Head of Quality Assurance

Refresco; Kegworth; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Private healthcare

Early Friday finish

28 days annual leave + bank holidays

Life assurance

Income protection

24/7 virtual GP access

Eye-care vouchers

Job summary

Refresco UK is recruiting a senior quality leader to own the Quality and Food Safety framework across its UK operations. You will ensure product safety, authenticity, quality and regulatory compliance while driving a culture of continuous improvement.

You will lead the governance of the FSQMS, manage audits, CAPA processes and supplier quality activities, and provide strategic leadership to multiple site teams within Refresco UK's QESH function.

Qualifications

• Senior quality leadership experience in FMCG manufacturing.
• Proven track record in Food Safety and Quality Management System governance (FSQMS).
• Ability to drive audit readiness, CAPA and supplier quality processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and governance of the Quality and Food Safety framework across Refresco UK.
• Ensure compliance with group requirements, customer expectations, GFSI standards and regulatory obligations.
• Drive quality culture and continuous improvement across multiple sites.
• Oversee supplier quality assurance and audit programmes; manage CAPA closure.

Skills

Quality leadership

FSQMS governance

Audits & CAPA

Supplier quality assurance

Regulatory compliance

Tools

FSQMS software

Laboratory audits

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to join Refresco UK in a senior quality leadership role where you will take ownership of the Quality and Food Safety framework across our UK operations, ensuring the highest standards of product safety, authenticity, quality and compliance are embedded throughout the business.

Head of Process and Quality Assurance

Permanent

38 hours per week

What's in it for you?

• Annual bonus and regular pay reviews
• Private healthcare up to family level
• Early Friday finish to kick-start your weekend
• 28 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase additional leave, increasing your allowance to 31 days plus bank holidays
• Life assurance coverage
• Income protection
• 24/7 virtual GP access for you and your family
• Free eye-care vouchers and discounted glasses
• Employee referral scheme with bonuses for successful referrals
• GroceryAid support services offering financial, legal, wellbeing and practical guidance
• Cheers benefits platform providing discounts, free perks, and wellbeing tools

About The Role

As Head of Quality Assurance, you will lead the development and governance of Refresco UK's Quality and Food Safety Management System, ensuring compliance with Refresco Group requirements, customer expectations, GFSI standards and all applicable regulatory obligations.

Working closely with site quality teams and the wider QESH function, you will drive consistency, continuous improvement and quality culture across the UK business while providing strategic leadership on food safety, supplier quality assurance and quality governance activities.

• Create, implement and maintain Food Safety and Quality standards across Refresco UK in line with internal, customer and external requirements.
• Lead governance of the Food Safety and Quality Management System (FSQMS), including document control, audit management and CAPA processes.
• Manage quality assurance verification activities across sites, providing independent oversight of operational quality controls.
• Act as the primary relationship manager for external accreditation bodies, ensuring constructive audit partnerships and continuous improvement.
• Hold operational quality teams accountable for the effective closure of audit findings and corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain laboratory competency verification programmes, including internal and external quality assurance activities.
• Lead internal laboratory audit programmes across the UK manufacturing network.
• Drive Food Safety and Quality Culture initiatives, monitoring progress and supporting delivery of improvement plans.
• Provide oversight of Supplier Quality Assurance processes, ensuring robust supplier approval and onboarding standards.
• Participate in supplier audits and support supplier performance improvement activities.
• Monitor supplier quality metrics, complaint trends and technical review findings.
• Review and approve annual site audit schedules across the UK network.
• Lead the VACCP programme in partnership with Procurement and NPD teams, applying horizon-scanning and risk assessment methodologies.
• Develop coaching and training programmes to strengthen technical and quality capability across sites.
• Design and monitor quality assurance KPI frameworks to identify trends and support continuous improvement.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities, ensuring site readiness and validated capabilities before operational handover.
• Promote Refresco's commitment to health and safety, food safety, environmental sustainability and operational excellence.

About You

The ideal candidate will be an experienced quality leader with a proven track record of managing food safety and quality systems within a fast-paced FMCG manufacturing environment. You will be highly influential, commercially aware and capable of driving consistent standards across multiple sites.

We want someone who will lead and role model the Refresco core values of Agile, Responsible, Excellent, Passionate and Entrepreneurial. Find out more about our values here:

https://www.refresco.co.uk/uk/about/our-values

About Refresco

Refresco is the global independent beverage solutions provider for Global, National and Emerging brands, and retailers with production in Europe, North America, and Australia. Refresco offers an extensive range of product and packaging combinations from juices to carbonated soft drinks and mineral waters in carton, PET, Aseptic PET, cans, and glass.

Refresco continuously searches for new and alternative ways to improve the quality of its products and packaging combinations in line with consumer and customer demand, environmental responsibilities, and market trends.

Refresco is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and has more than 13,500 employees. www.refresco.com

Our drinks on every table. That's the Refresco vision.

We're the proud owners of six drinks manufacturing sites within the UK, employing over 1,800 colleagues who produce private label soft drinks and fruit juices for many of the UK's leading retailers.

Whether it's packed in cartons, bottles, or cans, we ensure that our products are made to the highest quality standards and delivered to our customers when and where they need them.

Refresco believes that equal opportunity for all is fundamental to our company's values and all our applicants can expect fairness and transparency in our recruitment process.