Quality Systems & Laboratory Manager

At Quintessential Brands Group, we are proud to continue the legacy of Thomas Dakin, the visionary who pioneered quality English gin in 1761. Today, our award winning portfolio spans iconic names like Greenall's, Opihr, Thomas Dakin, The Dubliner, and Chamère, our exciting new venture in RTD cocktails.

A Taste of The Job

As our Quality Systems and Laboratory Manager, you'll take full ownership of the site's Quality Management System and Quality Laboratory at our Warrington manufacturing site. This is a pivotal role responsible for ensuring we meet and exceed BRC, legal, customer, and accreditation standards, safeguarding the integrity of our award winning spirits at every stage of production. Reporting to the Quality Manager, you'll combine strategic systems leadership with hands on laboratory oversight. From chairing HACCP meetings and managing audit readiness to leading complaint investigations and calibration programmes, you'll drive food safety excellence, build compliance confidence, and drive continuous improvement across the site. This is a role for someone who thrives on accountability, precision, and influence, ensuring quality isn't just maintained, but continually strengthened.

Your Impact Will Include

• Quality Systems & Compliance: Own and manage the site QMS and document control systems in line with BRCGS and customer standards. Lead HACCP, TACCP and VACCP programmes, chairing the HACCP team. Act as site lead for external audits, retailers, and certification bodies, ensuring full audit readiness at all times. Manage the internal audit programme and drive corrective actions to closure. Oversee traceability exercises and mock recalls. Develop and maintain all technical documentation required for compliance.
• Laboratory & Operational Quality: Lead and manage the Quality Laboratory, resources, and equipment. Ensure calibration and verification of laboratory and critical production instruments. Manage QA budget for laboratory consumables and raise POs as required. Act as site lead, ensuring accreditation standards are maintained. Provide technical guidance and training to factory teams.
• Incident, NCR & Complaint Management: Lead customer complaint investigations and root cause analysis. Manage NCR, CAPA and Quality Incident systems with full trending and reporting. Analyze quality data to identify patterns, drive KPIs, and support continuous improvement.
• People & Leadership: Train, coach, and mentor laboratory and QA team members. Develop a flexible, multi skilled quality team. Champion a proactive food safety and quality culture across production and engineering.
• Continuous Improvement & Governance: Support GMP, hygiene and factory improvement initiatives. Support continuous improvement through data analysis and KPI reporting. Contribute to management reviews and strategic business planning. Participate in taste panels and factory improvement initiatives.

A Flavour of the Business

At Quintessential Brands, we're a unique blend, a growing global spirits business with over 250 years of distilling heritage. From Bloom and Opihr to Greenall's and The Dubliner, our brands are enjoyed around the world. We operate in a lean, agile way, constantly refining our processes as we expand. Joining QB, as we're known to our friends, means playing a visible, influential role in shaping operational excellence as we scale. Quality underpins everything we do, and this role sits at the centre of that commitment.

The Perfect Serve - A Bit About You

You're a confident quality leader with strong systems expertise and the ability to influence across departments. You combine technical precision with commercial awareness and enjoy working in a fast paced FMCG environment where standards are high and expectations are clear.

You Will Bring:

• Strong working knowledge of QMS, BRCGS, ISO standards, HACCP, TACCP and VACCP.
• Experience leading internal audits and managing accreditation standards.
• Expertise in document control systems and data analysis.
• Experience managing quality incidents, complaints, NCRs and CAPA processes.
• The ability to coach and develop teams while maintaining accountability.
• Confidence liaising with auditors, customers, suppliers and senior management.
• A proactive mindset focused on prevention, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

The Essence of QB - The Benefits

We know our people are our most important ingredient. That's why we offer:

• Company pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Company bonus scheme
• 25 days holiday
• Discounts with high street and online retailers
• Staff shop