Quality Control Team Leader

Osborne Appointments; Colne; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Osborne Appointments is seeking an experienced Returns & Quality Control Team Leader to oversee a combined Returns and QC team in a busy operations environment in Cambridgeshire. The role manages eight staff, ensures KPI targets and SLA compliance, and drives continuous improvement across departments.

You will lead, coach and develop the team, monitor quality inspections, manage returns processes including repairs and credits, and report on performance to Operational Management.

Qualifications

• Experience leading or coordinating employees in an operational environment.
• Experience in Quality Control, Returns, warehousing or similar environment is advantageous.
• Strong understanding of quality control processes, inspections and returns management.
• Experience monitoring KPIs and SLAs.
• Good IT skills including Word, Excel, email and data/reporting tools.
• Strong organisational and decision-making skills.
• Ability to analyse KPI and quality data and identify trends.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of eight employees, managing workloads and performance.
• Oversee quality control inspections and adherence to standards.
• Manage returns process including inspections, repairs, credits to meet KPIs.
• Monitor quality trends and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain performance reports and operating records.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and standardisation.
• Ensure SOPs and procedures are followed.
• Collaborate with other departments to resolve issues and develop the team.

Skills

Team leadership

KPIs & SLAs tracking

Quality control knowledge

Data reporting

Strong communication

Problem-solving

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

Role: Returns & Quality Control Team Leader

Contract: 18 Month Fix term Contract

Location: Cambridgeshire

Hours: 7:30am - 4pm (Early finishes on a Friday)

An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced Returns & Quality Control Team Leader to lead and coordinate a combined Returns and Quality Control team within a busy operational environment.

This role plays a pivotal part in maintaining quality standards, overseeing returns processes, and ensuring the effective deployment of team members across different departments. You will be responsible for team leadership, performance monitoring, reporting, and driving continuous improvement across the department.

Duties of a Returns & Quality Control Team Leader:

• Lead a team of approximately eight employees, managing workloads, performance, attendance and resource allocation
• Oversee quality control inspections, production checks and compliance with quality standards
• Manage the returns process, including inspections, repairs, replacements and credits, ensuring KPI and SLA targets are met
• Monitor quality trends, investigate defects and implement corrective actions
• Maintain accurate performance reports, databases and operational records
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement, efficiency and process standardisation
• Ensure compliance with SOPs, inspection criteria and returns procedures
• Liaise with Operational Management, Customer Service, Repair Teams and other departments to resolve issues
• Support team development through coaching, training and cross-skilling

What we would like from you:

• Previous experience leading, supervising or coordinating employees within an operational environment
• Experience in Quality Control, Returns, manufacturing, warehousing or a similar environment would be advantageous
• Strong understanding of quality control processes, inspections and returns management
• Experience monitoring KPIs, SLAs and operational performance
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, email and data/reporting tools
• Strong organisational and decision-making skills
• Ability to analyse KPI and quality data, identify trends and manage competing priorities
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills

Personal Attributes:

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and support a team
• Highly organised with the ability to prioritise workloads effectively
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• High attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy
• Confident in making decisions and resolving operational issues
• Proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement
• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing operational demands
• Strong sense of accountability and ownership
• Collaborative approach to working with colleagues and other departments
• Focused on achieving targets, improving performance and maintaining consistent quality standards