Your new company A leading food manufacturing site in the Newtownards area is seeking a dedicated Quality Assurance professional to join its growing quality team. This organisation operates in a fast paced, highly regulated environment and is committed to delivering safe, high quality food products to a wide customer base. With ongoing investment in quality systems, standards and processes, this is an excellent opportunity to join a company where quality, compliance and continuous improvement are at the heart of daily operations. Your new role As a Quality Assurance Operative, you will play a key role in ensuring all food products are prepared, portioned and packaged in line with customer specifications, company standards and regulatory requirements. You will work closely with Production Supervisors, Managers and the wider quality team to maintain compliance across the factory floor, carrying out routine inspections, testing and internal audits. Your responsibilities will include monitoring product quality, verifying production documentation, conducting equipment calibrations, supporting hygiene and sanitation checks, managing traceability, and participating in customer audits. You will also lead investigations into non‑conformances, support root cause analysis and help drive continuous improvements in food safety, quality systems and site performance. What you'll need to succeed 5 GCSEs including English and Maths, with strong written and verbal communication skills Experience working in a regulated environment, with meticulous attention to detail in food hygiene and safety Ability to work to tight deadlines while maintaining high compliance standards Strong analytical, monitoring and problem solving skills with the ability to identify and address non‑conformances Confidence liaising with production teams and providing clear feedback, guidance and support What you'll get in return Opportunity to work as part of a high performing quality team within a fast paced food manufacturing environment Exposure to quality systems, internal auditing, hygiene verification, customer audits and cross functional collaboration A stable shift pattern working 5 days per week (Monday-Sunday rotation) The chance to gain valuable experience in food safety, compliance, QMS documentation and continuous improvement Support with training, development and progression through ongoing performance and personal development planning What you need to do now If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now. If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career. Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk