Quality Assurance Technician

Reed; Seaham; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Reed in Seaham is seeking a QA Technician to support the Quality Assurance Supervisor in maintaining Food Safety, Quality Systems, and Product Quality. You will verify production processes and collect samples for shelf life, microbial, chemical, and organoleptic testing, ensuring accurate records.

You will champion GMP/GLP practices, maintain traceability, investigate customer complaints, and collaborate with production to implement preventive actions.

Qualifications

• Education in Food Science or equivalent required.
• Minimum Level 3 Hygiene certification required.
• Strong understanding of HACCP principles.

Responsibilities

• Verify production processes per the Quality and Food Safety Plan.
• Perform sampling, testing, and corrective actions for shelf life, microbiological and chemical testing, and organoleptic assessments.
• Act as a Quality and Food Safety Champion, uphold GMP/GLP, and communicate issues to reduce customer complaints.
• Ensure traceability and maintain accurate, legible records.
• Investigate customer complaints, determine root causes, and implement preventive actions with production.
• Verify equipment per Calibration Plan and report out-of-tolerance equipment with proper records.
• Ensure Production and QA records are verifiable and retrievable.

Skills

Internal auditing

GMP/GLP knowledge

English proficiency

Health and safety awareness

Analytical thinking

Education

Food Science or equivalent

Level 3 Hygiene certification

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

QA Technician

• Location: Seaham
• Job Type: Full-time

We are seeking a QA Technician to assist the Quality Assurance Supervisor in maintaining, verifying, and monitoring the Food Safety, Quality Systems, and Product Quality within our business. This role is crucial for meeting internal, customer, and third-party requirements and promoting a Quality Culture within the company.

Day-to-day of the role:

• Carry out verification and monitoring of the production process according to the Quality and Food Safety Plan.
• Conduct sample collection, testing, and relevant corrective action for Shelf life monitoring, Microbiological and Chemical Testing, and Organoleptic Assessments, ensuring results are recorded appropriately.
• Act as a Quality and Food Safety Champion, maintaining high levels of GMP and GLP, communicating potential issues effectively, and working with the production team to reduce customer complaints.
• Ensure traceability throughout the production process and complete accurate, legible records.
• Investigate customer complaints thoroughly, identify Root Causes, and collaborate with the production team to implement preventive actions.
• Verify equipment according to the Calibration Plan, maintain neat legible records, and report equipment out of tolerance.
• Ensure that Production and QA records are verified and easily retrievable at all times.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Education in Food Science or equivalent.
• Minimum Level 3 Hygiene certification.
• Basic Health and Safety knowledge.
• Understanding of HACCP principles.
• Experience in internal auditing and working with confidential information.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Strong command of English.

Working Conditions:

• Fast-moving, highly automated environment based on the shop floor with some laboratory and administration tasks.
• Mainly a dry warm environment, but some areas can be cold. Awareness of noise pollution and various manufacturing hazards is necessary.
• The role requires long periods of work unsupervised and under own initiative.

Challenges:

• Managing multiple tasks and maintaining quality standards even during frequent line issues, such as problems with metal detectors.
• Demonstrating versatility in handling a wide range of tasks including raw material testing, analytical testing, quality and food safety monitoring, and more.
• Implementing root cause and preventive actions effectively within time constraints.

Working Relationships & Contacts:

• Internal: Production, NPD (New Product Development), Warehouse, Hygiene.
• External: Customers, external laboratories, Suppliers.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development in a supportive environment.