- Location
- Bedford, Bedfordshire
- Salary
- £55,000 - £60,000 a year BUPA, Life Assurance, Pension
- Job type
- Contract
- Sector
- Manufacturing/Surveying
- Posted
- 7 October 2026
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Job description
- Position: Senior Quality Assurance Manager (18-Month FTC / Maternity Cover)
- Location: Home Counties / Bedfordshire / Hertfordshire
- Salary: Up to £60,000 + Enhanced Pension + Healthcare + Life Insurance
What’s in it for you?
- Strategic Multi-Site Leadership Experience: The opportunity to add multi-site experience to your CV. You’ll be actively mentoring and developing a team of site-level Quality Managers.
- Senior Level Exposure: Working closely with the Head of Technical & Quality, you’ll gaining high-level visibility and leadership experience with key customers and internal stakeholders.
- Investment & Innovation Culture: You will work within a business that seriously invests in its R&D and manufacturing facilities, ensuring the delivery of innovative products for key global food brands
- Future Potential: While this is an 18-month contract cover, the scale of this international business means that permanent opportunities can arise for strong performers.
The Opportunity:
An 18-month fixed-term contract for a Senior Quality Assurance Manager with an international food manufacturer that supplies major retailers, brands, and the food service market. The business operates across multiple countries, offering a scaled environment focused on continuous improvement and diversity.
The Role:
You will take operational ownership of the quality function across a cluster of manufacturing units. You will lead, coach, and develop the established site Quality Managers to maintain consistent performance.
Key responsibilities include:
- Team Leadership: Supporting and mentoring Quality Managers to ensure consistent, high-performing standards.
- Audit & Compliance: Leading customer, regulatory, and BRCGS audits, ensuring compliance and the timely closure of non-conformances.
- System Management: Maintaining the QMS, HACCP programmes, and environmental/microbiological testing protocols.
- Continuous Improvement: Partnering with Operations teams to track KPIs, analyse trends, and lead investigations into customer complaints.
- Supplier Quality: Managing supplier performance via scorecards, audits, and contracts.
The Candidate:
The position requires a proactive quality leader who can manage multi-site operations and hit the ground running.
Requirements:
- Qualifications: A degree (or equivalent) in Food Science, plus ideally HACCP Level 4 certificate, and a Lead Auditor qualification.
- Experience: At least 4 years in a Technical or QA Management role within food manufacturing.
- Skills:, Deep knowledge of food safety legislation, and strong stakeholder management skills.
- Logistics: The flexibility to travel between sites as required.
Next Steps:
Click apply to send over your CV or contact Rachel Sutton for a confidential discussion.
Reference 225695536
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