Quality Assurance Assistant

South West Larder: Togetherness, Nurture, Pride, Planet

Full Time: 39 hours a week

Salary range: £17.62 per hour

Location: Compass House, North Petherton and Other Locations as Required

Want to work for a company where Togetherness, Nurture, Pride and Planet are at the heart of everything they do? Then look no further, Somerset Larder produces fresh food and meals to go using locally sourced ingredients from all over the west country. Our philosophy is to nourish the community with amazing produce, to employ local people and to train apprentices for future careers in the catering and hospitality sector.

At Somerset Larder, our Values have been set by our staff. Our Values exist for the good of our working lives and company performance. Our Values are:

- Togetherness - “Be a tractor not a trailer.”
- Nurture - “You grow, I grow, we grow.”
- Pride - “We can and we will”
- Planet - “We’re part of a bigger picture”

As Quality Assurance Assistant, you will audit, monitor and continuously improve quality systems and procedures across all operations. Working with the team on the ground, you’ll provide practical technical support while maintaining and promoting quality and food safety standards in line with South West Larder, customer, and legal requirements.

This role demands a strong focus on allergen management, including cross-contamination prevention, ingredient tracking, and accurate labelling compliance.

Responsibilities

Complete sampling activities to schedule including allergen, environmental, microbiological and hygiene swabbing.; Support New Product Development (NPD) trials and product launches, including allergen management, shelf-life assessment, and organoleptic testing.; Monitor all aspects of the company’s Allergen Management Plan, utilising the systems and audits that prevent allergen cross-contact and ensure accurate ingredient labelling.; Support with complaints, incidents, or out-of-specification results to identify root causes and implement effective corrective and preventive actions; Contribute to Technical KPI delivery through audits, investigations, and proactive improvement actions; Monitor food production processes and carry out internal audits to ensure compliance with food safety, HACCP, and quality standards.; Support with traceability audits, efficiently retrieving data and presenting findings clearly; Participate in external audits carried out at South West Larder operational sites.; Maintain records of audits, sampling, liaison and results.; Travel across Client and company sites and ensure swabs are taken to the laboratory in a timely manner.

Requirements

Food Safety qualification (level 2 or above) – or achieve within 30 days; HACCP training certification – or achieve within 30 days; Allergen Management certification – or achieve within 30 days; Driving licence; Previous experience in a QA or Food Safety role, with a strong understanding of SALSA, HACCP, food safety and hygiene standards; Experience of hospitality and catering operations, standards and best practice; A good level of HACCP knowledge; A good knowledge of allergens; A proactive, detail-focused approach with a natural curiosity to challenge and improve standards while working independently.; Strong communication skills, able to engage confidently with colleagues at all levels; Good organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities to deadlines; A collaborative mindset, working effectively within cross-functional teams; Commitment to continuous improvement and personal development; Highly organised with excellent planning and time-management skills.; Strong written and verbal communication skills.; Strong assessment and evaluation skills.; Ability to analyse information and identify training needs.; Commitment to continuous improvement and professional development.