Quality & Technical Manager

Dale Farm; Cullybackey; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Bank holidays

Contributory pension

Life Assurance

Wellbeing support programme

Enhanced maternity/paternity leave

Job summary

Dale Farm is recruiting for a Quality & Technical Manager based at the Dromona Creamery. You will lead the site Quality & Technical Team, ensuring food safety, regulatory compliance and product quality across all processes.

The role requires robust experience in QMS/HACCP, audits and driving continuous improvement, with strong communication skills to liaise with customers and regulators. A competitive package accompanies a supportive, development-focused culture.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in a management role within a food quality/technical department or 5+ years in a supervisory role within food manufacturing.
• Proven ability to lead audits with customers, accreditation bodies and regulators.
• Experience developing, implementing and reviewing a QMS and HACCP monitoring plan.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and related QMS software and systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the site Technical and Laboratory functions and manage budgets, validation and verification.
• Drive best-in-class quality and technical performance at the Dromona site.
• Develop and maintain product specifications and supplier/customer documentation.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives and site investigations for quality KPIs.
• Coordinate audits with customers, regulators and group partners.

Skills

Quality management

Technical management

Audits

Excel

QMS systems

HACCP

Communication

Tools

Excel

QMS Systems

Job description

Closing Date : 06 November 2026 11:59 pm

Dale Farm Cooperative is a UK dairy farmer co-operative owned by over 1200 dairy farmers who supply us with fresh milk. Dale Farm has operations throughout the UK and Ireland producing and distributing a wide range of dairy products which it sells across the UK and Ireland as well as exporting to over 45 countries worldwide.

At Dale Farm virtually every career discipline is represented in our workforce, from production, engineering and distribution, to sales & marketing and food technology/quality assurance, to Finance, HR and IT through to general management. Our standards are high and when we recruit we are looking for those with energy and drive, who are keen for responsibility and motivated to succeed with a record of achievement and with the potential to develop as the company grows.

Culture

Our culture is based on setting best in class standards, working to-wards and delivering on committed objectives, striving for constant improvement and involving everyone in the company. We strive to develop our people and harness everyone's contribution to deliver a winning team.

The company is an Equal Opportunities employer and is committed to a safe, inclusive and relationship based workspace.

In return, we offer a high degree of responsibility, plenty of challenge, good opportunities for learning and personal development and rewarding benefit packages, all within a fast moving and results oriented environment.

Quality & Technical Manager – Dromona

About Us

Dale Farm is the largest UK farmer-owned cooperative, owned by 1,300 UK farmers. We supply a wide range of consumer and food ingredients dairy products including fresh milk, cheeses, milk powders, butter & dairy spreads, and ice cream into the UK, Irish and international markets.

Core to our success is our people, and we now have an exciting opportunity leading our Quality & Technical Team based at Dromona Creamery.

About the Role

As the site Technical & Quality Manager you will be a key member of the site management team and take primary responsibility for driving forward best in class quality and technical performance. As part of the site senior management team, you will also contribute to the overall management of the business unit and continuous operational performance improvement.

Reporting to the General Manager, within this role the key responsibilities include:

• Ensure that the quality systems operate effectively to comply with all relevant:
  • Food safety and legalisation guidelines.
  • Certification/accreditation standards (BRC, ISO).
  • Customer codes of practice and specifications parameters.
  • Group polices and compliance standards.
  • Implement and maintain the group systems portals i.e. Foods Connected
• Ensuring that products produced comply with the required quality parameters and due diligence checks i.e. specification criteria, labelling, weight and measures, temperature control, and food safety criteria.
• Developing and maintaining product specifications both through retailer portals and Dale Farm internal specification platforms.
• Promote and participate in activities that ensure the highest safety, operational, hygiene and quality standards are achieved in line with GMP.
• Assist and facilitate a continual improvement programme throughout the site and lead site investigation and improvement plans for technical and quality KPI’s.
• Consult with customer representatives and regulatory authorities. Co-ordinate and lead site visits and audits.
• Promote and implement improvements aligned with the group technical strategy.
• Identify, agree, and implement the quality objectives for the site.
• Develop appropriate staff training and mentoring programmes for the technical function to aid progression and staff development.
• Develop and maintain an internal auditing system that will satisfy the changing requirements of our customers in a cost-effective manner.
• Develop & maintain a site HACCP programme.
• Implement appropriate trend analysis and other statistical and factual reporting to support quality improvement.
• Develop and implement specifications for raw materials, processing parameters, and final product. Monitor incoming materials for conformance to specification and work in partnership with.
• Work in conjunction with group development manager and contribute to NPD projects as appropriate.
• Contribute fully to site management team and assist with site operational and environmental objectives.
• Manage the Site Technical and Laboratory functions, ensuring that budget, test validation, and verification is assured.
• Other reasonable duties as required.

About You

This opportunity calls for a Quality & Technical Manager with at least 3 years’ experience at a management level within a food quality and technical department or 5 years within a management/supervisory role within food manufacturing or related industry. The successful candidate must possess the ability to lead in customer, accreditation, and legislative authority audits and have a proficient knowledge on the development, implementation and reviewing of a QMS and HACCP monitoring plan. Also required is a proven track record showcasing ability in proactively leading, training and mentoring a small team. Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to effectively communicate to a range of internal and external stakeholders, and to coordinate between different departments and management are also essential. The successful candidate will be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office applications particularly Excel and QMS Systems. Proven experience to work under pressure while managing and prioritising high-volume workload effectively, proven experience in working on tasks that require a high level of attention to detail and the ability to display initiative and apply problem solving skills are all attributes that the successful candidate must also possess.

Desirable, but not essential, skills and experience for this role include knowledge in microbiological and analytical analysis, understanding of a lab environment and experience conducting PIP activities and reducing waste.

We are looking for a highly motivated and ambitious person who has the energy and determination to make an impact in a challenging and dynamic environment. The successful candidate will have strong interpersonal skills and the desire to work with their team to drive forward success.

Why Dale Farm?

We have a lot to offer our employees at Dale Farm and we are committed to everyone’s learning and development journey. In addition to a competitive salary commensurate with the role, as well as standard benefits such as 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and contributary company pension, we also offer additional benefits such as Life Assurance, full wellbeing support through our Employee Assistance Programme, and enhanced Maternity and Paternity leave.

We promote an open and supportive culture which is based on our core values

Teamwork | Positivity | Resolve | Ambition | Curiosity | Accountability

You can find out more about life at Dale Farm on our LinkedIn and Facebook Career pages, and on our company website.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 6th November 2026.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer

Only applications from EU Nationals or those with a valid permit to work in the UK will be accepted