Systems Compliance Manager

Hollybank Trustees Ltd; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

ABP Penston is seeking a Compliance Manager to lead site food safety, legality, and quality programs on-site in Glasgow. You will maintain the HACCP system, manage audits and CAPAs, and ensure alignment with BRCGS and customer expectations, especially M&S and Tesco.

The role requires strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration to drive continuous improvement. Join a hard-working technical team and help sustain audit readiness through proactive training, coaching, and process

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a food manufacturing environment with major UK retailers.
• Strong knowledge of Marks & Spencer and Tesco standards, codes of practice, and customer engagement processes.
• Excellent understanding of BRCGS requirements, food safety management systems, HACCP, and UK legislation.
• Proven experience leading customer, third-party, and regulatory audits.
• Strong leadership and people development skills, with experience coaching teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the site's compliance agenda for food safety, legality, quality and customer standards.
• Maintain and improve the site Quality Management System and HACCP programme.
• Ensure compliance with UK legislation, retailer codes, ABP standards and BRCGS.
• Drive changes in legislation and retailer standards; lead customer compliance activities (M&S and Tesco).
• Support audits, CAPAs, and continuous improvement across departments.
• Develop the technical team and promote a strong compliance culture.
• Analyse data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Lead investigations into technical issues and implement corrective actions.

Skills

Food safety

HACCP

Auditing

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Food Safety Level 4

Lead Auditor Qualification

TACCP / VACCP

BRCGS Issue 9

Degree in Food Science / related

Job description

Location: On site / Penston Rd, Glasgow G33 4AG, UK
job type: Permanent / Full-time
Sector and subsector: FMCG | Technical
Salary: Negotiable salary

Role Purpose

To lead and manage all site compliance activities, ensuring ABP Penston consistently meets food safety, legality, quality, customer, and regulatory requirements. The Compliance Manager will be responsible for maintaining robust compliance systems, supporting the delivery of technical standards across the business, and ensuring continued alignment with ABP Group policies, BRCGS requirements, and key customer expectations, particularly those of Marks & Spencer and Tesco.

The role will drive a proactive compliance culture, develop technical capability within the team, and provide support and leadership to the wider technical function to ensure the site remains audit-ready and customer-focused at all times.

Key Accountabilities

Compliance, Food Safety & Legality

• Lead the site's food safety, legality, integrity, and compliance agenda.
• Maintain, review, and continuously improve the site's Quality Management System, HACCP programme, allergen management controls, risk assessments, and compliance procedures.
• Ensure full compliance with UK legislation, customer Codes of Practice, ABP Group standards, and BRCGS requirements.
• Drive implementation of changes in legislation, retailer standards, and emerging compliance requirements.
• Act as the lead site contact for customer compliance activities, with particular focus on Marks & Spencer and Tesco standards and requirements.
• Ensure customer COP requirements, quality attributes, specifications, KPI targets, and reporting obligations are effectively managed and communicated across the site.
• Build strong working relationships with customer technical teams through professional communication, transparency, and consistent service delivery.
• Support customer visits, audits, benchmarking exercises, and technical reviews.

Audit & Compliance Assurance

• Lead and coordinate all customer, third-party, regulatory, and internal audits.
• Drive a culture of continuous audit readiness across all departments.
• Ensure timely completion and verification of corrective and preventative actions arising from audits, inspections, complaints, and non-conformances.
• Monitor site compliance performance and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Technical Function Support

• Provide day-to-day leadership and support to the Technical team, ensuring effective delivery of technical objectives and site priorities.
• Support the Site Technical Manager in delivering strategic technical initiatives and business objectives.
• Work collaboratively with Operations, Engineering, Planning, Procurement, and NPD teams to ensure technical requirements are understood and achieved.
• Deputise for the Site Technical Manager when required.
• Develop, coach, and mentor members of the Technical and Compliance teams to build capability, succession planning, and technical expertise.
• Identify training needs and implement development plans to improve knowledge of food safety, compliance, customer requirements, and auditing skills.
• Support the creation of a high-performing team culture that promotes accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Drive food safety and quality awareness across all functions through effective training and coaching activities.
• Analyse compliance, quality, and food safety data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Monitor and report key performance indicators relating to customer complaints, audit performance, non-conformances, customer standards, and compliance metrics.
• Lead investigations into technical issues and implement effective corrective and preventative actions.
• Support site continuous improvement initiatives to enhance compliance performance and customer satisfaction.

Food Safety Culture

• Champion a positive food safety and quality culture throughout the site.
• Engage teams at all levels to promote ownership of food safety, legality, quality, and customer expectations.
• Support behavioural and cultural improvement programmes that strengthen compliance performance.

Skills & Experience

Significant experience within a food manufacturing environment supplying major UK retailers.

Strong working knowledge of Marks & Spencer and Tesco standards, codes of practice, and customer engagement processes.

Excellent understanding of BRCGS requirements, food safety management systems, HACCP, and relevant UK legislation.

Proven experience leading customer, third-party, and regulatory audits.

Strong leadership and people development skills, with experience coaching and developing technical teams.

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Food Safety Level 4

Lead Auditor Qualification

TACCP / VACCP

BRCGS Issue 9

Degree or equivalent qualification in Food Science, Food Technology, or related discipline (desirable)