Factory QA Leader — Elevate Food Safety & Compliance

Whitworths Limited; Irthlingborough; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holiday

Company pension

Investors in People accreditation

Job summary

Whitworths Limited is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Manager to lead the QA team at our Irthlingborough site. You will turn data, audits and technical insight into improvements, ensuring every product meets high standards.

The role requires strong HACCP knowledge, food safety expertise and a proactive leadership style to drive continuous improvement across quality, safety and compliance.

Qualifications

• 3+ years' technical or quality experience in food manufacturing or FMCG
• Strong knowledge of food safety legislation and quality management systems
• Experience implementing and improving food safety and quality processes
• Good HACCP understanding and driving compliance in manufacturing
• Food Safety Level 3 and HACCP Level 2 qualifications
• Robust investigation and root-cause analysis skills
• Evidence-based decision making and stakeholder management
• Proactive leadership and people development experience

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the QA team with clear priorities and high standards
• Ensure compliance with QMS, BRC, customer codes of practice, HACCP and GMP
• Manage internal audits and prepare site for customer visits and external audits
• Monitor quality KPIs and address issues before they escalate
• Lead investigations into complaints and non-conformances to root cause and corrective action
• Oversee environmental, allergen and calibration programmes
• Support incident and product recall management
• Deliver technical training and drive continuous improvement with the Factory Technical Manager
• Deputise for the Factory Technical Manager as required
• Coordinate weekly taste panels to ensure quality in paper and taste

Skills

QA Leadership

Food Safety

HACCP

GMP

Auditing

Stakeholder Management

Problem-Solving

Team Development

Education

Food Safety Level 3

HACCP Level 2

HACCP Level 3 (advantage)

Tools

FSSC/BRC knowledge

Job description

Whitworths Limited is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Manager to lead the QA team at our Irthlingborough site. You will turn data, audits and technical insight into improvements, ensuring every product meets high standards.

The role requires strong HACCP knowledge, food safety expertise and a proactive leadership style to drive continuous improvement across quality, safety and compliance.