Quality Manager

Smurfit-Westrock; Tewkesbury; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock is seeking a senior quality leader to drive a total quality culture at the Tewkesbury site. You will lead QA/QC activities, ensure manufacturing processes meet GMP and FSC standards, and collaborate with production and support teams to optimize quality and efficiency.

The role requires strong auditing, CAPA, and continuous improvement capabilities, with responsibility for coaching a quality team and delivering KPI-driven insights to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in a senior quality role in manufacturing.
• Experience with GMP and accredited standards (FSC, etc.).
• Proven ability to lead change and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Supervisory and project management experience.
• Strong problem-solving and data analysis skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the quality function for the site, ensuring product safety and compliance with internal/external standards.
• Coach and manage the QA/QC team and drive CAPA and corrective actions.
• Deliver quality governance, KPI reporting, and risk-based decision making.
• Support site leadership in improvement initiatives to reduce quality costs and improve efficiency.
• Coordinate customer interactions, audits, and supplier quality activities.

Skills

Quality leadership

GMP knowledge

Root cause analysis

Project management

Continuous improvement

Auditing

People management

Data analysis

Job description

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

Location: Fully site based in Tewkesbury.

Job Purpose

The role focuses on compliance, customers, and continuous improvement activities to create a total quality culture and reduce quality costs in line with best practice procedures. The scope of role is to cover Tewkesbury.

Job Responsibilities/Key accountabilities:

The role will:

• Protect and please the customer by ensuring supply of the highest quality product
• Work with production and support functions to maintain and improve our quality systems and adherence to operational best practice thus guaranteeing compliance to external and internal standards
• Drive improvement activities to support quality and financial performance leading key improvement projects evolving through customer requirements, regulatory and legislative changes, and amendments to accredited standards to ensure compliance with standards and pending accreditation audits
• Draft, review and implement changes to our current quality systems, standard operating procedures, and policies to satisfy customer and third-party requirements

Role Responsibilities

Quality:

• Support the Regional Quality Manager and site Leadership team in quality governance and product safety
• Lead and support meetings as required and provide information and analysis as required to support the business in understanding KPI’s and decision making
• Review the quality system as appropriate to ensure full compliance with customer and company best practice guidelines and maximize effectiveness of production contributing to consistent operational performance and standards whilst ensuring conformance to the relevant accreditation standards for the site and customers
• Provide authoritative guidance and advice on all aspects of quality to the site management team and employees; train and coach employees improving knowledge and skills in quality improvement
• Recruit, develop, motivate, and manage a Quality team (QA/QC) that optimises quality operations and is flexible in the support it offers the business, meeting current and future needs
• Establish and develop professional working relationships with customers, providing a technical service and reference point as required to support the company’s products and reputation as a quality supplier
• Manage the customer complaint procedure, facilitate the investigation of quality problems, faults, and non-conformances with production teams; manage corrective and preventative problems to ensure quality standards are maintained. Initiate and control robust investigations to provide corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and support the complaints handling process and participate in implementing improvement actions to prevent re-occurring issues.
• The facilitation of customer facing activities and communications including customer visits, responses, and preparation of information whilst leading site audit activities (external body, internal and customer)
• Lead quality initiatives and focus groups to support knowledge and understanding of all operatives and grow awareness of quality issues to improve quality
• Promote a total quality philosophy at all levels developing a culture of right first time and continuous improvement

Business Improvement:

• Lead improvements to enhance quality system and ensure optimum process in place to meet customer specifications whilst maximizing production
• Review amendments to standards and ensure compliance with accreditation bodies
• Support introduction of new equipment on site and validation processes to meet safety and customer expectations
• Take on other projects and responsibilities as required.
• Contribute ideas and participate in ongoing business improvement initiatives to reduce overall operating costs, improve margin, and provide input into the strategy and operations of the site

Other:

• Produce data and present reports for site, customers and corporate as required
• Identify improvement projects and continuous improvement initiatives in line with site and corporate requirements to improve quality and safety and work with colleagues to implement these
• Support senior leadership team in introducing systems and procedures to enhance operating effectiveness and efficiencies
• Deliver GMP, Quality and FSC training to all employees as required
• Take on other projects and responsibilities as required

Knowledge, Skills, Experience

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a Quality role at a senior or management level
• Working and audit knowledge relevant accredited standards
• Experience in a manufacturing/production environment ideally with experience and knowledge of Industry standards and guidelines
• Demonstrable experience of leading change and implementing continuous improvement processes.
• Supervisory experience
• Demonstrable experience of validating new equipment and processes
• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
• Project management and problem-solving skills such as 6 Sigma, or another recognised Business Improvement Technique
• Root cause analysis and problem-solving techniques
• Customer relations skills
• Skilled in information handling, analysis, and presentation

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.