Food Safety & Quality Manager
Location: Hounslow
Department: Quality Assurance
Reports to: Head of Quality Assurance
Contract: Full-time, Permanent (40 hours)
Salary: £45,000-£50,000
Hours: Monday-Friday, 08:30-17:00, with occasional weekend work (approx. 1 weekend per month)
The opportunity
We're looking for a Food Safety & Quality Manager to lead and inspire our UK Quality Assurance team, elevate our food safety culture, and ensure that every product meets DO & CO's exceptionally high standards. This role is pivotal in safeguarding compliance, driving continuous improvement, and partnering with both internal stakeholders and external authorities.
What you'll do
Lead, coach, and motivate the UK Quality Auditors across all UK units-developing capability, setting direction, and providing meaningful feedback.
Implement food safety legal requirements; continuously improve the HACCP system and procedures (aligned to Codex Alimentarius).
Ensure HALAL compliance and manage the annual certification process.
Conduct supplier audits and collaborate with Purchasing to ensure all raw materials meet DO & CO standards-maintaining internal ingredient specifications.
Plan and manage scheduled internal audits: Hygiene, Glass & Foreign Body, GMP, and HACCP.
Liaise with EHO, FSA, and other external bodies; ensure proactive updates to production when legislation changes.
Strive for and maintain annual third-party certification in line with FSSC 22000.
Build strong customer partnerships and support commercial teams with technical credibility.
Identify, investigate, and resolve non-compliances; drive corrective and preventive actions.
Ensure all specifications and recipes are current, controlled, and accessible.
Produce accurate quality assessment reports and follow through on actions.
Work closely with Executive and Operations teams to ensure product safety and quality by design.
Approve suppliers; lead data analysis and statistical interpretation to inform decisions.
Maintain robust document control (issue dates, version control).
Oversee complaint handling from recording through investigation and feedback to partners, suppliers, and senior leadership.
Provide precise, timely reporting to the Executive Team and Head Office.
Be a strategic, hands-on leader who champions targets, culture, and team success.
What you'll bring
Proven leadership with a role-model mindset-hands-on, solutions-focused, and performance-driven.
Genuine passion for high-end cuisine and exceptional service.
Professional presence with a positive, can‑do attitude and team-first approach.
Change champion-able to identify priorities and drive improvements across departments.
Meticulous attention to detail; data-driven with strong influencing skills.
A natural communicator-clear, engaging written and verbal English; adept at keeping teams informed.
Flexible, decisive, and calm under change; committed to doing what's right for our partners and the DO & CO Family.
Deep operational understanding of Food Safety/Quality with a practical, hands-on approach to improvement.
HACCP & Food Hygiene certification (essential).
BSc in Food Science or significant relevant experience in a similar role.
High proficiency in Microsoft Office; confident with reporting and data management.
Solid understanding of Health & Safety and Sustainability principles.
What we offer
A premium, fast-paced environment with global exposure and high culinary standards.
The chance to shape and elevate food safety and quality across multiple sites.
A supportive, family-led culture that values initiative, collaboration, and growth.
Competitive salary (£45,000-£50,000) and the stability of a permanent role