Quality & Compliance Manager in Guildford

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Quality & Compliance Manager to join an established food production business and take a leading role in maintaining and continually improving quality, food safety and compliance standards across its production facility.

This is a hands-on position suited to a quality professional who is comfortable working closely with production and operational teams, while also taking ownership of technical standards, audits, compliance and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring that products, processes and systems consistently meet customer expectations, legal requirements, food safety legislation and relevant industry standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the site's quality, food safety and compliance systems.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with food safety legislation, customer requirements and recognised industry standards.
• Maintain and continually improve the site's HACCP system, food safety plans and quality procedures.
• Manage internal audits, external audits, inspections and corrective actions.
• Act as a key contact for customer audits, third-party certification bodies and regulatory inspections.
• Monitor product quality, production processes, hygiene standards and overall site compliance.
• Investigate customer complaints, non-conformances and quality incidents, ensuring effective root-cause analysis and corrective action.
• Work closely with Production and Operations teams to identify and implement improvements.
• Ensure quality checks, testing, monitoring and associated documentation are completed accurately and consistently.
• Oversee environmental monitoring, product testing and other quality assurance activities.
• Support supplier approval, supplier performance and raw material specification processes where required.
• Deliver training and support the development of a strong food safety and quality culture across the site.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of food legislation, customer standards and industry best practice.
• Produce accurate quality and compliance reports for management.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement across quality, food safety and operational processes.

The ideal candidate will have previous experience in a quality, technical or compliance management role within food manufacturing or food production.

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• Previous experience in a quality or technical management position within the food manufacturing sector.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP and food safety principles.
• Experience working to BRCGS or another recognised food safety standard.
• A good understanding of UK food safety legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Experience managing internal and external audits.
• Strong investigation and root-cause analysis skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and a methodical approach to documentation.
• The confidence to challenge processes and standards where necessary.
• Strong communication and influencing skills across all levels of an organisation.
• A practical, solutions-focused approach to quality and compliance.
• The ability to build effective working relationships with production and operational teams.