Quality Systems Manager in Essex, Halstead

Just Recruitment is working with a well-regarded and growing business on the outskirts of Halstead - they are looking to add a Quality Systems Manager to their team. The key purpose of this role is to lead the delivery of high standards in Quality, ensuring full alignment with Quality policies and business standards. You will be responsible for embedding robust quality systems, safeguarding product excellence, and ensuring compliance with all relevant hygiene, safety, and certification standards.

Working at the heart of manufacturing, you will act as a key leader, driving continuous improvement, ensuring effective risk management, and developing Safety & Quality capability. This role requires strong leadership, technical expertise, and the ability to influence both internal and external stakeholders across a multinational environment.

As the Quality Systems Manager you will lead and manage all quality and safety activities across manufacturing operations, ensuring high standards are maintained for raw materials, packaging, semi-finished, and finished products. You will be accountable for the implementation and ongoing compliance of systems, ISO standards, and all relevant legal and certification requirements. You will continuously monitor quality performance, trends, and KPIs, driving corrective and preventive actions where needed to support continuous improvement.

In addition, you will manage, coach, and develop the quality team of 4, fostering a strong and proactive quality culture. The role requires you to oversee audits and inspections across all production stages to ensure compliance, while effectively managing non-conformities, deviations, and escalations. This includes blocking non-compliant materials and leading root cause analysis and resolution activities.

You will support and lead internal and external audits, acting as a key contact for certification bodies and regulatory authorities. You will also collaborate closely with cross-functional teams such as Production, R&D, Procurement, Commercial Quality, and wider teams, as well as engage with external stakeholders including suppliers.

Additionally, you will drive continuous improvement initiatives and action plans aligned to business objectives, ensure plant personnel are appropriately trained in quality and safety standards, and provide technical support to production to maintain consistency with product specifications and claims.

To be considered for this role: You bring proven experience in a management role within food quality, ideally within a multinational environment, and possess a strong understanding of food safety, food technology, and microbiological and chemical analysis. You have hands-on experience working with ISO standards such as ISO 9001 and FSSC 22000, as well as HACCP, GMP, and relevant certification schemes.

You are a results-driven professional with strong problem-solving skills and excellent attention to detail, capable of making sound decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. You are a confident and effective leader who can coach, influence, and develop teams while fostering a culture of quality and accountability.

You demonstrate strong communication and stakeholder management skills, enabling you to collaborate effectively across functions and with external partners. You are fluent in English, with additional languages considered an advantage, and hold at least a GCSE/A-Level qualification, with a degree or MSc in a related field seen as beneficial.

Offering a great environment and exposure to a global network- the working hours for this role are Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm - some flexibility will be needed and considered for suitable applicants.