competitive salary will be provided commensurate with level of experience, up to c.£45k.