Quality Control Technician

The Compleat Food Group; Poole; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Dynamic environment

Free on-site parking

Employee volunteering days

Well-being and community support

Job summary

The Compleat Food Group is seeking a Quality Control Operative to safeguard product integrity and ensure compliance with BRC, customer and legal requirements. This hands-on role requires a strong factory presence, cross‑department collaboration, and a proactive mindset to uphold top food safety and quality standards.

You will work on site with 3 on/3 off shifts, from 06:00 to 18:00, averaging 38.5 hours per week.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a Quality Assurance role within food or beverage manufacturing (Technical or Production).
• Strong knowledge of HACCP and food safety systems.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Confident and assertive communicator, able to influence on the factory floor.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain good working relationships with all departments to promote teamwork and common goals.
• Support on-site audits by third parties.
• Ensure raw materials inspection schedules cover packaging, meats, and other ingredients and define necessary standards.
• Collect and test samples for Micro and Chemistry analysis per schedule.
• Update results on record sheets and maintain traceability logs.

Skills

Quality Assurance

HACCP

Communication

Problem-solving

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Are you passionate about food safety, quality excellence, and driving high standards on the factory floor?

As a Quality Control Operative, you will play a vital role in safeguarding product integrity, ensuring compliance with BRC, customer, group, and legal requirements, and promoting a culture of audit readiness and continuous improvement.

This is a hands‑on, highly visible role requiring strong factory presence, collaboration across departments, and a proactive mindset. You’ll be instrumental in maintaining high food safety and quality standards while supporting operational teams to consistently deliver excellence

Job Title: Quality Control Operative

Working Hours: 3 on 3 off, 06:00am - 18:00pm (Average of 38.5 hours per week)

Pay: £16.18 per hour

Reporting To: Quality Manager

About The Compleat Food Group

At The Compleat Food Group, we’re proud to be a food business built on purpose and passion. Formed in 2021, we’re on a mission to createFood to Feel Good - great quality, tasty and affordable food that people love to eat.

We’re home to some of the UK’s most exciting and loved food brands, includingWall’s Pastry, Pork Farms, Wrights, The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co., unearthed, Vadasz, Squeaky Bean, Palace Culture, andHarvey & Brockless. Alongside our branded portfolio, we’re a leading supplier of delicious own‑label pastry, sweet bakery, party food, olives and antipasti, added‑value egg products, continental meats, dips and sauces and plant‑based food to the UK’s major retailers, as well as across foodservice.

With over 6,000 talented colleagues across 17 sites, and an annual turnover of £1.3bn, we’re united by a shared ambition to shape the future of food for the better.

What You’ll Be Doing.

As a Quality Control Operative you will:

• Develop and maintain good working relationships with all departments to promote a sense of team working and common purpose in the achievement of technical and company goals.
• Support on site audits by third parties.
• Ensure that the raw materials inspection schedules are complete for packaging, meats, general raw materials which include eggs, frozen ingredients, dairy, chilled ingredients, fats dried ingredients, seasoning, flour, rusk etc.
• Creating the necessary quality standards for raw materials inspections. Highlighting any missing standards to the RMT (Raw Materials Technologist).
• Collect and send raw material samples for Micro and Chemistry testing by the set schedules.
• Update micro and chemistry results onto the necessary record sheets.
• Ensure the intake log is completed for each delivery and check batch references that are being recorded are correct (this information is critical for traceability).
• Update the intake logs excel spread sheet with the completed intake log sheets on a daily basis, highlighting any issues to the RMT.
• Ensure the stores operatives have a sufficient supply of Pallet Headers/Tempering sheets.
• Ensure the stores scales and probe are calibrated as required and relevant sheets are completed. Raw materials tool box register must be monitored and recorded.
• Ensure all ingredients stored in your area of responsibility are in date and ingredient, packaging segregations are in place. This can be achieved by a daily walk through in your areas.
• Support and advise on maintaining traceability throughout the factory.
• Carry out twice daily taste panels as part of the daily product quality review.
• Collect finished products in response to sample requests.
• Carry out routine tasks such as swabbing, water and product sampling, log in samples and sent to lab.
• Carry out scheduled calibration checks e.g. scales and cook pot probes.
• Perform metal detectable item (plasters, pens etc.) checks on all new batches before they are issued to production.
• Carry out monthly chemical concentration checks throughout the production areas
• Carry out monthly glass audits throughout the production areas.
• Carry out the filing of all factory paperwork and rack tags into the appropriate boxes/filing cabinets.
• Pick up ad hoc tasks and requests through the technical management team e.g. quality or micro investigations.

What We’re Looking For

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a Quality Assurance role within food or beverage manufacturing (Technical or Production).
• Strong working knowledge of HACCP and food safety systems.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Confident and assertive communicator, able to influence respectfully on the factory floor.
• Strong problem‑solving and analytical skills.

Benefits to Include:

• Dynamic Environment: You will be working in a fast‑paced, future‑thinking agile company where your contributions make a real difference.
• Culture: Be part of a fantastic team that values diversity, innovation, collaboration and excellence.
• 19 days per year + 3 bank holiday
• Free on‑site parking
• 2 Employee Volunteering Days per year
• Employee well‑being and community support groups
• Charity Initiatives and Team events
• 24/7 Access to Grocery Aid (Free Financial, Emotional and Practical Support)

The Compleat Food Group fosters an inclusive, respectful culture where everyone feels safe, supported, and valued. We welcome diverse talent, knowing it drives exceptional results and a better workplace. We are committed to Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect, we ensure all colleagues can thrive by bringing their whole selves to work. As an equal opportunity’s employer, we provide all the support you need to succeed. Contact us with any questions about Diversity & Inclusion or accessibility during the application process.

Recruitment Agencies:

We have a small, active and trusted Preferred Supplier List to assist us if required. We do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions. We only accept CV submissions for roles released to you directly by our Talent Acquisition team.