Quality Assurance Manager

ZipRecruiter; Manchester; On-site; GBP 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic food company as a Quality Assurance Manager where you will have full ownership of quality standards and lead a capable QA team. This hands-on role requires expertise in food science and depth in quality assurance practices, ensuring compliance and driving quality improvements.

Qualifications

• Experience in a food manufacturing QA or technical role.
• Deep understanding of BRC and retailer CoPs.
• Confident and credible without reliance on presentations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a small QA team.
• Manage HACCP, BRC, and retailer audits.
• Create effective sampling plans.

Skills

Attention to Detail

Quality Leadership

Problem Solving

Education

Degree in Food Science

Degree in Microbiology

Degree in Chemistry

Job description

Job Description

We’re not going to bore you with buzzwords like “fast-paced environment” or “blue-sky thinking.” Here’s the deal:

We make food. A lot of it. It’s flying off the shelves.

And we need someone who knows how to keep standards tighter than a lid on a jar that won’t budge.

This role is for a Quality Assurance Manager with backbone. You’ll take full ownership of quality across the site—from raw material intake to final product leaving the building with a smile and a certificate of analysis.

No hiding behind spreadsheets here. This is hands-on, sleeves-up quality leadership.

You’ll run the QA team, manage the labs, keep the paperwork legit, and make sure we stay several steps ahead of any pesky auditors or customer complaints.

What you’ll actually do:

Lead and develop a small-but-capable QA team

Own HACCP, BRC, and retailer audits like a boss

Create sampling plans that work in the real world

Deal with deviations like they owe you money

Ensure all quality systems and lab records are as clean as your conscience

Influence production teams without shouting or bribing (though we’ve tried both)

You’ll be the person who sees the problem coming before it arrives, corrects it before it escalates, and documents it before anyone else has even noticed.

What we’re looking for:

Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or similar

Experience in a food manufacturing QA or technical role

Deep understanding of BRC and retailer CoPs

Someone who’s confident, credible, and doesn’t rely on five PowerPoints to make a point

Big on detail, low on drama

We’re not naming the product here. That’s deliberate. If we tell you what we make, you’ll think you know the business.

You don’t. Not yet. But if you’re curious, experienced, and ready to step into a role where you’ll have real influence—then we should talk.

Salary?

Around £42k. Enough to make your mates in non-food QA wonder why they’re still doing it.

No endless forms. No waffle.

Just send your CV or LinkedIn profile and we’ll take it from there