Manufacturing Shift Lead Quality

Finsbury Food; Coatbridge; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave

Enhanced Pension Scheme

Free Employee Assistance Programme

Retail discounts via Benefits Hub

Refer a Friend Scheme

Learning & Development opportunities

LinkedIn company page

Job summary

Lees is seeking a Manufacturing Shift Lead – Quality to oversee quality and food safety on the shift, partnering with Technical, Production, Engineering and Supply Chain to ensure compliance with customer expectations and legislative standards.

You will manage quality incidents, drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions, and champion continuous improvement to deliver right‑first‑time manufacturing. Strong leadership and communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in fast-paced food manufacturing or FMCG environment.
• Strong background in quality assurance, food safety and GMP‑controlled manufacturing.
• Experience leading or contributing to continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong problem-solving skills with structured root cause analysis.
• Good understanding of LEAN Manufacturing principles.
• Ability to lead, coach and motivate teams to achieve quality and operational KPIs.
• Excellent understanding of Health & Safety and Food Safety requirements.
• Knowledge of BRCGS standards and customer Codes of Practice.
• Experience using manufacturing and quality management systems.
• Competent in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Excellent planning, organisational and communication skills.
• Proactive, collaborative approach with a passion for continuous improvement.
• High levels of integrity, accountability and resilience in fast-paced manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Own all quality and food safety activities during your shift, acting as the first contact for quality matters across the factory.
• Manage quality incidents including holds, concessions, non-conformances and near misses with robust root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Develop understanding of manufacturing processes to identify opportunities to improve quality and reduce variation while driving performance.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives and support right‑first‑time manufacturing.
• Conduct internal audits covering GMP, hygiene, CCPs, allergen management, foreign body controls, documentation and quality systems.
• Coordinate product trials, process validations and new product launches while maintaining safety and quality standards.
• Manage equipment calibration, routine verification and quality inspections across site.
• Carry out routine quality testing (pH, allergen verification, weight control, calibration, product assessments) and ensure labels and specs are compliant before leaving site.
• Investigate customer complaints and quality trends; support audits and present quality systems and traceability clearly.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Food Safety

GMP Manufacturing

LEAN Manufacturing

Root Cause Analysis

Problem Solving

Team Leadership

Communication Skills

Audits & Compliance

Allergen Management

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

Outlook

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Manufacturing Shift Lead – Quality to join our Operations team at Lees.

Lees has been creating much-loved confectionery and bakery products for generations. As one of Scotland's best-known food manufacturers, we're proud of our heritage while continually investing in our people, processes and products. Quality sits at the heart of everything we do, and we're looking for a passionate leader to help us maintain the highest standards of food safety, product quality and manufacturing excellence.

Working as part of our Operations team, you'll be the quality lead for your shift, partnering closely with Technical, Production, Engineering and Supply Chain to ensure our products consistently meet customer expectations, legislative requirements and industry-leading standards.

What you’ll actually do!

As Manufacturing Shift Lead – Quality, you'll take ownership of all quality and food safety activities during your shift, acting as the first point of contact for quality-related matters across the factory. You'll manage quality incidents including product holds, concessions, non-conformances and near misses, ensuring robust root cause analysis and effective corrective actions are implemented.

You’ll develop a detailed understanding of manufacturing processes, identifying opportunities to improve product quality, reduce process variation and drive operational performance. Working closely with Production teams, you'll champion continuous improvement initiatives and support the delivery of right‑first‑time manufacturing.

You’ll conduct regular internal audits covering GMP, hygiene, CCPs, allergen management, foreign body controls, documentation and quality systems, ensuring corrective actions are completed and standards remain audit‑ready at all times.

You’ll coordinate product trials, process validations and new product launches while maintaining food safety and quality standards throughout production. You'll also manage equipment calibration, routine verification activities and quality inspections across the site.

Day‑to‑day, you'll carry out routine quality testing including pH, allergen verification, weight control, calibration and product assessments, ensuring labels, packaging and specifications are compliant before products leave site.

You’ll investigate customer complaints and quality trends, working collaboratively with operational teams to identify root causes and implement preventative actions. You'll also support customer, BRCGS and third‑party audits, confidently presenting quality systems, traceability exercises and manufacturing standards.

Success in the role will be measured through quality performance, audit compliance, customer satisfaction, continuous improvement delivery, food safety standards and your ability to build a strong culture of quality across the manufacturing operation.

Ideally this is you!

• Previous experience within a fast‑paced food manufacturing or FMCG environment
• Strong background in quality assurance, food safety and GMP‑controlled manufacturing
• Experience leading or contributing to continuous improvement initiatives
• Strong problem‑solving skills with experience using structured root cause analysis techniques
• Good understanding of LEAN Manufacturing principles
• Ability to lead, coach and motivate teams to achieve quality and operational KPIs
• Excellent understanding of Health & Safety and Food Safety requirements
• Knowledge of BRCGS standards and customer Codes of Practice
• Strong awareness of allergen management and foreign body controls
• Experience using manufacturing and quality management systems
• Competent in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
• Excellent planning, organisational and communication skills
• A proactive, collaborative approach with a passion for continuous improvement
• High levels of integrity, accountability and resilience within a fast‑paced manufacturing environment

At Lees, our people are the key ingredient to our success. We're committed to creating a workplace where everyone can develop, grow and make a genuine difference. As we continue to invest in our manufacturing operations, we're looking for talented people who share our passion for quality, teamwork and continuous improvement.

If you're looking to join a business with a proud heritage and an exciting future, we'd love to hear from you.

What’s in it for you?

• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Leave to allow quality time with your new arrival!
• Enhanced Pension Scheme for our employees
• Free Employee Assistance Programme (open to colleagues and their families)
• Retail discounts accessible via our Benefits Hub platform!
• Refer a Friend Scheme (up to £300 per referral – T&C’s dependent)
• Employee Recognition Awards Extensive Learning & Development opportunities (including opportunities for sponsored professional memberships and our own in‑house development course!)
• An opportunity to be part of a fantastic, growing organisation. Head over to our LinkedIn page to find out more!