Storage & Distribution, Quality & Food Safety Manager

Package DescriptionAs we continue our mission to make people and nature happy through reinventing chocolate, we're looking for a Storage & Distribution, Quality & Food Safety Manager to join our Quality & Food Safety (Technical) Team on a permanent basis.The Storage & Distribution Quality & Food Safety Manager is accountable for the strategic leadership, governance and continuous improvement of Quality & Food Safety across Hadley Park, Alpha and Beta storage and distribution operations.As well as a competitive salary and a range of company benefits including private healthcare cover, enhanced maternity and paternity leave and Company pension contributions, you'll receive 50% discount on all products, and a 70% discount for you and your guests when you stay at our Rabot Estate hideaway on the paradise island of Saint Lucia.The onsite location for this role is mainly based at our Factory 'St Neots site in Cambridgeshire, with regular travel to our sites in both Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire and Harpole, Northampton.

What you'll be doing Quality, Food Safety & Compliance Leadership

• Lead compliance with the latest BRCGS Storage & Distribution Standard and/or FSSC 22000 requirements.
• Act as the site lead during external audits and customer visits.
• Maintain overall accountability for the Quality Management System (QMS) across all S&D operations.
• Approve new and revised Quality & Food Safety procedures, P&P standards and policies.
• Develop and implement the annual Quality & Food Safety strategy and objectives.
• Respond promptly to S&D-related store queries and complaints, enabling effective trending, reporting and action planning.

Risk Management & Technical Governance

• Chair HACCP and TACCP teams, ensuring assessments remain effective, risk based and aligned to operational activities.
• Lead Product Related Incident Management Process (PRIMP) investigations and escalation processes.
• Ensure effective management of emerging food safety, quality and regulatory risks.
• Provide Q&FS guidance and decision making support for serious quality incidents and escalations.

Food Safety Culture & Continuous Improvement

• Own the S&D Food Safety Culture programme, including delivering an annual survey, hosting food safety week, driving action plans and improvement initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement projects that strengthen compliance, efficiency and operational performance.
• Partner with Fulfilment and Operations leaders to embed quality and food safety standards.
• Use performance trends, audit results and complaints data to identify strategic improvement opportunities.

Audit & Compliance Governance

• Own the internal audit framework and compliance verification programme applying governance, including escalation of major non conformances, routine performance review and resource allocation.
• Review audit outcomes, trends and corrective action performance.
• Complete and document unannounced internal Q&FS audits of all areas.
• Escalate significant findings and ensure effective corrective and preventative action plans are implemented.
• Ensure audit readiness is maintained across all sites.

Traceability, Pest Management

• Lead the traceability team for Q&FS, maintaining compliance with HC procedures, conducting training and identifying best practice opportunities.
• Oversee the pest management programme for all manufacturing & storage and distribution sites, including contractor governance, risk assessment of recommendations and conduct routine quarterly/annual supplier performance reviews.
• Monitor online damage complaints, identify trends and drive action plans to deliver year on year reduction.

Leadership & Team Development

• Provide leadership, coaching and development for the Quality & Food Safety Compliance Specialist.
• Establish department objectives, performance measures and development plans.
• Support succession planning and capability development within the Quality & Food Safety function.
• Provide cover and leadership support across the wider Operational Q&FS team when required.

Reporting & Stakeholder Management

• Produce and present periodic Quality & Food Safety performance reviews, Lead four weekly quality review meetings.
• Provide regular updates to senior management on compliance, risks and improvement activities.
• Represent Quality & Food Safety within cross functional business forums.

Essential

• A strong understanding of the FSSC 22000 standards.
• Experienced in managing an internal audit governance programme.
• HACCP & Food Safety Level 3
• Proactive can do attitude
• A strong eye for detail and accuracy of information.

Desirable

• Training experience.
• Food safety culture experience.
• Allergen Awareness.
• TACCP Awareness
• HACCP & Food Safety Level 4
• BPCA L2 Pest Management