Raw Material Quality Manager

We're looking for a Raw Materials Quality Manager to join our Technical team at our Clitheroe site, playing a key role in ensuring the highest standards of food safety, quality, legality and customer compliance.

About The Compleat Food Group At The Compleat Food Group, we're proud to be a food business built on purpose and passion. Formed in 2021, we're on a mission to createFood to Feel Good - great quality, tasty and affordable food that people love to eat.

We're home to some of the UK's most exciting and loved food brands, includingWall's Pastry, Pork Farms, Wrights, The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co., unearthed, Vadasz, Squeaky Bean, Palace Culture, andHarvey & Brockless. Alongside our branded portfolio, we're a leading supplier of delicious own-label pastry, sweet bakery, party food, olives and antipasti, added-value egg products, continental meats, dips and sauces and plant-based food to the UK's major retailers, as well as across foodservice.

Withover 6,000 talented colleagues across 17 sites, and an annual turnover of £1.3bn, we're united by a shared ambition to shape the future of food for the better.

We are backed by European private equity firm PAI Partners.

Location Clitheroe

Hours Monday - Thursday: 8:30am - 5pm and Friday: 8:30am - 4pm

Purpose We are looking for a Raw Materials Quality Manager to lead and manage the Raw Materials Quality function across the Clitheroe sites (Lincoln Way and Twin Brook), ensuring all raw materials meet the required standards of food safety, quality, legality and customer compliance to support the manufacture of safe, high-quality products.

Key Duties, Responsibilities & Accountabilities

• Lead, develop, and manage the Raw Material team to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities
• Ensure all Raw Material team positions are robustly structured, including covering Shift Supervision where necessary
• Set objectives and performance standards for the Raw Material Team department.
• Conduct performance reviews and identify training and development needs.
• Foster a proactive food safety and quality culture across the shift with all departments.
• Provide technical guidance and support to other departments.

Food Safety & Quality Management

• Approval of raw materials and ongoing assessment against UK food law, BRCGS standards, customer Codes of Practice, internal specifications and HACCP based food safety hurdles required by the sites
• Ensure raw material controls align with the site HACCP plan, including PRPs and CCP support activities.
• Manage supplier issues, communications and enquiries related to raw materials
• Review and/or manage raw material risk assessments, including biological, chemical, physical and allergen risks
• Control raw material intake process to ensure raw materials are compliant for food safety, quality, authenticity and legality at site and at third party storage providers.
• Control sampling plans for intake of raw materials including organoleptic,microand chemical testing
• Monitor adherence to hygiene procedures and personnel practices.
• Verify effectiveness of cleaning and sanitation programmes in low-risk warehouse.
• Ensure allergen controls and segregation procedures are maintained.
• Conduct regular low-risk warehouse inspections and GMP audits.
• Identify and elevate food safety risks promptly.

Compliance & Auditing

• Support in certification compliance for BRCGS and customer audits at intake and the low-risk warehouse.
• Support the Site Technical Manager and be actively involved during any audit or customer visit, either through shop floor presence or documentation acquisition/presentation.
• Monitor the return of out of specification micro results for raw materials and react in accordance with quality system requirements
• Manage internal audit non-conformances for the raw materials team
• Maintain site quality documentation and records, including NCR's and concessions raised on shift

Product Quality Assurance

• Oversee raw material assessment and release procedures, leveraging supply chain knowledge and seasonal factors
• Complete raw material traceability with suppliers on request including unannounced internal and external audits
• Raise non-conformances with suppliers and manage for adequate close out
• Support in export preparation, compliance and visits
• Arrange and manage GMP audits in warehouse and close out of any deviations
• Act as the technical contact for supplier quality issues and escalations
• Manage, communicate and approve/reject raw material concessions in a timely manner
• Control delivery artwork checks to ensure packaging is correct for compliance and legality.
• Manage communication of issues of ingredient held stock.
• Lead raw material input into food safety incidents, withdrawals and recalls as required
• Ensure RCA is completed to identify preventive actions
• Support process department during the concept to launch process to ensure all new products, once launched,comply withcurrent quality system requirements.
• Review and implement action plans for trends in all areas including GMP, audit non-conformances, supplier issues, intake sampling
• Analyse quality data and KPIs to drive performance improvements by identifying recurring deviations.
• Identify opportunities to reduce waste, defects, complaints, and non-conformances.
• Support site improvement projects and process optimisation initiatives.
• Promote best practice throughout the manufacturing operation.
• Building relationships with our suppliers with the support of the outsourced department
• Quality improvement initiatives through supplier engagement and specification reviews

Reporting & Communication

• Ensure reports are completed and handed over
• Work closely with Production, Technical, Engineering, Hygiene, Planning, and Supply Chain teams.
• Provide quality input into new product development and process changes.
• Ensure quality considerations are embedded in operational decision-making.

Training & Support

• Ensure Raw Material team training needs are known, up to and completed in a timely manner
• Support production teams in understanding quality requirements.
• Promote positive food safety and quality culture.
• Assist with staff training in quality and hygiene procedures when required

Health & Safety

• Ensure that theobjectivesof the company Health Safety & Environment Policy are fully understood andobservedby all levels of managers and employees, especially with regards to their individual duties and responsibilities.
• Ensure that resources are available so that the requirements of the company's policy for Safety, Health & Welfare, and all applicable legislation can becomplied with.
• Ensure that risk assessments and systems of work are safe and free from risk to health,so far asis reasonablypracticable, and are formulated, documented, communicated, and trained.Continuallyseektoidentifyways toreduce risk
• Ensure that adequate supervision is provided so that the work procedures are carried out. This is also to include works carried out by contractors and service personnel.
• Staff undertaking management responsibilities outside normal working hours are adequately trained, and as necessarygenerally madeaware of procedures to be followedin the event ofcircumstances arising relating to Health & Safety.
• Before any plant or equipment is taken in to use, it conforms to legal requirements with regards to Health & Safety at Work, including noise.
• Ensure that, whererequired, protective clothing and equipment is available to all employees, and that it is correctly used by all persons.
• Take responsibility for all Visitors / Contractors within their departments.
• Ensure that good housekeeping standards aremaintainedthroughout their areas of responsibility.
• Ensure thatappropriate remedialaction is taken in respect of all reported defects and complaints / non-conformances.
• Ensure that all equipment is properly and regularlymaintained, and repaired by competent persons, and that records aremaintainedof these works.
• Assistin conducting audits and routine inspections.
• Stop a process that isoperatingout of compliance or specification on legal requirements or is unsafe.
• Monitoring the performancewith regard toHealth & Safety at work of those persons who have responsibility for implementation of the Health Safety & Environment Policy of the company is delegated.
• Provide adequate incentives to managers and employees to performin accordance withthe relevant standards, laws, and regulations. This involves recognition of exemplary performance and discipline(following full investigation)ofbehaviourthat violates these laws, regulations, and standards

Knowledge,Skillsand Experience Qualifications

• L3 Food Safety
• Internal Auditor

Experience

• Experience in a food manufacturing or high-care production environment, with raw material management experience
• Experience with BRCGS Food Safety Standards and major UK retailers
• Understanding of allergen management and environmental monitoring.

Key Skills

• Understanding of food safety principles and quality systems.
• Knowledge of GMP, micro, allergen management, weight control, training and coaching
• Good English (written, verbal) and good basic numeracy . click apply for full job details