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.

KEY 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.

Essential Qualifications

• 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

Essential Experience

• 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

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Attributes

• 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.

Employee Benefits Menu

At Somerset Larder, we believe our people are the secret ingredient to our success. Here’s a flavourful look at the benefits we’ve cooked up for our amazing team:

Generous Time Off

Savour a well-balanced blend of work and personal time with our generous annual leave allowance (31 days including bank holidays)

Pension Contributions with Extra Spice

Prepare for your future with a pension plan that goes beyond the basics - 5% from you, matched with a hearty 5% from us

Life Assurance

Our life assurance plan is here to provide peace of mind, so you can focus on serving up excellence

Cycle Scheme

Get a healthy and eco-friendly start to each day with our cycle scheme - perfect for working up an appetite!

Comprehensive Family Leave Benefits

When life serves up big changes, we’re here to support you with a menu of family leave benefits designed so you can make memories as you care for your family.

Free Food and Drink on Shift

Enjoy a daily free meal/drink so you can fuel up and stay energised.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)/Mental Health First Aiders

Tap into our 24/7, all-year round helpline and portal Wisdom, loaded with resources on health, finances, legal advice and lifestyle tips - a full menu of support options

Christmas Shutdown

Relax during the festive period whilst the operation is closed between Christmas and New Year - a rarity for the Hospitality industry (option to volunteer for skeleton staffing)

Learning, Development and Apprenticeship Opportunities

Stir up new skills with a range of development and apprenticeship opportunities to help you grow your career and cook up success in the culinary world.

Access to Occupational Health

As a perk of being part of the HPC project, you will have access to Health Partners, the UK’s leading provider of workplace health services

Refer a Friend Scheme

Use our employee referral programme and benefit financially by adding people from your professional network to our workforce.

Monthly Recognition: A Toast to you

Each month, we raise a glass to our star team members who go above and beyond, as nominated by their colleagues

Long Service Awards

Celebrate the milestones! Receive our heartfelt gratitude and special recognition at your 5- and 10-year anniversaries

Annual Team Awards

Join us for our annual awards event as we honour the outstanding contributions and achievements of our team. It’s our way of saying cheers to you!

This benefits menu is our recipe for a rewarding and fulfilling career, where you can develop your talents and delight in the journey ahead.

Pre-Employment Screening

Successful applicants will be required to provide a three-year employment history and five-year address history to work on Hinkley Point C.

They must be able to provide in date photographic ID and their right to work in the UK so that security clearance can be obtained as these roles are based on a nuclear regulated site.