Lead Quality Manager

Avara Foods; Wednesbury; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food manufacturer in Wednesbury is seeking a Lead Quality Manager responsible for ensuring legal compliance, food safety, and managing the Quality team. The role requires experience in Quality Management within FMCG and strong leadership skills. Benefits include a competitive salary, 31 days of holiday, and various employee perks. If you're ready to contribute in a dynamic environment, apply today!

Benefits

Competitive Salary

31 days holiday allowance

Secure contract with long-term career development opportunities

Straightforward pension contribution of 6%

Life assurance scheme

Staff sales at discounted prices

Cycle to work scheme

Salaried Advance Finance

Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme

Access to Employee Benefit Scheme

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Quality Management within FMCG.
• Experience in managing Technical teams effectively.
• Strong background in food safety compliance.

Responsibilities

• Manage the site Technical function for compliance and food safety.
• Oversee recruitment and training of Quality Managers.
• Support and prepare for external audits.

Skills

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Knowledge of major retailers

Education

Food related HND

Advanced Food Safety Level 4

Advanced HACCP Level 4

Internal auditing qualification

Tools

BRCGS

ISO 9000

Job description

Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the country’s major supermarkets and well‑known restaurants.

We own and manage our entire supply chain, from farms to factory and all the way to the customer door – meaning we have careers that cover a whole range of functions. We have major processing sites across England and Wales, and an agricultural network of over 350 farms, spanning from North Yorkshire to the South Coast and Wales.

About the Wednesbury site

Our advanced manufacturing site in Wednesbury, West Midlands, is our newest advanced manufacturing site, and we’ve invested around £4.7 million into state‑of‑the‑art facilities.

Our Wednesbury site is a flagship Added Value centre for Avara, employing over 150 talented individuals at the site, who help to supply some of the UK’s largest supermarkets and popular restaurants!

About the Role

Are you passionate about Product Safety and Quality? Looking for a new challenge? Do you have experience or qualifications in Quality Management?

As an inclusive, forward‑thinking business, we take pride in our approach to Quality across Avara Foods and are looking for a highly competent and motivated Lead Quality Manager to join our Quality Team, based at our Wednesbury site.

The role is predominantly office‑based, and the factory environment is a fast‑paced, dynamic FMCG environment which is noisy and refrigerated in some areas, manufacturing short‑shelf‑life products where hygiene standards are critical. As a Lead Quality Manager you’ll be working Monday to Friday 08.00‑17.00.

What will you be doing as a Lead Quality Manager at Avara?

As a Lead Quality Manager you’ll manage the site Technical function to ensure legal compliance, food safety, and adherence to customer specifications.

What will your key responsibilities as a Lead Quality Manager include?

• Ensure that Quality Managers are effectively recruited, inducted, trained and managed
• Ensure that team development is in line with talent needs defined by the business technical function.
• Support external audits e.g., BRCGS, Red Tractor, retailer
• Ensure that internal audit schedules are maintained and audits are completed. Communicate audit corrective actions plans to relevant personnel and ensure non‑conformances are signed off within agreed time scales.
• Provide Operations with Technical monitoring and auditing to ensure that customer requirements are understood and achieved.
• Review frequency of non‑conformances to identify longer‑term corrective action plans
• Review specifications for all products, packaging and ingredients and ensure that all versions are current and meet customer specifications.
• Involved in and coordinating the investigation of customer complaints of a technical nature and ensure findings and action plans are completed and communicated both internally and externally.
• Support the effective relationships with both internal and external customers including during site visits.
• Provide an effective link between NPD and production ensuring that new or changed products, processes and packaging are effectively introduced.

What you’ll need to be successful

• Food related HND, Advanced Food Safety Level 4 and Advanced HACCP Level 4
• Internal auditing qualification
• Experience of BRCGS or ISO 9000
• Leadership skills and experience of motivating teams
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing at all levels
• Knowledge and experience of major retailers

The benefits of working for Avara Foods

As a Lead Quality Manager you will enjoy a secure, supportive and progressive working environment, where your contribution and achievements will be recognised and rewarded.

We offer comprehensive training as well as continuous development as you build your long‑term career with us. You can also look forward to benefits that, amongst other things, include the following:

• Competitive Salary
• 31 days holiday allowance
• Secure contract with long‑term career development opportunities
• Straightforward pension contribution of 6 %
• Life assurance scheme
• Staff sales at hugely discounted prices
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salaried Advance Finance
• Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme
• Access to our Employee Benefit Scheme, which includes unlimited remote GP appointments and unlimited mental health sessions, physiotherapy sessions, medical second opinion consultation, and other discounts and perks, such as savings & discounts on weekly costs.

*Ts & Cs apply

What happens after you apply for this role?

After you’ve applied, you’ll be contacted in due course by a Resourcing Officer at our Wednesbury site, to discuss your application and CV further. There’ll also be a chance for you to ask us any questions you may have about the role.

If you’re ready to work in a dynamic environment alongside talented people who take pride in delivering great results, apply today!

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.