Quality and Compliance Manager

Sharp and Carter; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Sharp and Carter is seeking a Quality Compliance Manager for the Melbourne site to lead quality and food safety across operations. The role balances technical QA expertise with commercial focus, working with production teams and senior leadership to uphold certifications and respond to customer expectations.

You will drive HACCP and allergen programs, manage audits, complaints and CAPAs, and mentor the quality team to build a strong quality culture while supporting growth.

Qualifications

• Senior quality experience in high-volume food manufacturing.
• Experience with SQF or FSSC 22000 certifications.
• Strong HACCP knowledge and leading certification audits.
• Experience with customer or retailer audits.
• Knowledge of food safety legislation, allergen management, traceability, recalls.
• Experience managing complaints, root cause analysis and CAPAs.
• Supplier quality, GMP, sanitation, foreign matter controls.
• Commercial awareness and cost of quality.
• Strong communication and managing challenging conversations.
• Hands-on approach with production teams.
• Experience coaching and building quality culture.
• Ability to balance technical and commercial priorities.

Responsibilities

• Maintain food safety and quality systems, certifications and audits.
• Lead customer audits and quality meetings.
• Manage complaints, non-conformances and CAPAs.
• Oversee HACCP, allergen management, traceability and recalls.
• Collaborate with production to maintain standards.
• Identify process improvements to reduce waste and cost of quality.
• Handle difficult customer conversations with facts.
• Develop and maintain SOPs for consistency.
• Coach and mentor the quality team.
• Build quality ownership across the site.

Skills

Senior quality experience

HACCP knowledge

Allergen management

Traceability

Root cause analysis

Communication skills

Commercial awareness

Cost of quality

GMP

Supplier quality

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science/QA

Job description

About the Company

Our client is a high-growth, high-volume food manufacturer in Melbourne supplying well-known brand and retail customers.

With growing customer accounts and new business coming on board, the business is focused on increasing production while maintaining high standards across quality, food safety and manufacturing.

About the Role

The Quality Compliance Manager will lead the site's quality and food safety function, working closely with operations, senior leadership and customers to maintain standards as the business grows.

This is a hands-on role suited to someone who combines strong technical quality experience with commercial awareness and excellent communication skills. You'll be comfortable on the manufacturing floor, building relationships with operators, managing customer expectations and making practical decisions that balance food safety with business requirements.

Key responsibilities include:

• Maintaining food safety and quality systems, certifications and audit schedules
• Leading customer audits, quality meetings and ongoing customer relationships
• Managing complaints, non-conformances, investigations and corrective actions
• Overseeing HACCP, allergen management, traceability, recalls and supplier quality
• Working closely with production to maintain quality and food safety standards
• Identifying opportunities to improve processes, reduce waste and manage the cost of quality
• Managing difficult customer conversations and resolving quality disputes using facts
• Developing and maintaining SOPs to ensure consistency across production
• Coaching and mentoring the quality team and supporting capability development
• Building quality ownership across the site and taking responsibility for quality outcomes

Skills & Experience

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Senior quality experience within high-volume food manufacturing
• Experience managing SQF or FSSC 22000 certification requirements
• Strong HACCP knowledge and experience leading certification audits
• Experience managing major customer or retailer requirements and audits
• Knowledge of food safety legislation, allergen management, traceability and recalls
• Experience managing complaints, root cause analysis and corrective actions
• Understanding of supplier quality, GMP, sanitation and foreign matter controls
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of the cost of quality
• Strong communication skills and confidence managing challenging customer conversations
• A hands-on approach, with the ability to work closely with production teams
• Experience coaching and mentoring others and building a strong quality culture
• The ability to take ownership, work autonomously and balance technical and commercial priorities