Overview
Come and join the leading #avoexperts Westfalia Fruit is a leading multinational supplier of fresh fruit and related value-added products to global markets. Through our vertically-integrated supply chain we grow, source, ripen, pack, process and market quality avocados & fresh produce - 365 days a year & across the globe. With the largest avocado-growing footprint in the world, we are recognised as the leading #avoexperts and considered as the supplier of choice to both retail & wholesale customers whom we serve from sales offices in the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America & Southern Africa. We\'re looking for a Quality Systems Manager to join our team in Spalding, UK. The Quality Systems Manager is responsible for maintaining and improving the UK site-level Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring compliance with food safety, legal, and customer standards. The role supports the development of the HACCP/Food Safety and Quality Plan, manages internal and third-party audits, and embeds a strong culture of compliance, food safety, and continuous improvement. This position plays a critical role in safeguarding product integrity, supporting customer satisfaction, and enabling operational efficiency by ensuring systems, documentation, and processes are robust, effective, and consistently applied.
Travel Requirements
* Occasional UK travel to suppliers, service providers, or industry bodies for audits, training, or system alignment.
* Limited international travel may be required to support alignment with global systems.
Responsibilities
* Lead the Quality Standard - Own and maintain a fully functional Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring full compliance with all legal, customer, and industry standards.
* Champion Food Safety - Drive the ongoing development of HACCP and Food Safety & Quality Plans, embedding a strong food safety culture across site operations.
* Audit-Ready, Always - Manage internal audit schedules, lead corrective and preventive actions, and ensure the site is always prepared for external certifications like BRC and GG COC.
* Train & Empower Teams - Deliver impactful training on QMS, GMP, and food safety practices to build knowledge and accountability across the workforce.
* Drive Compliance Metrics - Track and deliver key site KPIs for audits, hygiene, GMP, and environmental standards, ensuring continuous performance improvement.
* Control Hygiene & Pest Management - Oversee hygiene service providers and pest control contractors to maintain the highest site standards.
* Cross-Functional Collaboration - Work closely with Operations, Technical, Hygiene, and Engineering teams to enhance processes and ensure quality at every stage.
* Support Continuous Improvement - Be a key player in site improvement initiatives, evolving systems to meet changing business and regulatory demands.
* Right First Time Approach - Champion grading and defect management at source to reduce waste and increase product quality from the ground up.
* Key Liaison Point - Act as the main contact for third-party auditors, industry bodies, and certification organizations to represent the site professionally and confidently.
Qualifications
* Experience in a quality systems role within fresh produce, FMCG, or food manufacturing.
* Demonstrable experience managing QMS, audits, and certification processes.
* Strong working knowledge of UK food safety legislation and retailer standards.
* Proficient in HACCP, GMP, and internal auditing practices.
* Experience with QMS platforms and data-driven quality management.
* Ability to interpret and apply standards from BRC, GlobalG.A.P, and customer codes of practice.
* Detail-oriented and systematic, with strong organisational skills.
* Confident communicator able to influence at all levels.
* Problem-solver with a continuous improvement mindset.
* Collaborative team player with a proactive, hands-on approach.
* Desirable - Food Safety or Quality Management qualifications (HACCP, Lead Auditor, BRC) preferred.
* Experience working with fresh produce, ripening, or packing operations.
* Exposure to digital quality systems, traceability tools, and data analytics platforms.
* Continuous improvement certification (Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen).
* Prior engagement with UK retailer audits and customer quality requirements.
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