Technical Assistant, Quality Assurance - QA​/QC

Fresh People are recruiting for a Technical Assistant on behalf of a leading fresh produce supplier based in the Maidstone location. This is an excellent opportunity for a technically driven individual to support product safety, quality and compliance within a fast-paced fresh produce operation. The Technical Assistant will work closely with technical, commercial, compliance, packaging and production teams to ensure efficient technical processes and contribute to continuous improvement across the group.

The Role Provide day-to-day support to the technical function, ensuring product safety, quality and legality. Maintain technical documentation and customer technical libraries. Coordinate product samples, trials and benchmarking activities. Support audits, supplier and customer visits with accurate technical information. Communicate daily on quality issues with production and prepare weekly KPI and QSL updates. Compile weekly KPI reports to support visibility across technical and commercial teams.

Assist with technical improvement projects, SOP updates and system enhancements. Review customer and supplier platforms, including specifications and compliance records. Support complaint handling, shelf-life checks, depot inspection summaries and waste reporting. Prepare crop reports, supplier reviews and internal meeting documents. Contribute to quality culture activities, KPI tracking and category development projects. Support packaging, compliance and category teams with updates and reduction initiatives.

Assist with food safety, integrity and agent audit activities. Help implement new customer policies, standards and resilience plans. Maintain high standards of product safety and quality assurance throughout intake, packing and dispatch. Support specification updates and contribute to innovation and NPD activities. About You Experience in a technical, auditing or quality role within fresh produce or a factory environment. Knowledge of GMP auditing, HACCP Level 2, TACCP and BRCGS standards.

Understanding of customer audit requirements (e.g. M&S, Ocado). Familiarity with ERP systems (Prophet desirable). Experience across multiple fresh produce categories and understanding of produce labelling requirements. Strong organisational and communication skills, able to work collaboratively across teams. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a well-established fresh produce business and make a tangible impact within a forward-thinking technical team.