At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead quality and food safety standards, ensuring compliance and continuous improvement across all sites.
- Company: Join Hotel Chocolat, a brand dedicated to reinventing chocolate and making people happy.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, private healthcare, generous product discounts, and hybrid working options.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth and involvement in exciting projects.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on food safety while working in a fun, innovative environment.
- Qualifications: Experience with GFSI Standards and strong communication skills are essential.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 60000 € per year.
As we continue our mission to make people and nature happy through reinventing chocolate, we’re looking for a Quality & Food Safety Standards Manager to join our Quality & Food Safety and Product Integrity (Technical) Team on a permanent basis.
As Quality & Food Safety Standards Manager, you will be responsible for leading the team in maintaining and enhancing quality and food safety standards across all sites. Partnering closely with our operational teams and senior management, you will implement and continuously improve the Quality Management System (QMS) and associated standards, consistently ensuring readiness for BRCGS and FSSC 22000 audits whilst embedding a culture of proactive risk management and operational excellence.
Here at Hotel Chocolat, we've adopted hybrid working. This means you’ll join us on site for three days a week, and for the other two days – you can work from wherever you like! The onsite location for this role is mainly based at our Factory ‘Hadley Park’, in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire with occasional travel to our sites in both St. Neots, Cambridgeshire and Harpole, Northampton.
What you’ll be doing…
- Quality Management System & Compliance
- Lead, maintain, and continuously improve the QMS, including completed documented annual reviews, compliance updates, and alignment with evolving regulatory and certification requirements whilst aligning with all quality managers.
- Conduct a full gap analysis against FSSC 22000 standard whilst driving corrective and preventative actions to maintain certification readiness.
- Lead and support relevant parts of external audits, ensuring timely closure of findings and embedding lessons learned into site processes.
- Support with compliance to Q&FS Standards, driving compliance score improvements.
- Carry out QMS / unannounced technical audits to a schedule across all three sites.
- Food Safety & Risk Management
- Lead the manufacturing site TACCP programme.
- Maintain and update technical risk assessments, ensuring proactive identification, mitigation and escalation of potential hazards.
- Lead and manage the commissioning of new or modified equipment and processes, ensuring full compliance with food safety and technical standards and validating operational readiness before go-live with a handover to the site Quality Manager.
- Provide guidance and training to operational teams on compliance with FSSC 22000 / BRCGS standards, fostering a culture of food safety awareness.
- Process Improvement & Operational Support
- Champion technical process improvements by providing compliance oversight and technical input to manufacturing and operational projects, reducing risk, enhancing food safety, and improving efficiency.
- Lead the development, integration and optimisation of RedZone Compliance Module and other digital systems to ensure accurate data capture, interpretation, improved visibility and actionable insights.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership
- Build strong working relationships with operational teams, senior management and external partners to influence decisions and ensure early visibility of Q&FS (Quality & Food Safety) impacts.
- Serve as a proactive technical leader, providing constructive challenge at key project stages to protect standards and drive continuous improvement.
- Technical Training & Development
- Arrange and fully manage on-site external technical training courses, track completion and competency and ensure follow-through to support team development.
- Evaluate training effectiveness and use feedback to enhance ongoing capability building across teams.
- Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
- Support the complaints reduction plan by driving quality improvement actions using insights provided by the Technical Data Lead.
- Additional Responsibilities
- Lead or support continuous improvement projects aligned to site priorities.
- Deputise for Technical Data Lead with data reporting.
- Deputise for the Site Quality Manager when required.
- Undertake additional tasks to support the wider Technical Department as needed.
Who you are…
- A demonstrable understanding of GFSI Standards – BRCGS / FSSC 22000.
- Experienced in conducting internal audits and the ability to clearly communicate findings.
- Ability to build strong and communicative working relationships with stakeholders across all levels within the business.
- Training experience.
Quality & Food Safety Standards Manager in Huntingdon employer: Hotel Chocolat
At Hotel Chocolat, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. As a Quality & Food Safety Standards Manager, you will enjoy a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits including private healthcare and generous product discounts, and the flexibility of hybrid working. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through continuous training opportunities and a supportive environment that encourages proactive risk management and operational excellence.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Quality & Food Safety Standards Manager in Huntingdon
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their values and how they align with your own. This will help you stand out and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of their team.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice common interview questions and answers, but don’t sound rehearsed. We want you to be authentic! Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses and highlight your achievements.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after your interview! A simple thank-you email can go a long way in keeping you top of mind. Plus, it shows your enthusiasm for the role and appreciation for the opportunity.
We think you need these skills to ace Quality & Food Safety Standards Manager in Huntingdon
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience with GFSI Standards like BRCGS and FSSC 22000. We want to see how your skills align with our mission of quality and food safety!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills:As a Quality & Food Safety Standards Manager, you'll be leading teams and driving improvements. Share examples of how you've successfully led projects or teams in the past. We love to see proactive leaders!
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read through your achievements and experiences.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity with us at Hotel Chocolat!
How to prepare for a job interview at Hotel Chocolat
✨Know Your Standards
Make sure you brush up on GFSI Standards like BRCGS and FSSC 22000. Be ready to discuss how you've implemented these standards in previous roles, as well as any challenges you've faced and how you overcame them.
✨Showcase Your Audit Experience
Prepare specific examples of internal audits you've conducted. Highlight your ability to communicate findings clearly and how you've driven improvements based on those audits. This will demonstrate your hands-on experience and problem-solving skills.
✨Emphasise Stakeholder Engagement
Think about times when you've built strong relationships with operational teams or senior management. Be ready to share how you influenced decisions and ensured compliance, as this role requires excellent communication and collaboration skills.
✨Demonstrate Continuous Improvement Mindset
Come prepared with examples of how you've championed process improvements in the past. Discuss any technical training you've arranged and how you've evaluated its effectiveness, showing that you're committed to ongoing development and operational excellence.
