Job Title: Third Party Quality Lead
Location: Cumbernauld/Milton Keynes
Contract and working pattern: Hybrid, permanent
Are you ready to Be Your Best Barr None?
Lets Grow!!!
We are all about Being Your Best Barr None and having a career with real Moments that Matter!
Employing around 950 people across the UK, we are proud to be a responsible business that takes care of our people, values diversity, gives something back to our communities and works to minimise our environmental impact.
For 150 years AG Barr has been building great brands and is home to some of the nations favourite flavours.
At our core is IRN-BRU, launched in 1901 and still going strong today, the vibrant RUBICON fruit based brand, Boost making every moment better with a caffeine kick, hydration hit or tasty treat, and FUNKIN where real fruit means authentic taste.
We also have a number of exciting owned brands within our portfolio including MOMA, which crafts quality oats into great tasting oat drinks and porridges.
There's never been a better time to join us!
What we’re looking for…
As a Virtual Factory Quality Lead, you will protect brand integrity, drive world-class food safety standards across third-party manufacturers, and hold external suppliers to uncompromising quality and hygiene excellence.
Your responsibilities will include...
- Partnering with external manufacturers to drive continuous improvement in food safety, GFSI/BRC quality systems, and hygiene standards.
- Investigating consumer complaints, analysing KPI trends, and executing root-cause corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
- Coordinating and delivering the full product testing, monitoring, and audit schedules for all third-party sites.
- Managing end-to-end incident response, including stock isolation, non-conformance management, and stakeholder communications.
- Proactively refining VF systems, procedures, and equipment controls alongside the Group Quality Systems Manager.
- Tracking audit findings and site action plans to guarantee robust, timely closure.
- Deputising for the Virtual Factory Quality Manager and traveling across the UK/EU for site audits as needed.
What you’ll bring...
The successful candidate will have:
- Quality management experience within an FMCG environment (ideally food and drink).
- Proven expertise in managing Quality Systems, conducting external site audits, and upholding BRC/GFSI standards.
- In-depth practical knowledge of HACCP, GMP, and relevant food safety regulatory frameworks.
- Strong influential leadership, communication, and cross-functional team-working skills.
- HNC or equivalent qualification in a relevant scientific discipline.
And it would also be great if you can demonstrate:
- Food microbiology knowledge and familiarity with industry-standard micro-testing methods/GLP.
- Direct experience within the soft drinks manufacturing sector.
- Proficiency in Google Workspace (G Suite) tools and applications.
What we offer…
We believe in creating a diverse and inclusive culture where your voice can be heard. Our skilled, loyal and committed people are critical to the future success of AG Barr which is why we are continually investing in our employees to develop their talent.
We look after our employees by offering a competitive salary and benefits package which includes;
- Uncapped bonus linked to business performance
- Defined contribution Pension
- Up to 34 days holiday (depending on shift pattern)
- Flexible holiday trading
- Flexible cash pot to spend on benefits
- Healthcare Cash Plan
- Flexible benefits e.g. discounts & cashbacks, gym memberships, technology purchases etc
- Life assurance
- Save as you earn scheme
- Staff sales discount
- Free AG Barr products throughout your working day and staff sales
- Annual salary review
- Ongoing professional development and access to Learning and Development programmes and content
And much more!
To find out more about what it is like to work for AG Barr, please visit our careers platform here.
We are an equal opportunities employer and happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be needed for successful candidates with a disability, health or mental health condition.
While we have highlighted our ideal requirements for this role, we are realistic that the successful candidate probably won't meet every single requirement in this advert, but we are big advocates of people growing in role. So even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to submit an application - you may be just what we are looking for! Apply now!
Speculative CVs from agencies will not be accepted.
Please note, we may close vacancies early where we receive significant numbers of applications, so apply now!
Skills Required
- Quality management experience within an FMCG environment, ideally food and drink
- Experience managing quality systems and conducting external site audits
- Knowledge of BRC and GFSI standards
- Practical knowledge of HACCP, GMP, and relevant food safety regulatory frameworks
- Strong influential leadership, communication, and cross-functional teamwork skills
- HNC or equivalent qualification in a relevant scientific discipline
- Food microbiology knowledge and familiarity with microbiological testing methods and GLP
- Experience in soft drinks manufacturing
- Proficiency with Google Workspace tools and applications
What We Do
We are a UK-based branded multi beverage business that is ambitious and value driven, with strong consumer focus,. We are brand owners and builders, offering a diverse and differentiated portfolio of brands that people love. The company was established over 145 years ago in Scotland. At our core is the Barr Soft Drinks division, home to some of the UK’s most loved soft drinks brands. Whether it’s the iconic IRN-BRU, launched in 1901 and still going strong today, the vibrant RUBICON fruit based brand or the unique range of BARR flavours, Barr Soft Drinks’ brands offer people a choice of great tasting products and bring exciting innovation to the market, available across multiple channels. Our FUNKIN business operates within the exciting and growing cocktail market. Real fruit means authentic taste and FUNKIN believes that to shake the best cocktail you have to use the best ingredients. That’s why they use the best fruit to create their premium products, famous amongst top bartenders. Now the UK’s number 1 cocktail brand FUNKIN provides innovative and unique purées, syrups, mixers and ready to drink cocktails, for behind the bar and at home. Our BOOST business is always looking for new trends and to appeal to the evolving tastes of drinkers. Proud to offer an exciting range of flavours across several functional drinks categories - Energy Stimulation, Sport and Iced Coffee - BOOST enjoys a very strong position within the UK independent retail channel and has an exclusive sales and distribution partnership with the fruit drinks brand RIO. MOMA uses a blend of the highest quality wholegrain jumbo oats that give its oat drinks a full-bodied flavour and its porridge a distinctively creamy texture. MOMA believes in crafting simple, natural ingredients into food and drink that tastes. AG Barr’s simple, effective and profitable business model - making, moving, marketing and selling - is supported by strong partnerships, talented people and responsible actions.
