Quality Manager

GCS Recruitment; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

GCS Recruitment is seeking a Quality Systems & Compliance Manager to lead the QMS at a regulated manufacturing site in Liverpool. The role focuses on governance, compliance with GMP/HACCP/ISO standards, and audit readiness across the facility.

You will drive CAPA, risk assessments, change control, and supplier/customer quality interfaces while mentoring quality experts and partnering with cross-functional teams to uphold product safety and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a Quality Systems, Quality Assurance, Compliance, or Quality Management leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of Quality Management Systems (QMS).
• Experience within food, nutrition, FMCG, pharmaceutical, or similarly regulated industries.
• Working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, BRCGS, FSSC 22000, ISO standards, or equivalent frameworks.
• Experience leading internal and external audits.
• Strong understanding of CAPA, risk management, and change control processes.
• Proven people management and leadership experience.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and decision-making skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and govern the site's Quality Management System (QMS).
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, customer, and company quality standards.
• Maintain audit and inspection readiness across the site.
• Lead quality systems, compliance programmes, and governance activities.
• Drive effective risk management and change control processes.
• Oversee product disposition, consumer complaints, internal audits, food defence, food fraud prevention, material assessments, and product registrations.
• Support and develop quality subject matter experts.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver quality and compliance objectives.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate quality and compliance risks.
• Promote and strengthen a proactive Culture of Quality across the business.

Skills

Quality management leadership

Regulatory compliance

Audit readiness

Job description

Quality Systems & Compliance Manager

Location: Liverpool, UK
Contract Type: Inside IR35
Industry: Food Manufacturing / Nutrition / FMCG

The Opportunity

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Quality Systems & Compliance Manager to lead and oversee the Quality Management System (QMS) at a highly regulated manufacturing site.

This role is responsible for ensuring a robust, compliant, and audit-ready quality framework that meets regulatory and customer requirements while protecting product quality, legality, and consumer safety. The successful candidate will provide leadership across quality systems and compliance activities, ensuring effective governance, risk management, and continuous improvement.

This position offers the opportunity to lead a team of quality subject matter experts and play a key role in maintaining compliance, supporting business objectives, and driving a strong culture of quality across the site.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and govern the site's Quality Management System (QMS).
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, customer, and company quality standards.
• Maintain audit and inspection readiness across the site.
• Lead quality systems, compliance programmes, and governance activities.
• Drive effective risk management and change control processes.
• Oversee product disposition, consumer complaints, internal audits, food defence, food fraud prevention, material assessments, and product registrations.
• Support and develop quality subject matter experts.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver quality and compliance objectives.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate quality and compliance risks.
• Promote and strengthen a proactive Culture of Quality across the business.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in quality systems and compliance leadership within a regulated manufacturing environment.

Essential Requirements

• Significant experience in a Quality Systems, Quality Assurance, Compliance, or Quality Management leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of Quality Management Systems (QMS).
• Experience within food, nutrition, FMCG, pharmaceutical, or similarly regulated industries.
• Working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, BRCGS, FSSC 22000, ISO standards, or equivalent frameworks.
• Experience leading internal and external audits.
• Strong understanding of CAPA, risk management, and change control processes.
• Proven people management and leadership experience.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and decision-making skills.

Desirable

• Lead Auditor qualification.
• Experience in food safety, nutrition, dairy, pharmaceutical, or consumer manufacturing environments.
• Knowledge of food defence and food fraud prevention programmes.

What Success Looks Like

• Maintenance of a robust and compliant Quality Management System.
• Consistent audit and inspection readiness.
• Effective management of quality and compliance risks.
• Delivery of quality improvement initiatives and compliance programmes.
• Strong team performance and engagement.
• Continued protection of product quality, legality, and consumer safety.

If you are a quality professional with a passion for compliance, governance, and continuous improvement, we would welcome your application.