Quality Manager

William Jackson Food Group Limited; Newport; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent food company is seeking a Quality Manager to oversee quality assurance across multiple sites. The role includes leading the QA team, ensuring adherence to food safety standards, and driving continuous improvement in quality functions. This is an exciting opportunity for candidates with a proven background in the food industry and strong leadership skills.

Benefits

Competitive salary paid every 4 weeks

6.6 weeks holiday, increasing to 7 weeks with 5 years’ service

Stakeholder pension with employer contributions

Free bread allowance

Access to wellbeing and rewards platform

Online benefits portal with retailer discounts

Cycle to work scheme

Support grants for colleagues’ children attending university

Qualifications

• Proven track record in quality functions within the food industry.
• Intermediate / L3 Food Safety or higher required.
• Management or Supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the quality agenda across multiple sites.
• Manage site QA teams to ensure compliance with food safety standards.
• Contribute to continuous quality improvement initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organizational skills

Education

Degree in food, bakery, science or engineering

Job description

Job title: Quality Manager

Location: Hull / Hessle Road / Newport, Brough

Contract Length: Permanent

About Jacksons:

Jacksons is part of William Jackson Food Group, a sixth-generation family business founded by William Jackson when he opened his first shop in Hull in September 1851. Today we have a portfolio of four food businesses in distinct, yet complimentary market areas, employing over 2,000 people.

We have occupied the current site in Hull since 1907 and we now have 3 bread plants in our main bakery. We recently developed a second bakery, also at our site in Hull, which specialises in premium quality roll production. We specialise in the supply of bread and other carriers to the sandwich manufacturers, foodservice and export channels, and in 2012 we launched our consumer facing brand “Jackson’s of Yorkshire”.

We recently opened a brand-new site in Corby, Northamptonshire – one of the largest investments our Group has ever made – and this will allow us to realise our ambition of being the best at what we do. 2025 is an exciting time to join us – make this year a toast to you and apply now!

Job Summary:

• You will be responsible for leading the quality agenda at Derringham Street (Hull), AJK (Hessle Road) and JDC (Newport).
• This will include management of the site QA team.
• You will lead food safety, factory standards, allergens and delivering against agreed processes and practices to ensure that our products are manufactured to meet the food safety and quality standards required both by law and our customers. You will work closely with the Operations teams, Central technical team (inc Hygiene) to ensure that customer requirements are implemented in the factory and that these standards are maintained. You will be responsible for the support of interpretation and implementation of customer and external standards (currently BRCGS, Greencore, Whitbread, samworth and RSPO) on site. You will liaise with all site departments to implement change as is required.
• You will be a key contributor to site change and the management of that change.
• You will be responsible the continual improvement of the Quality function across the operating sites of Derringham, AJK and JDC. These will include harmonised systems, reporting, new ways of working. This responsibility may include connections to other factory departments, mainly operations, engineering and NPD.
• You will work closely with the central compliance manager, and process manager to achieve these initiatives.
• You will liaise with all site departments to implement change as is required.
• You will be expected to respond to crisis situations outside of normal working hours.
• It will be expected that there will be some travel between sites and to customer and suppliers.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

Deputisation

· Deputies for the Central quality, customer and retail manager in appropriate circumstances.

Team

·Directly manage the QA teams.

·Establish appropriate KPIs for your teams.

·Ensure that the correct level of resource is available to complete the required tasks in a timely manner.

·Provide direction and support to your team, managing and facilitating performance and development.

·Ensure department structure and skills are developed to meet changing requirements.

Quality

·To ensure that effective corrective or preventative action is taken.

·Raising and completion of correction actions.

·Management of analytical sampling and results system, including site taste panel and attendance at customer taste panels if required.

·Project deep dive into high trend of complex complaints.

·Cross site synergy support for analysis mechanisms.

·Front line interface for sandwich quality initiatives.

Factory Standards

·Work with the Factory Operations teams to set clearly defined factory standards.

·Monitor adherence to these standards through detailed GMP, food safety and finished standards audits.

·Encourage the principles of continuous improvement.

·Maintain appropriately managed documentation to support the systems.

Internal Audits

·Support the central compliance audit programme.

·Monitor adherence to Jackson’s Quality Management systems through routine audit programmes.

·Encourage the principles of continuous improvement in relation to these systems.

Customer codes of practice and Audits

·Ensure thorough preparation for all customer audits whilst promoting the principle of audit readiness.

·Manage close out of actions within specified timescales.

3rd Party Standards and Audits

·Support the central compliance function to Prepare for and manage the BRCGS and other third party audits, including management of close out actions within specified timescales.

Food Safety Systems – HACCP and TACCP

·Support to manage and maintain the HACCP system.

·Support to implement audit programmes to monitor and challenge the HACCP systems.

·Support to manage and maintain the TACCP system.

·Support to implement audit programmes to monitor and challenge the TACCP systems.

Allergens

·Support the central compliance function to Manage the allergen risk assessment process including monitoring compliance and agreeing improvement plans.

Quality Systems

·Maintain appropriately managed documentation to support the Quality Management system – Quality Manual, RSPO Manual and Crisis Manual.

·Alert the business to failures or potential failures in relation to legislation, systems, processes or procedures. These might include food safety, product quality or training issues.

·To ensure that effective corrective or preventative action is taken and reviewed when required and that an effective system of Root Cause Analysis is in place.

General

·Work within the departmental annual budget.

·Carry out all other reasonable duties to meet the needs of the business as requested.

You will:

· Need to meet our cultural aspirations

· Be a great communicator at all levels

· Demonstrate leadership skills

· Be great at organising and ensuring priorities are recognised and met

· Have the ability to form strong proactive working relationships across your contact group

· Be able to influence without full authority

Those who know you would describe you as:

· Energised and charismatic

· Passionate, but doesn’t tell you

· Knowledgeable

· Personable with a great sense of humour, a real people person

· Ambitious but first and foremost of the business

· Someone who enjoys being part of a winning team, that keeps on winning

· Honest

Qualifications and Experience :

· Ideally you will have a degree or equivalent level in a food related, bakery, science or engineering biased discipline.

· You will have a proven track record of achievement within technical and or quality functions within the food industry environment.

· Intermediate / L3 Food Safety or above Hygiene

· Intermediate / L3 HACCP or above

· Formal Auditing Qualification (ideal)

· Management or Supervisory experience

· Detailed knowledge or experience of BRC, RSPO and M&S standards (ideal)

About the role:

Monday - Friday - 37.5 hours per week.

Why Jacksons?

In return for your commitment as a Quality Manager with us you will receive:

· Competitive salary paid every 4 weeks.

· 6.6 weeks holiday, increasing to 7 weeks with 5 years’ continuous service.

· Stakeholder pension with generous employer contributions.

· Free bread allowance.

· WJFG Wellbeing and Rewards Platform.

· Online benefits portal providing exclusive discounts with over 900 retailers.

· Cycle to work scheme.

· Support grants available for colleagues’ children attending University.