Laboratory Manager jobs

Job title – Quality & Environmental Assurance Manager

Location – Ellesmere Port, CH65 7BF

Salary – £45,000 - £55,000 per annum

On site role M-F, no Hybrid, no WFH

This is not a typical Quality & Environmental Assurance Managerial role.

Your mandate for this role is clear - you will design, implement and own the complete Quality, Compliance and Food Safety framework for a brand-new greenfield food-grade rPET in Ellesmere Port. The site is 95% completed. The plant will start its hot commissioning late 2026 and with full operations slated for early 2027.

You build the function from the ground up — protecting the site’s licence to operate, customer trust and food-grade integrity from day one.

What you’ll be doing as Quality & Environmental Assurance Manager:

• Standalone role at the outset — own the full quality management system, food-contact compliance, laboratory, process control, audit readiness and data-driven performance framework. Be part of the senior leadership team and help build the team.
• Real regulatory and commercial stakes: food-grade rPET under strict EU regulations (including Regulation (EU) 2022/1616)
• Design the metrics, dashboards, SPC systems and root-cause frameworks that turn data into operational insight
• Permanent senior role with the chance to shape how a major UK circular-economy facility operates for years to come

Quality Management System & ISO Framework

• Design, implement and maintain a full Quality Management System aligned to ISO 9001, tailored to food-grade rPET manufacturing
• Lead the pathway to (and ongoing maintenance of) ISO 9001, ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 50001 (Energy) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety)
• Establish document control, change management, internal audit programmes, management review and continuous improvement processes
• Build a culture of ownership across operations, maintenance and leadership

Food-Grade Compliance, Regulatory & Customer Requirements

• Act as management representative for the site’s Environment Agency Competence Management System (CMS)
• Own full compliance with EU food-contact regulations for recycled plastics, including Regulation (EU) 2022/1616, Regulation (EC) 1935/2004, Regulation (EU) 10/2011, BRCGS for food-contact packaging materials and GMP requirements (EC) 2023/2006
• Ensure the recycling process remains authorised and operates within any applicable EFSA opinion / Commission authorisation
• Design and maintain robust contamination control, input material acceptance criteria, decontamination process monitoring and finished product release criteria
• Manage customer requirements, questionnaires, audits and specifications
• Establish full traceability from feedstock intake through to finished pellet dispatch

Data-Driven Quality, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Design and implement metrics, KPIs and dashboards covering process capability, non-conformance trends, customer complaints, audit findings, laboratory results and key product attributes (IV, colour, AA, contamination levels)
• Introduce statistical process control (SPC), process capability analysis and data-driven root-cause investigation
• Own the non-conformance, CAPA and continuous improvement systems
• Lead internal and external audit programmes (ISO, customer, regulatory) and keep the site audit-ready
• Work cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering and Leadership to turn data into process improvements and higher first-pass yield

Laboratory, Testing & Supplier Quality

• Establish or oversee the on-site laboratory (and external partnerships), including test methods, calibration, proficiency and data integrity
• Define incoming feedstock quality standards and supplier approval / monitoring processes
• Ensure finished product testing and release processes are robust, risk-based and aligned with food-contact purity requirements and customer specifications

What we’re looking for in a Quality & Environmental Assurance Manager:

You will have significant experience in a Quality, Compliance or Technical Manager role within recycling or manufacturing — ideally plastics, packaging, food-contact materials, chemicals or a closely related process industry

• Proven track record of designing, implementing or leading ISO 9001 (and preferably ISO 14001 / ISO 45001) management systems in an operational environment
• Strong working knowledge of food-contact material regulations and/or recycled plastics compliance (EU 2022/1616, 10/2011, 1935/2004 or equivalent)
• Hands-on experience of data-driven quality management: SPC, process capability, root-cause analysis, CAPA systems and quality performance dashboards
• Experience managing customer audits, regulatory inspections and external certification bodies
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to turn complex data into clear insight and practical action
• Strong organisational and communication skills; able to write clear procedures, train others and influence at all levels
• Self-starter who thrives in a standalone or lean environment and can build structure, systems and culture from the ground up
• To apply for this role as Quality & Environmental Assurance Manager, please click apply online and upload an updated copy of your CV.

Pay: £45,000.00-£55,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Free parking
• On-site parking

Work Location: In person