Quality & Food Safety Specialist

Mars; Slough; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Benefits package

Job summary

Mars in Slough is hiring a Q&FS Specialist to guard product integrity and drive a culture of food safety across the site. You will coach and engage associates, lead a microbiology lab contractor program, and ensure compliance with global Mars standards and local laws.

The role includes weekend coverage and a competitive salary with bonus and benefits. Your remit spans HACCP governance, CAPA tracking, and cross-functional collaboration with Supply, Site Quality Assurance, and engineering to embed

Qualifications

• Hands-on Food Safety experience within the food manufacturing/beverage industry.
• Solid knowledge of HACCP, FSSC 22000, GMP/GHP and related Quality & Food Safety systems.
• Foundational understanding of food microbiology and environmental monitoring.
• Experience participating in or leading quality audits.
• Experience managing multiple contractors (6).
• Excellent English communication, coaching and training abilities.

Responsibilities

• Implement and continuously improve site food safety programs aligned with Mars standards.
• Calibrate food safety understanding across on-site manufacturing and technical teams.
• Lead change initiatives to manage food safety risks during factory projects.
• Deliver transparent compliance reporting to stakeholders.
• Oversee the on-site contract microbiology lab and testing program.
• Manage sampling plans, analyze data trends, and drive preventive actions.
• Participate in weekend rota as needed and receive compensation.
• Support HACCP reviews and CAPA tracking across the site.
• Collaborate with PRIMP teams to identify root causes and preventive measures.
• Engage and coach teams to foster a strong 'Quality-First' culture.
• Act as liaison between technical standards and factory execution across functions.

Skills

Food Safety

Safety Standards

Food Microbiology

Auditing

Contractor Management

Communication

Job description

As our Quality & Food Safety (Q&FS) Specialist, you will be the ultimate guardian of product integrity and food safety at our Slough manufacturing site. This is not just a role about maintaining standards-it is a mission to inspire. You will actively shape and mature our site-wide Food Safety Culture by coaching, training, and engaging our supply and technical associates to put Quality first in every action they take.

In addition to your site influence, you will provide strategic, indirect leadership to our on-site third-party microbiology laboratory contractor team, ensuring the flawless execution of our site-wide microbiological verification and monitoring program.

Location: Slough, UK (on-site full-time)

Salary: annual salary £36,900 - £41,500 (depending on the experience), annual bonus, benefits

What would be your key responsibilities?

• Drive Food Safety Standards & Compliance: Standard Ownership: Implement, maintain, and continuously improve site programs in strict alignment with Mars Global Standards and local legislative requirements in partnership with site, regional and global teams.
• Factory Alignment: Calibrate and align food safety understanding and best practices across all manufacturing and technical teams on-site.
• Change Management: Represent the Q&FS function on cross-functional project teams to manage food safety risks during factory change initiatives.
• Compliance Reporting: Deliver transparent compliance reporting against Mars Food Safety standards to key stakeholders.

Lead Site Microbiology & Environmental Programs

• Lab Leadership: Serve as the primary, indirect manager for the on-site contract microbiology lab team, overseeing the preparation and flawless execution of the testing program.
• Verification & Action: Manage site environmental and microbiological sampling plans. Analyze data trends, implement proactive improvements, and lead swift escalation protocols when anomalies arise.
• To ensure continuous site support, this role includes participation in an agreed-upon weekend cover rota, which is recognized and compensated as an additional responsibility.

Champion Risk Mitigation & Incident Support (HACCP & PRIMP)

• HACCP Custodian: Partner in the site HACCP program reviews across all manufacturing lines and actively contribute to the site Food Safety Team.
• Risk Action Tracking: Partner in the CAPA tracking process, partnering with action owners to ensure timely and effective closeouts.
• Incident Prevention: Partner with PRIMP incident teams to define root causes, and implement robust preventive measures.
• Auditing: Actively participate as a key player in the site's internal and external Quality audit programs.

Empower & Coach Teams

• Dynamic Training: Design and deliver engaging, behavior-focused training programs across sensory standards, food defense, and microbiological sampling.
• Collaborative Campaigns: Partner with the Supply (Manufacturing) department to build communication and capability packages that drive a "Quality-First" mindset on the factory floor.

To succeed in this role, you must pair uncompromising technical rigor with collaborative influence. You are someone who stands tall for food safety standards, exercises sound judgment under pressure, and has the courage to "stand alone" when quality is on the line.

You will operate as a key partner between technical standards and factory execution, partnering cross-functionally with Supply (Manufacturing), Site Quality Assurance (SQA), and engineering teams to make Quality awareness a natural, daily habit.

Required Qualifications

• Industry Experience: Minimum of a couple of years of hands-on Food Safety experience within the food manufacturing or beverage industry.
• Standards & Systems: Solid working knowledge of HACCP, FSSC 22000, GMP/GHP, and Quality & Food Safety Management Systems.
• Technical Skills: Strong foundational understanding of food microbiology and environmental monitoring.
• Auditing: Demonstrated experience participating in or leading quality audits.
• Managing the process: Q&FS Specialist will be managing 6 contracotrs
• Communication & Coaching: Exceptional verbal and written English communication skills, with a natural affinity for educating, coaching, and inspiring others.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
• Join a purpose-driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry-competitive salary and benefits package, including a company bonus.

Mars is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable adjustments for individuals with disabilities, long-term health conditions, or who are neurodiverse during the application and recruitment process.