Quality Assurance Technician - Food Manufacturing in Rochester

Quality Assurance Technician – Food Manufacturing Salary: £31,500 per annum Location: Rochester, Kent Working Hours: * Tuesday to Thursday: 6:00am – 6:00pm * Friday: 6:00am – 4:30pm Ready for your next opportunity in Quality Assurance? We are currently recruiting on behalf of our client, a well-established food manufacturing business based in Rochester, who are looking for a motivated and detail-focused Quality Assurance Technician to join their team. This is a great opportunity for someone with previous QA experience within the food manufacturing industry who enjoys being hands-on, takes pride in maintaining high standards and understands the importance of food safety and product quality. Working closely with the QA Manager and Production team, you will play an important role in ensuring products are manufactured safely, meet the required specifications and comply with food safety legislation and company quality standards. Our client is looking for someone who takes ownership, has a proactive approach and enjoys working with others to get things right first time. If you have a passion for quality and a keen eye for detail, this could be the opportunity for you! What will you be doing? Your responsibilities will include: * Carrying out routine quality inspections and product checks throughout the manufacturing process, ensuring products meet the required specifications. * Monitoring food safety, hygiene standards and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) across production areas. * Identifying and reporting non-conformances, ensuring affected stock is correctly identified and quarantined, with corrective and preventative actions followed up. * Supporting investigations and root cause analysis to prevent recurring quality issues. * Working alongside Production to improve Right First Time (RFT) performance, reduce waste and minimise downtime. * Carrying out equipment calibrations and maintaining accurate calibration records. * Conducting equipment and environmental swabbing following cleaning activities, ensuring hygiene requirements are met before releasing equipment back to Production. * Completing positive release checks on finished goods, ensuring products meet all quality and food safety requirements before release. * Maintaining accurate quality paperwork, production records and documentation. * Logging and investigating foreign body rejections, identifying causes and supporting preventative measures. * Carrying out scheduled internal audits, reporting findings and ensuring corrective actions are completed. * Assisting with shelf-life assessments, finished product analysis, product sampling and microbiological testing. * Working closely with Production to investigate and resolve quality concerns and support continuous improvement. * Supporting the implementation and maintenance of the Quality Management System (QMS), promoting a strong food safety and quality culture. * Ensuring compliance with company procedures, HACCP principles and relevant food safety legislation. * Supporting staff training on quality procedures, hygiene and food safety standards, as well as assisting with quality improvement projects. What are we looking for? Essential experience and skills: * Previous experience in a Quality Assurance (QA) or Quality Control (QC) role within the food manufacturing industry. * Good understanding of food safety, HACCP principles and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). * Excellent attention to detail and the ability to identify potential quality issues. * A proactive, positive and hands-on approach to work. * Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build good working relationships with Production teams. * Good problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the confidence to raise concerns and suggest improvements. * Ability to work independently, use initiative and manage priorities effectively. * Good IT skills and the ability to maintain accurate records and documentation. Desirable experience: * Experience working within a BRCGS-accredited food manufacturing environment. * Knowledge of Quality Management Systems (QMS), internal audits and non-conformance investigations. * Experience with microbiological testing, environmental swabbing and equipment calibration. The Ideal Candidate We are looking for someone who genuinely cares about quality and understands that even the smallest details can make a big difference. You'll be organised, reliable and comfortable working in a busy manufacturing environment. You'll have the confidence to speak up when something isn't right, the initiative to help resolve problems and the ability to work well as part of a team. A positive attitude, willingness to get involved and passion for maintaining high standards are just as important as your technical knowledge. Interested? We'd love to hear from you! If you have previous Quality Assurance experience within food manufacturing and are looking for your next challenge, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today and one of our recruitment consultants will be in touch to discuss the opportunity in more detail. Don't miss out – apply now