Job title             QAFLM (Quality Assurance Front Line Manager)

Location:           Fletchers Bakery

Shift:                  4 on 4 off, 12 hours, rotational days and nights 6am - 6pm/6pm - 6am)

Salary:               Competitive with Opportunity for Growth 

Are you passionate about driving continuous improvement and being part of a successful team? Do you have extensive experience in a food production environment? If this sounds like you then keep reading! 

We have an opportunity of a new QAFLM (Quality Assurance Front Line Manager) role to join the Technical Team based in Sheffield.

Are you looking to work for a company which can truly offer you a realistic opportunity to develop, a company who honestly does invest in its people, a place where you are treated equal as part of a diverse team who support and make it a great place to work. Not to mention the salary is competitive and you can get free bakery products – (we hope you like the smell of fresh bread, donuts and muffins while you’re working). We are Fletchers Bakery and we are investing and growing at our site in Sheffield. We have an exciting new job opportunities for QAFLM to grow with us at site.

Here at Fletchers Bakery, we have over 125 years of baking tradition, and we are part of Finsbury Group. Fletchers Bakery can trace its roots back to 1895, when it first started to produce much-loved sliced breads. It’s now one of the most diverse and highly efficient bakery manufacturers in the UK, serving both the retail and foodservice industries.

In our business we are always looking to improve. We need intelligent, effective colleagues to help us move forward. As a QAFLM you will be a respected member of the team, driving improvement and making a difference. The primary role of the QAFLM is to validate the compliance of all required site operations. This includes auditing, measuring, reviewing, and sampling in and around all areas of the factory and ensure all non-compliance/issues are communicated to appropriate leaders so support can be provided to ensure all corrective actions are followed. You will be working actively with the operations team on resolving daily production challenges, making decisions on finish product quality, conducting site traceability, and actively improving site standards. In return we offer industry leading pay rates. They work productively along with the production team to reach the plant production targets on a daily basis, whilst being vigilant and proactive. Throughout the shifts, strict health, safety and hygiene standards must be adhered to, ensure products are made to the highest quality. They work as part of a friendly and supportive departmental teams, which can be busy and hot sometimes (we bake breads – so we need the ovens on).

This is what you’ll actually do!

In this fast moving, busy and varied role, you will be a vital part of the Technical team reporting to the QA Supervisor and responsible for monitoring the quality of product on line while ensuring all process controls are met and recorded on the appropriate paperwork meeting customer and legislative requirements. You will be responsible for highlighting any issues as soon as they are discovered allowing corrective actions to take place, assisting the production staff by ensuring that all process sheets have the correct information and are legible. You will conduct audits of process and HACCP as required.

Front line management of food safety & quality incidents as they arise this is includes completing documentation for Holds, Concession, Non Compliance, Near Miss management for raw materials, finished product and food safety and quality scenarios.  Ensuring investigations are conducted in full, root cause ascertained and corrective actions identified. Be commercially astute with considerations for: how can we be safe / legal / right quality?  Make decisions at pace to ensure plant efficiency / profitability of the business. Are you able to take a pragmatic view, what evidence can I gather to back up my decision making and be confidant at the making the right decision.

Conduct regular internal audits of the sites operations in accordance with the QMS, any non-compliance will have a corrective action assigned and to ensure any actions raised have been closed out effectively.  

Be able to conduct traceability exercises, liaise information to other team members and be able to confidently present the findings to customers during visits and third-party audits. To each of the customer requirements, each exercise will have a time limit to gain the information from the trace and therefore the candidate needs to be able to work under pressure and be self motivated.

Liaise with Operations to investigate consumer complaints to identify root cause ensuring feedback to appropriate teams and relevant corrective actions, to ensure site maintains within target of the CPMU and drive reduction. 

To manage micro and nutritional databases, reporting, investigating, escalating and investigating issues to a resolution.  Work with wider Operations, Hygiene & Technical teams to implement corrective actions.

Carry out daily Product Quality Evaluation and EOL on finished product, record and report results.  Highlight if there are issues and be proactive to resolve the issues, during production.

Export liaising with supplier chain, completing traceability and organising with the site veterinary audits for exporting a number of our products within the EU

Working within the Technical Team the role can be diverse for day to day, there is never two days which are the same. During audits and visits the atmosphere can be very fast paced, and challenging then followed by some quieter days, the candidate must be able have their own organisational skills to manage their tasks day by day. Within the Technical Team there are areas of growth by learning and covering other team members roles and also lots of training is provided. We are small team with a wealth of knowledge and able to offer support and guidance to team members.   

Communication is key within the role and you will be responsible for communicating any issues with calibration to the QA Supervisor and report any issues which may affect product safety, quality and/or legality. You will work closely with the Technical team to resolve any issues as required.

Ideally this is you!

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

·       Level 3 Food Hygiene

·       Level 2 HACCP

·       Competent in MS Office, Word, Excel and Outlook

·       Trained Internal auditor

·       Broad experience of the food industry, in particular bakery manufacture is advantageous

·       Experience of working in a GMP environment

·       A strong awareness of allergen controls

·       Proven track record for continuous improvement and completion of complaint investigations

·       You will also possess excellent team working, communication and negotiating skills you will be well organised with good planning and time management skills. 

Personal Attributes

·     Can do attitude with a hands-on approach

·     Great team player with strong communication skills and gets on well with other people

·     Flexibility in working hours

·     The ability to challenge in a constructive manner

·     Persuasive and able to justify decision making in a constructive manner, taking managed risks

·     Excellent investigation skills and able to present work in a professional verbal or written manner to relevant stakeholders

·     Attention to detail and confidence within their work with a persistence to get the job done

·     A good work ethic is essential as is reliable and committed to the company

·     Have pride in your work and add value to the company

·     Be confident and personable

·     Have the ability to work under pressure

·     Ability to work autonomously, flexibly and pro-actively, taking ownership & accountability of role and tasks, whilst building effective relationships with other departments.

·     Demonstrate the behaviours that align with the company’s vision and values (Teamwork, Ownership, Honesty, Communication and Respect).

Ideally, you would have previous QA experience in the bakery food industry and experience working within a team but if you have and inquisitive mind, a can-do attitude, and a desire to learn we can provide the right training and support to help you fulfil your potential.

Our vision is to be the leading speciality bakery group in the UK, and we want the best people in place to achieve this. Our continued success is built entirely on the talented people who work here, so employee development is important to us because everyone is a valued member of the team, and we want every individual to have the skills and capabilities to achieve both your own personal goals and our business goals.

If you are ready for a new challenge please apply now