Quality Leader

Highland Spring Group; Blackford; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Highland Spring Group is seeking a Quality Leader for the Ochils site to own quality and compliance, drive improvements and support the Quality Management System. You will lead quality projects, review data and ensure goods are safe, legal and of high quality.

You will collaborate across teams, interpret retailer specs and accreditation standards, and mentor others in quality practices. The role is Monday–Friday, 37.5 hours, with a starting salary of £35,200 per annum.

Qualifications

• Experience in a similar quality or technical role, ideally within the food or drink industry.
• A good understanding of food safety, quality systems and compliance requirements.
• Ability to interpret accreditation standards and customer codes of practice, then translate them into workable site procedures.
• Strong attention to detail and confidence handling documentation, data and audits.
• A practical, collaborative approach to problem-solving.
• Experience with retailer specifications, artwork sign-off systems or food labelling requirements would be beneficial.
• A degree in Food Safety, Food Management, Food Science or a related subject would be helpful, but it is not essential.
• Food Hygiene and HACCP training would also be advantageous, but we welcome candidates with relevant experience and a willingness to learn.

Responsibilities

• Investigating complaints, quality incidents and quarantines, identifying root causes and supporting effective corrective and preventative actions.
• Maintaining the Ochils Quality Management System and supporting document control.
• Managing and improving quality checks, including kiosk and SOP requirements.
• Leading allocated quality projects that support site and Group objectives.
• Reviewing kiosk data and identifying trends or improvement opportunities.
• Completing GMP, traceability and shop floor compliance audits.
• Supporting customer complaint responses and quality-related information requests.
• Creating and maintaining retailer quality attribute sheets.
• Collating technical data and Group information when required.
• Completing scheduled TACCP horizon scanning.
• Deputising for the Quality Manager and Technical Services Manager when needed.

Skills

Quality management

Food safety

GMP awareness

Root cause analysis

Audits

Documentation handling

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's in Food Science or related

Tools

SOPs

Job description

At Highland Spring Group, we’re proud of what we do, who we are, and the natural-source water we share with our customers. Every drop of Highland Spring comes from the majestic Ochil Hills, where we carefully protect 2,500 acres of natural, organic and untouched land.

We’re looking for a Quality Leader to join our Technical team at our Ochils site. This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys taking ownership, solving problems, improving standards and working with others to make sure our products continue to meet the highest expectations for quality, food safety and compliance.

You’ll play an important role in maintaining site and Group Technical requirements, supporting our Quality Management System, leading allocated quality projects and helping drive continuous improvement across the site.

What you can expect:

In this role, you’ll help ensure our products are safe, legal, authentic and consistently high quality. Your responsibilities will include:

• Investigating complaints, quality incidents and quarantines, identifying root causes and supporting effective corrective and preventative actions.
• Maintaining the Ochils Quality Management System and supporting document control.
• Managing and improving quality checks, including kiosk and SOP requirements.
• Leading allocated quality projects that support site and Group objectives.
• Reviewing kiosk data and identifying trends or improvement opportunities.
• Completing GMP, traceability and shop floor compliance audits.
• Supporting customer complaint responses and quality-related information requests.
• Creating and maintaining retailer quality attribute sheets.
• Collating technical data and Group information when required.
• Completing scheduled TACCP horizon scanning.
• Deputising for the Quality Manager and Technical Services Manager when needed.

About you:

We’re looking for someone who takes pride in their work, enjoys being part of a team and cares about doing things properly. You’ll be confident working with systems, standards and procedures, and you’ll be comfortable turning requirements into practical ways of working for the site.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Experience in a similar quality or technical role, ideally within the food or drink industry.
• A good understanding of food safety, quality systems and compliance requirements.
• The ability to interpret accreditation standards and customer codes of practice, then translate them into workable site procedures.
• Strong attention to detail and confidence handling documentation, data and audits.
• A practical, collaborative approach to problem-solving.
• Experience with retailer specifications, artwork sign-off systems or food labelling requirements would be beneficial.
• A degree in Food Safety, Food Management, Food Science or a related subject would be helpful, but it is not essential.
• Food Hygiene and HACCP training would also be advantageous, but we welcome candidates with relevant experience and a willingness to learn.

Our values guide how we do things at Highland Spring Group:

We’re a Team — we support each other, listen, problem-solve and work together to make things happen
We’re Proud — we take ownership, continuously improve and take pride in our products, our brand and our work
We Care — we respect each other, care about our customers, protect our environment and believe everyone should have a voice

This role would suit someone who is organised, curious and proactive; someone who is comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas and helping others do a good job.

Please note, this role is Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week with a starting salary of £35,200 per annum.