Product Manager
Zest
The Opportunity
An established food manufacturing business is seeking an experienced Product Manager to lead product quality and food safety at a high‑volume production facility. This is a key role within the site leadership structure, responsible for safeguarding product integrity, driving continuous quality improvement and acting as the guardian of brand standards.
Operating within a fast‑moving FMCG environment, the role offers genuine influence across operations, technical and supply chain teams, with exposure to customer and regulatory stakeholders both in the UK and overseas.
Key Responsibilities
- Full accountability for site product quality and food safety performance
- Lead all regulatory, customer and third‑party audits (announced and unannounced)
- Maintain, develop and audit the Total Quality Management System
- Drive a continuous improvement culture focused on quality, yield and consumer value
- Act as a HACCP team member, ensuring risk assessments, validation and verification are robust
- Oversee raw material intake quality, yield optimisation and allocation
- Manage product quality incidents and complaints through effective RCA and corrective action
- Ensure customer specifications and quality systems are accurate, current and clearly communicated
- Partner with cross‑functional teams to embed best practice and consistent ways of working
- Lead, coach and develop technical team members to ensure capability and engagement
- Act as the custodian of brand quality and integrity
About You
- An experienced Product Quality / Technical Manager from a food or fresh produce environment
- Confident leading audits and acting with authority in a regulated manufacturing setting
- Strong working knowledge of food safety legislation and customer standards
- Collaborative, resilient and commercially minded
- Comfortable influencing across functions and managing multiple stakeholders
- Detail‑focused, analytical and proactive in problem solving
Qualifications & Experience
- Degree in Food Science, Horticulture, Agriculture or similar discipline
- HACCP Level 4 and Level 4 Food Safety
- Internal and third‑party auditing experience
- Proven leadership experience within FMCG or fresh food manufacturing
- Experience driving continuous improvement initiatives
- Full UK driving licence and flexibility to travel to UK and overseas sites as required
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