Quality Assurance Manager

Stonegate Farmers Ltd; Lacock; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Stonegate Farmers Ltd, Lacock site, is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager to lead the Packing Centre QA team and uphold food safety, quality, and legality across the operation.

You will coach 3 QA Supervisors and 9 QA Operatives, drive continuous improvement, ensure compliance with BRC Global Standards for Food Safety, and embed a strong quality culture throughout the business.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years' experience leading technical or quality teams in food manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of QA systems and regulatory requirements in food production.
• Proactive, solutions-focused with excellent attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Packing Centre QA team (3 Supervisors, 9 Operatives).
• Coach operational teams on food safety, quality, authenticity and integrity.
• Maintain systems to ensure compliance with BRC Global Standards for Food Safety.
• Oversee audits, inspections and traceability programmes and drive CAPA.
• Manage non-conformances with root-cause analysis and timely corrective action.
• Lead QA projects and collaborate with internal/external stakeholders to deliver on time.
• Develop monitoring, recording and reporting systems for product quality.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives across the Packing Centre.
• Champion a positive food safety and quality culture across the business.

Skills

QA leadership

Food safety

Regulatory knowledge

Audit & inspection

Analytical mindset

Team coaching

Education

HACCP Level 3

Food Hygiene Level 3

Internal Auditor qualification

Job description

Quality Assurance Manager, Packing Centre

£40,000 - £45,000 per annum

Monday - Friday, 40 hours per week

We are looking for an experienced Quality Assurance Manager to join our Technical team at our Lacock site.

This is a key role within our Packing Centre, responsible for ensuring the highest standards of food safety, quality, legality, authenticity and product integrity are maintained across our operation.

Leading a team of 3 QA Supervisors and 9 QA Operatives across our Blue, Red and Green shifts, you will provide professional, proactive technical and quality support to the factory. You will develop the capability of the QA team, strengthen our quality systems and work closely with colleagues across the operation to embed a strong food safety and quality culture.

As Quality Assurance Manager, you will:

• Lead, develop and support the Packing Centre QA team, ensuring the structure and capability of the department continues to meet the needs of the business.
• Coach and support the wider operational team on quality assurance matters, enabling effective decisions around food safety, quality, authenticity and integrity.
• Maintain and develop systems to ensure compliance with BRC Global Standards for Food Safety, customer requirements and other relevant third-party standards.
• Ensure changes to products, processes, equipment and the factory environment are effectively managed to protect food safety, quality and customer confidence.
• Oversee and continuously improve factory audits, surveillance testing, inspections and traceability programmes.
• Identify and manage non-conformances relating to quality, legality, food safety and customer standards, ensuring effective root cause analysis and timely corrective action.
• Lead QA projects and work collaboratively with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure requirements are delivered on time and in full.
• Develop effective systems for monitoring, recording and reporting product quality.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives across the Packing Centre.
• Champion and embed a positive food safety and quality culture across the business.

About you

You'll be an experienced quality professional with a strong background in food manufacturing and the confidence to lead a team within a fast-paced production environment.

You'll bring:

• A minimum of 2 years' experience in a similar technical or quality leadership role within food manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of quality assurance systems and regulatory requirements within the food manufacturing sector.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach and confidence in making decisions.
• Strong analytical skills and excellent attention to detail.
• The ability to remain resilient and adaptable when managing changing operational priorities.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build effective relationships across different teams and levels of the business.
• A genuine commitment to food safety, product quality and continuous improvement.

Essential qualifications

• HACCP Level 3
• Food Hygiene Level 3
• Internal Auditor qualification

Desirable experience

Experience within a protein manufacturing environment, including red meat, white meat, fish or eggs, would be particularly advantageous.

Knowledge and experience of the shell egg supply chain would also be highly desirable.