Quality & Technical Specialist

ZOE is scaling rapidly. We’re broadening our product range, expanding across the EU, and beyond, and entering major retail channels. As our manufacturing partner base, retailer requirements, and technical activity grow, we need dedicated internal ownership of our Quality Management System (QMS), product compliance, supplier controls, and quality processes.

As our Quality & Technical Specialist, you will be the guardian of trust in every product we launch. You’ll be the operational engine of our technical function—ensuring documentation is audit-ready, risks are visible, suppliers are governed, products are verified, and international launches have solid technical foundations.

What you’ll be doing

• QMS & Compliance: Maintain QMS records, audit schedules, and safety policies in line with BRCGS, HACCP, and UK/EU food regulations.

• Supplier Governance: Act as the primary technical contact for co-manufacturers and ingredient suppliers, owning onboarding, audits, certifications, and technical approvals.

• Product & Retail Specs: Own finished product/packaging specifications, review artwork for labelling accuracy, and manage retailer technical portals.

• Allergen Control & Compliance: Own allergen risk assessments across all product lines, validating co-packer line clearance protocols, clean-downs, and matrix management to eliminate cross-contamination risks.

• Recalls & Crisis Management: Lead mock recall exercises and own the operational response plan for product incidents, ensuring full supply chain traceability at all times.

• Verification & Testing: Oversee lab testing (microbiological, chemical, sensory), shelf-life studies, nutritional verification, and Certificates of Analysis (CoA).

• Complaints & Risk (CAPA): Lead root-cause investigations into non-conformances (NCR) and consumer complaints, implementing corrective action plans (CAPA).

• Launch & Process Automation: Support NPD and market expansion compliance, using digital tools and AI to streamline quality workflows and tracking.

What you’ll bring

• 2–5 years of experience in food, beverage, dietary supplements, or fast-moving consumer health.

• Food Safety Knowledge: Working knowledge of HACCP principles and standard compliance frameworks (BRCGS, SALSA, GFSI, ISO).

• Technical & Lab Literacy: Experience reviewing lab data (CoAs, micro testing, shelf-life studies) and writing product specifications.

• Allergen Expertise: Understanding of UK/EU allergen labelling laws and practical experience auditing allergen controls and cleaning validation at third-party manufacturing facilities.

• Traceability or Recall Experience: Hands-on experience conducting traceability audits and executing mock or live product recalls.

• Data-Savvy & Adaptable: Thrives analyzing complaint trends and solving quality issues in a fast-paced scale-up.

• Right to Work: Permanent right to work in the UK or EU.

• Willingness to Travel: Ability and willingness to travel to manufacturing partners and supplier sites (primarily UK/EU) approximately once or twice every few months for routine audits, relationship building, and production trials.

The nice-to-haves

• Experience supporting physical product launches outside the UK (particularly EU or North America).

• Degree or formal apprenticeship in Food Science, Food Technology, or quality auditing.

• Experience navigating major retailer technical portals and due-diligence questionnaires.

• Curiosity and enthusiasm for using AI tools and digital automation to streamline operations and administrative work.

What success looks like in this role

• Audit-Ready QMS: ZOE’s quality documentation is current, complete, and easy to navigate.

• Controlled Suppliers: Supplier approvals, certifications, and technical records are structured and up to date.

• Seamless Launches: Retailer due diligence and international expansions are supported by accurate technical documentation on schedule.

• Closed-Loop Quality: Quality complaints, NCRs, and CAPAs are tracked, analyzed, and resolved quickly to prevent recurrences.