Quality Compliance Manager

Quality Systems & Compliance Manager (9-Month Fixed-Term Contract)

Liverpool, UK | Hybrid Working Available | Occasional Travel

A leading global manufacturer operating within a highly regulated food, nutrition, pharmaceutical, or consumer healthcare environment is seeking an experienced Quality Systems & Compliance Manager to lead and oversee the site's Quality Management System (QMS) and compliance programmes during a maternity cover assignment.

This is a strategic leadership role responsible for maintaining a robust, audit-ready quality framework while ensuring the highest standards of product quality, consumer safety, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and continuously improve the site Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring compliance with regulatory, certification, customer, and internal standards.
• Drive audit readiness and manage site preparation for regulatory, certification, customer, and third-party audits.
• Provide governance and oversight of change management, risk management, CAPA, and internal audit programmes.
• Lead compliance activities relating to food defence, food fraud prevention, complaints management, product registrations, and material approval processes.
• Monitor quality and compliance risks, ensuring appropriate escalation, mitigation, and business continuity planning.
• Review product quality, production, analytical, and microbiological data to support disposition and release decisions.
• Oversee complaint investigations, trend analysis, root cause identification, and corrective actions.
• Build and strengthen a culture of quality across the site through leadership, coaching, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a team of quality and compliance professionals.
• Partner with senior leaders and cross-functional teams to ensure quality objectives support wider business priorities.

Requirements

• Proven leadership experience within Quality, Food Safety, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs, or Quality Systems in a highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of Quality Management Systems (QMS), compliance governance, and risk management.
• Experience leading regulatory, certification, and customer audits.
• Demonstrated experience managing change control, internal audits, compliance programmes, and corrective action systems.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage senior leaders and operational teams.
• Experience with in food, nutrition, pharmaceutical, medical device, or other regulated manufacturing sectors.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Regulatory and certification frameworks such as FDA, FSSC 22000, ISO standards, BRCGS, or equivalent.
• Product registration, supplier quality, material approval, food defence, or food fraud programmes.
• Experience leading culture transformation, compliance improvement, or audit readiness initiatives.