Job Description:
There is an exciting opportunity to join the R&D team as our next Quality Assurance Specialist.
This role is based at our Plymouth site within Mars Wrigley Confectionery. As a critical member of our team, you will be responsible for effectively implementing the Quality Management System standards and enabling the consistent delivery of our high-quality products. You will act as a key driver of continuous improvement, the CAPA process, and our internal and external audit programs. By acting as a role model for quality leadership, you will engage, coach, and inspire associates across both supply and technical teams to maintain excellent Quality and Food Safety (Q&FS) standards on-site.
What are we looking for?
Education & Professional Qualification: A bachelor’s or master’s degree in food technology, quality management, microbiology or another relevant quality discipline. Excellent verbal and written English communication skills are essential.
Experience: At least 2 years of experience in the food industry or a dedicated quality assurance role.
Technical Knowledge: Strong working knowledge of HACCP, FSSC 22000 quality & food safety management systems.
Core Skills: Sound risk management, audit management, and strong organizational skills.
Collaborative Leadership: A true passion for quality principles and a natural affinity for educating others, driving a strong quality culture, and coaching associates.
Key Competencies: High proficiency in quality decisions, planning, priority setting, accountability, driving for results, and building strong cross functional peer relationships (including managing internal/external networks and influencing others).
What will be your key responsibilities?
Site quality management system maintenance & audits: Deploy global standards into the factory, ensure effective implementation through regular process confirmation, and train internal auditors. You will also organize and manage internal and external audits (including LRQA, Halal & Kosher) and represent the site in regional quality management system communities of practice.
CAPA Process Ownership: Own the local and regional Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) management processes. You will guide teams through root cause analysis for non-conformities, ensure findings are resolved in compliance with quality management system requirements, and report CAPA metrics locally and regionally.
Complaint Investigation & Target Monitoring: Serve as the single point of contact for consumer and customer complaints. You will lead investigations and trend analysis and execute targeted projects to ensure the site meets regional complaint-reduction targets.
Standards Ownership & Reviews: Coordinate preparations and keep records for quality management system reviews. You will also take accountability for the timely preparation, implementation, and reporting of Q&FS standards.
Cross Functional Quality Support: Provide expert Q&FS inputs and risk assessments with site experts to manage risks, support factory quality associates with troubleshooting, and maintain product safety & quality.
Promoting Quality Culture: Organize interactive on-site events (such as Quality Day and Quality Conversations) to continuously engage associates and keep food safety at the forefront of daily operations.
Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
An industry-competitive salary and benefits package, including a company bonus.
Mars is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable adjustments for individuals with disabilities, long term health conditions or are neurodiverse during the application and recruitment process. To request reasonable adjustments, complete our Reasonable Adjustment Request Form here
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Skills Required
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in food technology, quality management, microbiology, or related discipline.
- At least 2 years of experience in the food industry or a dedicated quality assurance role.
- Strong working knowledge of HACCP and FSSC 22000 quality and food safety management systems.
- Experience with CAPA processes, root cause analysis, and corrective/preventive action management.
- Experience organizing and managing internal and external audits (including LRQA, Halal, Kosher).
- Sound risk management, audit management, and strong organizational skills.
- Excellent verbal and written English communication skills.
- Ability to coach, educate, and influence cross-functional teams to drive quality culture.
- Experience with complaint investigation, trend analysis, and reporting quality metrics.
Mars Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Mars and has not been reviewed or approved by Mars.
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Healthcare Strength — The benefits package is positioned as comprehensive, with broad medical coverage and additional protections like life insurance and short- and long-term disability. Mental health support is emphasized, including free mental health services and wellbeing programming under initiatives such as Mars Be Well.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is highlighted as market-leading in the U.S., with an example of 18 weeks fully paid for both parents. Additional family-related leave types such as sick time for caregiving and bereavement leave are also described as part of the overall package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings are described as strong, including 401(k) matching (with a 6% match cited) and pension plans in some cases. The broader package also references retirement savings options and contributions aligned to local market practice, supporting long-term financial security.
Mars Insights
What We Do
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™. We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
