Production Lead

Foodlab Wales; Pontyclun; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Job summary

Foodlab Wales is establishing a new UK production operation in Llantrisant, where the Production & Quality Lead will work with the Ops team to ensure safe, efficient and consistent manufacturing. The role combines hands-on product and process expertise with quality control and continuous improvement across the partnership.

We expect strong capabilities in QC checks, recipe verification and cross-functional communication, plus experience scaling up from lab to full production and driving

Qualifications

• Hands-on production experience in food/beverage operations.
• Strong knowledge of QC and quality systems.
• Ability to document and improve processes and records.

Responsibilities

• Support daily production priorities, problem-solving and delivery.
• Ensure products are made to recipes, processes, specs and quality standards.
• Oversee QC checks including pH, Brix, viscosity, colour, taste and packaging.
• Review production and QC records, retained samples and batch docs; escalate risks early.
• Support investigations and corrective action for non-conformances or complaints.
• Transfer recipes from lab/pilot to full-scale production; plan trials and first runs.
• Identify scale-up risks; document instructions and QC limits before handover.
• Build relationships across the partnership with clear communication and shared problem-solving.
• Contribute to production planning, launches and SOP improvements.

Skills

Quality control

Food production

Root-cause analysis

SOPs

Job description

Production & Quality Lead
Llantrisant

Reports to: Operations DirectorLocation: Llantrisant, WalesTeam: Operations / Production / Quality

Role Summary

Bloomin is establishing a new UK production operation in Llantrisant through a strategic manufacturing partnership. This site-based role will work closely with both organisations, supporting the day-to-day operation across production, quality and new-product scale-up.

The Production & Quality Lead will bring hands-on product and process expertise, working collaboratively with the wider site team to solve production issues, maintain consistent standards and support continuous improvement. The role will be central to making the partnership successful by building strong ways of working, sharing product knowledge and helping ensure Bloomin products are produced safely, efficiently and consistently.

Key Responsibilities

Production and Quality

• Work as part of the site team to support daily production priorities, problem-solving and delivery.
• Ensure products are made to agreed recipes, processes, specifications and quality standards.
• Complete or oversee product-specific QC checks, including pH, Brix, viscosity, colour, taste, packaging and batch coding where relevant.
• Review production and QC records, retained samples and batch documentation, escalating risks or deviations early.
• Support investigations, root-cause analysis and corrective action for non-conformances, complaints, rework and recurring issues.

New Products and Scale-Up

• Support the transfer of new and existing recipes from lab or pilot scale into repeatable full-scale production.
• Plan and support trials, pre-production runs and first productions with R&D, Technical, Operations, Supply Chain and the site team.
• Identify scale-up risks and ensure production instructions, QC limits and key watch-outs are documented before handover into routine production.

Joint Working and Improvement

• Build effective working relationships across the partnership, promoting clear communication and shared problem-solving.
• Keep relevant teams informed of production performance, risks, actions, changes and upcoming priorities.
• Contribute to production planning, launches and product changes, and improve SOPs, QC records, handover documents and ways of working as the operation grows.
• Promote strong process discipline, food-safety awareness and shared ownership of product quality.

Experience and Skills

• Experience in food or beverage manufacturing, ideally liquids, syrups, sauces, drinks or similar products.
• Strong practical understanding of production processes, quality control and food-safety expectations.
• Hands-on production experience and the confidence to understand and challenge recipes, batch records, specifications and processes.
• Experience completing or reviewing QC checks such as pH, Brix, viscosity, taste and colour.
• Strong troubleshooting, communication and documentation skills, with the ability to influence through expertise and relationships.
• Comfortable working in a fast-growing, multi-functional environment where processes continue to evolve.
• Strong relationship-building and collaborative working skills, with the ability to communicate effectively across both organisations and help maximise the operational and strategic value of the partnership.

Desirable

Experience of product scale-up, joint-venture or partner manufacturing, multi-SKU operations, ERP/MRP systems, and HACCP, GMP, BRCGS or SALSA environments.

Role Scope

The role will be involved wherever production, product delivery or quality is affected. Formal responsibility for areas such as labour planning, engineering, maintenance or facilities may sit elsewhere within the operating structure, but the Production & Quality Lead will work closely with those responsible to resolve any resulting production or quality issues.

What Success Looks Like

• Products are made consistently to agreed quality and food-safety standards.
• Production issues are identified early, resolved quickly and are less likely to recur.
• New recipes move smoothly into stable, repeatable production.
• QC records, batch documentation and retained samples are accurate and complete.
• Product knowledge is retained and shared, with clear communication and ownership across the joint team.
• Customer issues, rework and production surprises reduce as the operation scales.

Compensation: Competitive salary