Lead QA Manager in Hereford

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.

Our advanced manufacturing site in Wednesbury, West Midlands, is our newest advanced manufacturing site, with an investment of around £4.7 million into state-of-the-art facilities. Our Wednesbury site is a flagship Added Value centre for Avara, employing over 150 talented individuals who help supply some of the UK's largest supermarkets and popular restaurants.

Are you passionate about Product Safety and Quality? Looking for a new challenge? Do you have experience or qualifications in Quality Management? As an inclusive, forward-thinking business, we take pride in our approach to Quality across Avara Foods and are looking for a highly competent and motivated Lead Quality Manager to join our Quality Team at our Wednesbury site. The role is predominantly office-based, and the factory environment is fast-paced, dynamic, noisy, and refrigerated in some areas, manufacturing short shelf life products where hygiene standards are critical. As a Lead Quality Manager, you'll be working Monday to Friday 08.00-17.00.

As a Lead Quality Manager, you will manage the site Technical function to ensure legal compliance, food safety, and adherence to customer specifications.

• Ensure that Quality Managers are effectively recruited, inducted, trained, and managed.
• Ensure that team development is in line with talent needs defined by the business technical function.
• Support external audits e.g., BRCGS, Red Tractor, retailer.
• Ensure that internal audit schedules are maintained and audits are completed. Communicate audit corrective actions plans to relevant personnel and ensure non-conformances are signed off within agreed time scales.
• Provide Operations with Technical monitoring and auditing to ensure that customer requirements are understood and achieved.
• Review frequency of non-conformances to identify longer term corrective action plans.
• Review specifications for all products, packaging, and ingredients and ensure that all versions are current and meet customer specifications.
• Involved in and coordinating the investigation of customer complaints of a technical nature and ensure findings and action plans are completed and communicated both internally and externally.
• Support effective relationships with both internal and external customers including during site visits.
• Provide an effective link between NPD and production ensuring that new or changed products, processes, and packaging are effectively introduced.

What you'll need to be successful:

• Food related HND, Advanced Food Safety Level 4, and Advanced HACCP Level 4.
• Internal auditing qualification.
• Experience of BRCGS or ISO 9000.
• Leadership skills and experience of motivating teams.
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing at all levels.
• Knowledge and experience of major retailers.

The benefits of working for Avara Foods include:

• Competitive Salary.
• 31 days holiday allowance.
• Secure contract with long term career development opportunities.
• Straightforward pension contribution of 6%.
• Life assurance scheme.
• Staff sales at hugely discounted prices.
• 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.

After you've applied, you'll be contacted in due course by a Resourcing Officer at our Wednesbury site to discuss your application and CV further. There'll also be a chance for you to ask us any questions you may have about the role.

If you're ready to work in a dynamic environment alongside talented people who take pride in delivering great results, apply today! We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.