Quality Specialist Launch Team

Ball Corporation; Devizes; Hybrid; GBP 53,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive plan

Meal assistance

Pension plan

Life insurance

Employee assistance program

Disability insurance

Job summary

Ball Corporation in Devizes, United Kingdom, seeks a quality-focused process expert to drive start-up performance for New Builds, Lines, and Conversions. You will lead quality, ensure food safety compliance, and guide inspections, audits, and training during ramp-up, with cross-functional collaboration across Production, Engineering and Suppliers.

The role emphasizes process capability, waste reduction, and continuous improvement, with ISO/HACCP standards, and a willingness to travel as needed.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience in Can manufacturing.
• ISO, Food Safety and audit experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of the full Can making process.
• English communication skills.
• Green Belt certification preferred.
• Ability to mentor and develop others.

Responsibilities

• Achieve efficiency and spoilage targets for New Builds, Lines, and Conversions.
• Lead quality during start-up for compliant, on-spec product.
• Monitor processes for food safety and take corrective action when needed.
• Oversee inspections, audits, and finished product quality checks.
• Train staff on process understanding and quality expectations.
• Support SAP/ SPC and other quality tools during ramp-up.
• Collaborate with Production, Engineering, Maintenance and suppliers.
• Collect and report quality data to drive improvements.
• Assist in root cause analyses for customer complaints.

Skills

Quality assurance

Lean methodologies

Cross-cultural teams

Problem solving

English communication

Line launches experience

Data analysis

Education

College degree in related field

Green Belt certification

Job description

Further your career at Ball, a world leader in manufacturing sustainable aluminium packaging. Achieve extraordinary things when you join our team, and make a difference in your professional development, the community, and around the globe! Ball is thrilled to receive Newsweek's 2023 Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplace award! As a sustainable product leader, we have over 16,000 global team members. From endlessly recyclable aluminum cans, and cups, to aerosol bottles, our goal is to contribute to a better community, society, and world.

Primary Purpose Of The Position

Working as part of a team of Process experts, the role will have responsibility predominantly for New Build, New Line and Line Conversion start- up performance. He/she is responsible for quality matters in order to guarantee respect of the law for environment matters, optimization of processes in term of quality and chemical usages. He/she achieved outstanding results in his/her previous role working in quality area. Responsibility will predominantly be for Efficiency, Spoilage and Quality in the first instance with secondary responsibility for other KPIs such as Material usages, Production Supplies and respect of environmental prescriptions as appropriate to the area of expertise.

Essential Responsible Areas

• Achieve Efficiency and Spoilage targets for all New Builds, New Lines, and Line Conversions in alignment with the approved start-up curves, ensuring rapid progression to stable and capable operations.
• Lead Quality performance during the start-up phase, taking full responsibility for delivering compliant, consistent, and specification-conforming product from first production through handover.
• Ensure product quality and food safety compliance by continuously monitoring processes, materials, and outputs during start-up and taking immediate action on any deviations.
• Oversee inspections and audits, ensuring the local quality team executes process checks, material inspections, and finished product audits to required standards.
• Specialize on all gauges, inspection devices, and measurement equipment ensuring they are correctly maintained, calibrated, validated, and monitored to ensuring correct working condition giving to reliable quality verification, becoming the go-to support within Ball
• EMEA for all related operational issues. Track quality trends and performance indicators, identifying early signals of variation and initiating corrective or preventive actions to stabilize and improve process capability.
• Support the Plant Quality Manager with implementation and maintenance of ISO, HACCP, and other regulatory or customer-driven food safety/quality systems.
• Support the execution of SOPs, SPC, and other quality management tools, ensuring process consistency and repeatability during ramp-up.
• Train production and quality staff in process understanding, quality expectations, defect prevention, inspection standards, and food safety practices, ensuring a capable and autonomous workforce.
• Ensure trained backups are available for all critical quality and food safety roles to maintain operational continuity during and after start-up.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Production, Engineering, Maintenance, and suppliers to prevent defects, reduce variability, and strengthen process quality throughout the start-up phase.
• Collect, analyse, and report quality and food safety data, providing insights that drive decision-making, improve performance, and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Assist in resolving customer complaints during the launch period, contributing to root cause analysis, corrective action, and supplier quality improvement.
• Support new product or design introductions, ensuring all quality and food safety requirements are met from trials to full-scale production.
• Deliver training to site personnel on process fundamentals and performance expectations, both during recruitment and throughout the start-up period.
• Provide emergency breakdown support, applying strong diagnostic capability to quickly restore operations and protect quality and performance during critical phases.
• Support size conversions, ensuring safe, accurate, efficient changeovers and building local team capability for ongoing execution. Identify and share best practices, capturing lessons learned to enhance future equipment builds, start-up performance, and long-term operational excellence.
• Supports implementation of BOE standards to a level 3, associated with the assignment scope for all safety, quality, business management, and maintenance pillar elements

Position Requirement & Competencies

• College Degree/Diploma in Related Area/ or Broad training in a related field usually acquired through high school and work-related experience.
• Training/ teaching qualification to minimum Train The Trainer
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience of operating in Can manufacturing
• Has used basic Problem Solving techniques and the basics of Lean
• Worked in Cross Cultural Teams
• 3+ years in a comparable position with demonstrated expertise in quality assurance, customer support, and relevant products.
• ISO, Food Safety and audit experience preferred.
• Green Belt Certification preferred.
• Strong knowledge of the full Can making process and subject expert in at least one specific area.
• Ability to transfer Can making process knowledge to others
• Strong capability in equipment setup, troubleshooting, optimisation, and supporting line performance
• Competent computer skills for data analysis and report writing
• English communication skills (minimum communicative level)
• Preferred: Experience with line launches or rebuild projects
• Ownership mindset with a focus on continuous improvement and waste reduction
• Ability to mentor and develop less experienced team members
• Strong attention to detail and adherence to specifications
• Effective communication across all departments and levels
• Strong teamwork and collaboration mindset
• Results-driven, proactive, and forward-thinking
• Continuous improvement mindset with strong waste-reduction focus
• High attention to detail and commitment to excellence
• Able to work autonomously and collaboratively
• Strong engagement and communication skills across all levels
• Passionate about coaching, mentoring, and developing others
• Flexible and willing to travel at short notice
• Empathetic and supportive in team environments

Work Environment

This role supports central functions and offers flexible work arrangements including hybrid or fully remote options, subject to role requirements and manager approval.

Hiring Range

62,300 – 89,690 EUR gross per year. The final salary will be determined based on the candidate’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and competencies, while taking into account internal equity and industry benchmarks. Please note that the salary range is related to Germany as base location, however relevant local range applies to candidates based in other locations.

Incentive Plan

This position is eligible to participate in Ball’s annual incentive compensation program.

Comprehensive Benefits Package

Defined contribution pension, life insurance, accident and disability insurance, employee assistance program, and meal assistance.

Ball Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We actively encourage applications from everybody, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, faith, ability, or orientation. When you join Ball you belong to a team of over 16,000 members worldwide. Our products range from infinitely recyclable aluminium cans, cups to aerosol bottles that enable our customers to contribute to a better world.

Each of us has a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion which is the foundation of our culture of belonging. Everyone at Ball is making a difference by doing what we love. Because what we create may change, but what we will always make is a difference.

Please note the advertised job title might vary from the job title on the contract due to local job title structure and global HR systems.