Quality Assurance Manager
| Posting date: | 29 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £40,000 to £50,000 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 28 February 2026 |
| Location: | Manchester, North West, manchester |
| Company: | Connections Recruitment |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 59057141 |
Summary
Quality Manager (Product / Retail) required at long established FMCG operation
Chinese Speaker advantage
- To lead quality standards across the business. To liaise with our buying ,supplier and imports network in order to outline clients expectations in regard to suitability and legal compliance of products purchased.
- Key Accountabilities – Quality Assurance.
- Ensure that the procedural requirements are in place on the scheme to comply with NQA /ISO Quality Management Plan.
- Ensure that the Project Quality Plans are in place, maintained, kept up to date, and that additional controls are added to suit the site practice
- Provide leadership and line management to the Quality team (UK).
- Provide leadership and organisation/Scheduling to the Quality team (FE).
- Leads the quality interface with the Imports department to ensure all inbound materials meet regulatory, customer, and internal quality standards.
- Works closely with Imports to schedule and prioritise sampling, and inspection activities for incoming shipments based on productions.
- Acts as the QA point of contact for Imports on all matters involving incoming shipments, quality holds, deviations, and regulatory documentation.
- Reviewing all inspection reports against Specifications and updating D365.
- Prepare and issue Quality Reports to business/ partner/ customers when required
- Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with the Warehouse management and Quality Control Team.
- Promote a continuous improvement and right first-time culture on the project
- Monitor any changes in documentation, legal alterations or any information relating to, or could have an impact on , the quality assurance of products.
- Provide training/assistance/mentoring in Quality systems to site-based staff as required.
- Share best practice and lessons learnt
- Chair quality management meetings for the wider team including customers/ partners representatives, including Quality Risk Reviews.
- Manage the inspection and testing regime both internally or overseas inspection process.
- Manage the NCR, corrective action and defect management process (including any chargebacks.
- Manage and maintain Audit assessments with factories and Key Account customers.
- Ensuring that the organisation complies with regulations guiding product manufacturing, packaging/ Waste, safety, and quality
- Evaluate, assesses and determine corrective actions for quality issues reported.
- Lead any investigations and action: Health and Safety incidents, customer issues, poor item/category performance.
- Serves as the lead Quality contact for key retail customers, supporting audits, quality risk reviews, product approvals, and issue resolution.
- Leads factory-facing quality management, including supplier audits, corrective action plans, and ongoing performance improvement.
- Chairs customer and supplier quality meetings, managing escalations, non-conformances, and corrective actions through to resolution.
Process Improvement
- QMS maintenance & improvement activities
- ISO 9001
- Manage all legal requirements regarding WEEE and RoHS Directives and continually keeping all company records updated, with all aspects of legality of EC declarations.
- Deal with all certification including National Accounts and International customers.
- Team Management and Development.
- Sustainability and environmental and social performance (on CO₂ emissions data).
- Auditing, NCRs, CAPs, Investigations, Data analysis, etc.
- Quality strategy and business objectives.
Critical Skills/Knowledge
- The ability to identify key issues, evaluate data, and draw informed conclusions
- Ability to write both procedural documents and less formal training materials in a clear and consistent manner
- Effective time and workload management
- Ability to define goals and plan to deliver them
- Ability to work to deadlines and manage changing priorities
- Ability and desire to travel to meet the requirements of the role
- Flexible approach
-
-
- Minimum Experience:
- 5+ years of experience working in Quality role
- 5+ years auditing experience.
-
- Preferred Experience:
- QA or Product in the Retail or Consumer Product industries.
- Section 5: Additional Essential Job Requirements
- Maintain regular and punctual attendance.
- Ability to comply with all company policies and procedures.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to work under pressure in order to meet strict deadlines.
- Ability to work overtime if needed.
- Ability to travel overseas.
-
-
- Note: Keep in mind the position could be filled from any market and we can modify the qualifications section later based on market specific description regulations once a candidate is identified.
This job description is not an exhaustive list of all functions that the position may be required to perform, and the position may be required to perform additional functions as assigned. Additionally, Searchlight reserves the right to revise the job description at any time.
Chinese Speaker advantage
- To lead quality standards across the business. To liaise with our buying ,supplier and imports network in order to outline clients expectations in regard to suitability and legal compliance of products purchased.
- Key Accountabilities – Quality Assurance.
- Ensure that the procedural requirements are in place on the scheme to comply with NQA /ISO Quality Management Plan.
- Ensure that the Project Quality Plans are in place, maintained, kept up to date, and that additional controls are added to suit the site practice
- Provide leadership and line management to the Quality team (UK).
- Provide leadership and organisation/Scheduling to the Quality team (FE).
- Leads the quality interface with the Imports department to ensure all inbound materials meet regulatory, customer, and internal quality standards.
- Works closely with Imports to schedule and prioritise sampling, and inspection activities for incoming shipments based on productions.
- Acts as the QA point of contact for Imports on all matters involving incoming shipments, quality holds, deviations, and regulatory documentation.
- Reviewing all inspection reports against Specifications and updating D365.
- Prepare and issue Quality Reports to business/ partner/ customers when required
- Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with the Warehouse management and Quality Control Team.
- Promote a continuous improvement and right first-time culture on the project
- Monitor any changes in documentation, legal alterations or any information relating to, or could have an impact on , the quality assurance of products.
- Provide training/assistance/mentoring in Quality systems to site-based staff as required.
- Share best practice and lessons learnt
- Chair quality management meetings for the wider team including customers/ partners representatives, including Quality Risk Reviews.
- Manage the inspection and testing regime both internally or overseas inspection process.
- Manage the NCR, corrective action and defect management process (including any chargebacks.
- Manage and maintain Audit assessments with factories and Key Account customers.
- Ensuring that the organisation complies with regulations guiding product manufacturing, packaging/ Waste, safety, and quality
- Evaluate, assesses and determine corrective actions for quality issues reported.
- Lead any investigations and action: Health and Safety incidents, customer issues, poor item/category performance.
- Serves as the lead Quality contact for key retail customers, supporting audits, quality risk reviews, product approvals, and issue resolution.
- Leads factory-facing quality management, including supplier audits, corrective action plans, and ongoing performance improvement.
- Chairs customer and supplier quality meetings, managing escalations, non-conformances, and corrective actions through to resolution.
Process Improvement
- QMS maintenance & improvement activities
- ISO 9001
- Manage all legal requirements regarding WEEE and RoHS Directives and continually keeping all company records updated, with all aspects of legality of EC declarations.
- Deal with all certification including National Accounts and International customers.
- Team Management and Development.
- Sustainability and environmental and social performance (on CO₂ emissions data).
- Auditing, NCRs, CAPs, Investigations, Data analysis, etc.
- Quality strategy and business objectives.
Critical Skills/Knowledge
- The ability to identify key issues, evaluate data, and draw informed conclusions
- Ability to write both procedural documents and less formal training materials in a clear and consistent manner
- Effective time and workload management
- Ability to define goals and plan to deliver them
- Ability to work to deadlines and manage changing priorities
- Ability and desire to travel to meet the requirements of the role
- Flexible approach
-
-
- Minimum Experience:
- 5+ years of experience working in Quality role
- 5+ years auditing experience.
-
- Preferred Experience:
- QA or Product in the Retail or Consumer Product industries.
- Section 5: Additional Essential Job Requirements
- Maintain regular and punctual attendance.
- Ability to comply with all company policies and procedures.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to work under pressure in order to meet strict deadlines.
- Ability to work overtime if needed.
- Ability to travel overseas.
-
-
- Note: Keep in mind the position could be filled from any market and we can modify the qualifications section later based on market specific description regulations once a candidate is identified.
This job description is not an exhaustive list of all functions that the position may be required to perform, and the position may be required to perform additional functions as assigned. Additionally, Searchlight reserves the right to revise the job description at any time.