Quality Assurance Technician (Dorset)

Are you passionate about Quality Assurance? Join Clipper Teas and Ecotone - an internationally successful B Corp business with a portfolio of fabulous organic and natural brands. Our Clipper Teas 24/7 manufacturing site is based in Beaminster, Dorset, and we are looking to recruit a Quality Assurance Technician to join our small team focused on ensuring a high level of technical integrity regarding product safety, legality, integrity, and quality.

As our Quality Assurance Technician, you will be responsible for carrying out the day-to-day activities vital to the Quality Assurance Department as well as providing technical guidance and support to other departments, adding value to the strategic development of the company and working towards the development of the Quality Culture.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Follow appropriate Goods In Procedures to inspect and sign off Goods Inwards documentation, sample and test raw materials, packaging, and finished product.
• Ensure raw materials, packaging, and finished product undergo appropriate checks before positive release.
• HACCP System - CCP Control Measure & Monitoring.
• Set up tea tasting products and equipment in the QA Laboratory, as directed, for Clipper employees, visitors, and customers when required.
• Commission samples for external laboratory analysis, following the raw material laboratory sampling and commissioning procedure including the administration of submission forms and lab sampling table and sample labels and entering lab test results into SAP.
• Assist in new product development work as directed.
• Day-to-day monitoring of product safety, legality, integrity, and quality with completion of regular documented checks.
• Check weigher product set up on Comscales, monitoring and control.
• Instigate appropriate action on any non-compliance which affects product safety, legality, integrity, or quality and record details and actions as required according to company procedure.
• Escalate issues identified as appropriate to their severity.
• Identify and file reports on non-conforming product ensuring correct handling, labelling, storage, segregation, and disposal according to company procedure.
• Work to establish formal procedures and actions that will encourage avoidance of the reoccurrence of identified non-conformances.
• Report to the QMS team any identified deviation or omission from company working practices and procedures including Site Security & Food Fraud, as laid down in the Company QMS.
• Monitor, record, report, and maintain appropriate hygiene standards (GMPs) in all food production areas and around the site according to the agreed standards and procedures.
• SAP Raw Material Management: Sampling raw materials and cold brew blends, Grade changes, Retro certification, Putting Stock on hold, Blocking and Releasing Stock.
• Blend build checks and approval.
• Tasting and releasing flavour granules.
• Support the QA Department during the preparation and duration of audits, e.g. IFS, FT, Organic, Internals Audits etc.
• Support the management of Factory tools, e.g. knives, scalpels etc.
• Support Sharepoint QMS documents management.

We’re looking for someone with c. 2+ years QA experience, or similar, who has knowledge and experience of working within a Quality Management System. The preferred candidate will have knowledge of implementing and maintaining IFS Higher Status or BRC Grade AA status, Level 3 Food Hygiene qualifications, HACCP Level 2, Food Quality and Safety Legislation and Standards, GMP, Weights & Measures, Quality Systems (BRC, ISO9001 etc), Internal Audit.

What you can expect from us is to:

• Be part of a passionate Clipper Teas and Ecotone Team delivering success.
• Work for a company that genuinely cares and tries to do some GOOD in the world.
• We have the highest B-CORP rating globally.
• We were the first ever Fairtrade Tea company (we helped write the Fairtrade standards 30 years ago) and we are still the biggest fairtrade tea brand globally.
• We have biodiversity at our heart & we want to do the right thing.
• And you’ll get a solid rewards package – salary, private healthcare, a target-based bonus, pension - and a bunch of other benefits.