This Dairy Quality Assurance Manager job description sets out the main duties, qualifications, skills and measures of success for the role, which is also known as QA Manager, Quality Manager, Food Safety Manager or Head of Quality. Download it free as a Word or PDF template and adapt it for your own vacancy.
| Job title | Dairy Quality Assurance Manager |
| Also known as | QA Manager, Quality Manager, Food Safety Manager, Head of Quality |
| Department | Dairy quality and laboratory |
| Reports to | Senior Quality Manager or Managing Director |
| Direct reports | QA and QC staff, laboratory manager or supervisor, and product development technologists |
What does a Dairy Quality Assurance Manager do?
Leads quality assurance, quality control and the laboratory at a dairy processing site, making sure products are safe, legal and to specification. Owns the food safety and quality management systems, manages regulatory approvals and customer audits, and drives down complaints and non-conformances.
Dairy Quality Assurance Manager duties and responsibilities
Food safety and quality systems
- Develop, maintain and review the HACCP plan and food safety management system
- Act as management representative for ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 and lead certification audits
- Approve quality system documents and keep them current and controlled
- Run the internal audit programme and follow up corrective actions
- Present quality performance at management review meetings
Regulatory and customer compliance
- Act as main contact with the food safety regulator on product and process matters
- Obtain and maintain product registrations and manufacturing approvals
- Prepare the site for regulatory inspections and customer audits
- Make sure products and labels meet legal standards and customer codes of practice
- Review customer specifications and write quality plans as part of contract review
Process and product control
- Ensure in-process checks, sampling and critical control point monitoring follow the agreed schedule
- Verify cleaning and hygiene standards in production areas and lead hygiene training for all staff
- Control positive release of raw milk, cream, whey and finished products
- Decide how non-conforming product is reworked, diverted or disposed of
- Sit on the recipe team and control approved recipes and formulation records
- Give quality input to new product development and trials
Complaints, suppliers and improvement
- Investigate customer complaints, reply in writing and track corrective and preventive actions
- Approve suppliers through audits and agree raw material and packaging specifications
- Share milk quality results with procurement and farmers and support quality improvement on farm
- Work with engineering to fix equipment and hygiene problems that affect product safety
- Use complaint, non-conformance and test data to target improvement
Team and budget
- Recruit, train and appraise quality and laboratory staff
- Plan staffing and overtime to cover production
- Control the quality budget, including consumables and external testing
- Order laboratory materials in good time so testing is not delayed
- Report quality performance weekly and monthly to senior management
Dairy Quality Assurance Manager qualifications and experience
Essential
- Degree in food science, dairy science, microbiology, chemistry or a related subject
- Substantial experience in quality assurance in dairy or food manufacturing
- Strong working knowledge of HACCP, ISO 9001 and ISO 22000
- Experience of leading external audits and working with food regulators
- Knowledge of chemical and microbiological testing of dairy products
- Experience managing a quality or laboratory team
Desirable
- Advanced HACCP certificate
- ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000 lead auditor qualification
- Experience in infant formula or milk powder production
- Experience in sensory assessment of dairy products
- Knowledge of statistical process control
Skills and attributes
- Leadership and staff development
- Sound judgement on product safety and release
- Audit and investigation skills
- Clear report writing
- Negotiation with customers, suppliers and regulators
- Data analysis and statistical thinking
- Organisation and prioritisation
How success is measured
- Certification, regulatory and customer audit outcomes
- Customer complaints per tonne or per million units
- Non-conformances and corrective actions closed on time
- Product approvals obtained and kept current
- Quality spend against budget
- Rework and waste caused by quality failures
Working conditions and safety
Site-based role across offices, laboratory and production areas, with PPE and hygiene rules in force. Occasional travel to regulators, suppliers and customers, and some out-of-hours cover.
- Follow health and safety rules and safe systems of work, and wear the correct PPE
- Follow food safety, hygiene, HACCP and quality procedures at all times
- Report hazards, accidents, near misses and concerns promptly
Dairy Quality Assurance Manager interview questions
Use these questions to assess candidates for a Dairy Quality Assurance Manager role. Each one includes what a good answer shows.
- How do you review and verify a HACCP plan to make sure it still works?
What a good answer shows: Uses data, audits, validation and team review after changes, complaints or new hazards, not just an annual sign-off. - How do you decide whether non-conforming product is reworked, diverted or disposed of?
What a good answer shows: Assesses safety risk first, then legality, specification and customer needs, documenting the decision and traceability. - How do you prepare a site for a certification audit?
What a good answer shows: Reviews systems, records and open actions in advance, runs mock audits and briefs staff. - How do you approve a new supplier of ingredients or packaging?
What a good answer shows: Uses risk assessment, audits, specifications, certificates and trial results before granting approval. - Complaints about off-flavour rise sharply for one product. How do you respond?
What a good answer shows: Gathers data quickly, checks batches and raw materials, finds the root cause and decides whether product must be held. - A regulatory inspection raises a major non-conformance. How do you respond?
What a good answer shows: Contains any risk, finds the root cause, agrees actions with owners and keeps the regulator updated on progress. - How would you lead the site through a product recall?
What a good answer shows: Knows traceability, clear roles, prompt communication with regulators and customers, and root cause follow-up. - How do you verify cleaning and hygiene standards across production areas?
What a good answer shows: Uses inspections, swabbing, environmental monitoring and trend review, and acts quickly on failures. - How do you develop QA and laboratory staff so they feel able to challenge production?
What a good answer shows: Builds confidence and knowledge, backs staff publicly, sets clear authority and recognises good catches. - How do you plan quality staffing so cover matches production hours?
What a good answer shows: Plans rotas and skills against the production plan, controls overtime and arranges cover for absence.
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Frequently asked questions
Leads quality assurance, quality control and the laboratory at a dairy processing site, making sure products are safe, legal and to specification. Owns the food safety and quality management systems, manages regulatory approvals and customer audits, and drives down complaints and non-conformances.
Employers usually look for: degree in food science, dairy science, microbiology, chemistry or a related subject; substantial experience in quality assurance in dairy or food manufacturing; strong working knowledge of HACCP, ISO 9001 and ISO 22000.
A Dairy Quality Assurance Manager usually reports to the Senior Quality Manager or Managing Director. Direct reports typically include qA and QC staff, laboratory manager or supervisor, and product development technologists.
Yes. Download the free Word template, add your location, contract and salary details, and adapt the duties to your site. You can then advertise the role on Dairy Jobs.
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