Quality Systems Manager

Avara Foods; Telford; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

31 days holiday allowance

Pension 6%

Life assurance

Job summary

Avara Foods is seeking a Quality Systems Manager for our Telford site. This role is based mainly in the office with regular access to production areas.

You will drive the site’s Quality Management System, ensuring compliance with customer codes of practice and regulatory requirements, and lead audits and continuous improvement efforts. You will collaborate with technical and operational teams to maintain audit readiness, improve food safety and quality culture, and develop the team’s competence

Qualifications

• Experience in food manufacturing, with strong knowledge of food safety and quality systems.
• Experience with BRCGS certification and customer/retailer audits.
• HACCP qualification (Level 3 or above) with practical HACCP application.
• Internal or Lead Auditor qualification and audit experience.
• Knowledge of supplier assurance, food fraud, TACCP and vulnerability assessments.

Responsibilities

• Lead and continually improve the site's Quality Management System (QMS).
• Ensure compliance with Avara Foods standards, customer requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Audit readiness: prepare for customer, BRCGS, and third-party audits and site visits.
• Develop and monitor supplier assurance, HACCP, and risk management systems.
• Coach and develop technical colleagues and internal auditors.

Skills

Food safety

Quality systems

Auditing

HACCP

Communication

Education

HACCP Level 3+

Job description

Who are we, and what do we do?

You may not have heard of us, but there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed our products. Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the country’s major supermarkets and well-known restaurants.

Who are we, and what do we do?

You may not have heard of us, but there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed our products. Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the country’s major supermarkets and well-known restaurants.
We own and manage our entire supply chain, from farms to factory and all the way to the customer door – meaning we have careers that cover a whole range of functions. We have major processing sites across England and Wales, and an agricultural network of over 350 farms, spanning from North Yorkshire to the South Coast and Wales.

A Little About Our Telford Site

Our advanced manufacturing site in Telford, is one of our main processing facilities, processing up to 1.5 million birds per week. There are over 1,400 talented people employed at our Telford site, helping us to deliver high quality products to our customers and making the business a trusted leader in fresh foods.
We’ve recently invested £2.3 million in technology and equipment, making it one of the most advanced food manufacturing facilities in the UK.

About The Role

Are you passionate about food safety, quality management systems, and continuous improvement? Are you looking for an opportunity to make a real impact within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment?
As an inclusive and forward-thinking business, Avara Foods is committed to investing in our people, processes, and technology. We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced Quality Systems Manager to join our Technical Team based at our Telford site.
This is primarily an office-based role, although regular time will be spent within the production environment. You'll work closely with operational and technical teams across the business, helping to drive compliance, improve standards, and promote a strong food safety and quality culture.

Working Hours:

Monday to Friday, 08:00 - 17:00.

What will you be doing as a Quality Systems Manager at Avara?

As Quality Systems Manager, you will lead and continually improve the site's Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring compliance with Avara Foods standards, customer requirements, regulatory obligations, and industry best practice.
Working collaboratively with technical and operational teams across our manufacturing facilities, you'll provide governance, support, and expertise to ensure systems are maintained effectively and consistently while driving continuous improvement in food safety, quality, and compliance performance.

What will your key responsibilities include?

• Champion food safety, quality, legality and authenticity standards across the business, ensuring robust systems are in place to demonstrate due diligence and compliance.
• Act as the Quality Systems lead for the Telford site, ensuring adherence to the Quality Management System, customer Codes of Practice, and regulatory requirements.
• Support, coach and develop technical colleagues, including our Technical Graduate Degree Apprentice, helping to build capability and knowledge within the wider technical team.
• Lead the ongoing development, review and continuous improvement of food safety, quality and compliance systems, ensuring alignment with customer requirements, business objectives and BRCGS standards.
• Prepare for, coordinate and participate in customer, BRCGS, third-party and regulatory audits and site visits, ensuring the business is audit-ready at all times.
• Prepare, review and maintain audit documentation and evidence required for customer, BRCGS and third-party audits, taking a lead role in audit activities where appropriate.
• Develop and monitor systems relating to supplier assurance, HACCP and risk management, ensuring they remain effective, current and compliant.
• Ensure risk assessments and corrective actions are accurately documented, investigated and managed through to completion.
• Lead allergen risk assessment activities, validation requirements and verification processes, and represent allergen management systems during audits.
• Conduct gap analyses against new customer requirements, Codes of Practice, legislation and industry standards, communicating actions and implementation plans across the Telford site.
• Act as a key member of the HACCP team, maintaining site HACCP systems, coordinating reviews and supporting food safety risk assessment activities.
• Ensure food safety, quality and regulatory verification activities, including auditing and product testing programmes, are completed consistently and to the required standards.
• Collaborate with the Technical Manager to maintain and continuously improve the site's crisis management, incident management and product recall procedures.
• Take ownership of document control processes, ensuring controlled documents remain accurate, current and effectively managed through change control procedures.
• Manage the internal audit programme using a risk-based approach, ensuring audits are completed, corrective actions are implemented, and compliance is maintained.
• Produce and communicate regular compliance reports, including audit performance, non-conformance trends and corrective action status.
• Support the development and coaching of internal auditors, promoting consistency, technical competence and effective audit practices.
• Verify that audit findings and non-conformance records are appropriately investigated, root causes identified and actions successfully closed.
• Build strong professional relationships with customers and external stakeholders, responding to information requests in a timely and professional manner.
• Support food fraud, TACCP and vulnerability assessment activities, ensuring current risks and emerging issues are identified and managed effectively.
• Work closely with the Technical Manager to drive the site's food safety culture strategy and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide support and cover for technical colleagues where required and deputise for members of the technical leadership team when necessary.

Essential

What you’ll need to be successful:

• Experience within a food manufacturing, FMCG or food production environment.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, quality systems, legal compliance and food processing principles.
• Experience of BRCGS certification and customer or retailer audits.
• HACCP qualification (Level 3 or above) with experience of applying HACCP principles in practice.
• Internal or Lead Auditor qualification and audit experience.
• Understanding of supplier assurance, food fraud, TACCP and vulnerability assessments.
• Experience managing document control and quality management systems.
• Sound understanding of microbiology and food safety hazards relevant to food manufacturing.
• Knowledge of traceability, product identification and quality assurance principles.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends and drive improvement actions.
• Excellent communication, organisational and stakeholder management skills.
• Good Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, with the ability to analyse and present data effectively.
• Ability to deliver training, coaching and guidance to colleagues at all levels.

Desirable

• Experience within the poultry, meat or broader food manufacturing sector.
• Experience implementing continuous improvement initiatives.
• Working knowledge of retailer standards and Codes of Practice.

The Benefits Of Working For Avara Foods

As a Quality Systems Manager you will enjoy a secure, supportive and progressive working environment, where your contribution and achievements will be recognised and rewarded.

Benefits

We offer comprehensive training as well as continuous development as you build your long-term career with us. You can also look forward to benefits that amongst other things, include the following:

• From £45,000 per annum DOE
• 31 days holiday allowance
• Secure contract with long term career development opportunities
• Straight forward pension contribution of 6%
• Life assurance scheme
• Subsidised staff canteen serving hot food
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salaried Advance Finance
• Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme
• Access to our Employee Benefit Scheme, which includes unlimited remote GP appointments and unlimited mental health sessions, physiotherapy sessions, medical second opinion consultation, and other discounts and perks, such as savings & discounts on weekly costs.
• Ts & Cs apply

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.

INDHP #TheAvaraWay