The company
Nigel Wright are currently working with a fast-paced food manufacturing business supplying a broad and demanding customer base, producing thousands of bespoke SKUs across complex product ranges. Quality and technical decision-making sit at the heart of daily operations, with a strong emphasis on doing the right thing for customers, consumers and colleagues.

The culture is practical, hands-on and factory-facing. This is not a paperwork-heavy or overly corporate environment – it’s a site where quality professionals are visible on the factory floor, trusted to make decisions, and valued for their technical judgement. Food safety, legality and customer standards are taken seriously, but always balanced with pace, pragmatism and teamwork.

The role
An opportunity has arisen for a Quality Assurance Manager to step into a pivotal, operationally focused role within the technical function. This position plays a critical role in keeping the factory moving while maintaining the highest standards of quality and compliance.

Reporting into the senior technical leadership team, you will lead a small quality team and act as the technical escalation point for the site. The focus is firmly on day-to-day problem solving rather than purely systems management.

Key elements of the role include:
*Managing customer complaints with pace and professionalism
*Investigating quality issues, identifying root cause and implementing practical corrective actions
*Leading shelf-life extension work using sound technical judgement and risk-based decision making
*Acting as a visible, credible technical presence on the factory floor
*Supporting and developing the Quality Team
*Working closely with production teams, influencing decisions and standing your ground when needed
*Maintaining compliance with food safety, legal and customer standards, including BRCGS
*Supporting audits, documentation control and technical standards where required

This role suits someone who enjoys being close to the product and the process, understanding why issues happen and how to fix them quickly and effectively.
The Candidate
This role will suit an ambitious quality professional who thrives in a fast-moving manufacturing environment and is ready to take the next step in their career - ideally someone who is currently working as a Quality Supervisor and is ready to take a step up.

You are likely to be:
*Currently operating at QA Supervisor or similar level within food or drink manufacturing
*Technically strong, with practical food technology or process experience
*Comfortable working in a factory-facing, hands-on role
*Confident handling customer complaints, non-conformances and quality challenges at speed
*Knowledgeable in UK food safety standards, allergens and BRCGS
*A clear communicator who can challenge production constructively
*Resilient, pragmatic and solutions-focused
*Motivated by developing others and being a go-to technical expert on site

If you are looking for a role where your technical expertise genuinely makes a difference every day, this is an opportunity to step into a highly influential quality position within a demanding and rewarding manufacturing environment.