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Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Quality Control Team Member

Suma
Elland, West Yorkshire

Posted: 25 Sep 2025

Deadline: 13 Oct 2025

Compensation: £17.24 per hour

Living Wage employer Ethnicity Confident scheme

Paid Full-time Part-time Permanent

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Job description

Function

To follow systems and carry out procedures to provide appropriate due diligence in our handling of food and non-food products. To champion all aspects of quality within Suma Brand products.

Scope of the Job

To work as part of the QC team, reporting to the QC coordinator, undertaking all aspects of quality control work within Suma as required.  You will be proactive in developing systems and processes which prevent quality issues arising as a result of bad practice. Using the existing systems and processes, you will be responsible for monitoring quality standards and taking appropriate action when issues are presented.  The role will require interacting with external and internal customers and this will require communicating clearly and the ability to challenge the status-quo.

Main tasks

  • To operate a Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Point (HACCP) system as required by the Food Safety Regulations.  Working with Environmental Health, Trading Standards and other external bodies as required.
  • Weekly monitoring of warehouse, stock and records for evidence of quality issues and regularly verifying/challenging Suma’s systems.
  • Liaise with Suma Brand and non-Suma Brand suppliers regarding rejected stock, complaints, product information, trends, product recalls and premises audits.
  • Keep up to date with developments e.g. recent food scares, news and legislation.
  • Ensure Suma Brand products continue to meet the requirements of specified licensed bodies: FTF, MHRA, Soil Association and BUAV.  Assist with the annual review and registration for these licences
  • Create and maintain product specifications and ensure all internal databases and both Suma websites declare accurate product information
  • Ensure Suma product specifications are reviewed as per the schedule
  • To maintain Suma Brand labelling compliance and various label databases- working closely with contract packers.
  • Design and operate a supplier approval and assessment procedure    
  • Review the allergen profile of bulk commodities supplied by the approved suppliers and update the relevant databases
  • Review the blanket precautionary allergen labelling statement declared on bagged down/pre-packs considering the latest data provided by our suppliers and our contract packers, to ensure labelling is accurate and there is no under nor over declaration of trace allergens.
  • Work to continuously improve systems, processes and quality
  • Obtain updated quality and safety accreditation documentation for approved suppliers in line with Suma policy
  • Implement Suma’s product recall/withdrawal notification process, liaising with suppliers, customers, external bodies (e.g. Food Standards Agency) and internal teams to action all necessary steps.
  • Suma Brand product labelling – prepare pack copy which is data compliant with regulations, industry guidance and Suma policy as requested by the Brand team and review and approve artwork and printers’ proof prior to printing
  • Obtain, review and document control samples of Suma Brand products
  • Assist the operational teams when called upon to inspect particular deliveries, provide advice and expertise on the spot and assert instructions to reject goods if necessary
  • Work with external auditors and other parties to ensure that pest controls are suitable and effective so that Suma operate a food safe service
  • Understand and comply with modern slavery legislation

Job Requirements in Relation to the Member Job Description

  1. Suma members multi-skill, they actively seek out training and development to enable them to take on roles in both office and non-office areas. (where practical and reasonable)
  2. Suma members see the bigger picture. They have a broad knowledge of Suma and have an understanding of the wider business environment.
  3. Suma members put in more than they take out. They work for the collective good, actively promoting cooperative values.
  4. Suma members communicate openly and honestly. They are professional and approachable, endeavouring to understand the viewpoint of others.
  5. Suma members actively seek out responsibility. They self-manage and involve themselves in the management and development of their business.
  6. Suma members are flexible. They are responsive to the changing needs of their business.
  7. Suma members are hardworking and have a can-do attitude. They monitor both the quality of their work and their productivity to ensure they meet member standard.

Person specification

  • Ability to use initiative and follow instructions
  • Will be organised and self-motivated
  • Excellent attention to detail
  • Good level of literacy and numeracy
  • Ability to work efficiently and effectively under stress and pressured situations.
  • Display effective, rational and balanced decision making and problem-solving skills
  • Ability to prioritise workload
  • Experience of HACCP (food safety management systems)
  • Be able to have difficult conversations with customers, suppliers and Suma     workers
  • Open to personal development and continual training
  • Ability to recognise when there are working practices that need to be challenged and developed
  • Ability to understand complex requirements and legislation and apply them
  • Ability to be assertive, tactful and calm when negotiating with customers, suppliers, contractors and Suma workers
  • Some manual handling maybe required to de-stack and restack pallets
  • Ability to be flexible with shift patterns
  • Ability to balance the commercial pressures of operating the business with the ethical intentions of the co-op

Application information

We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of ethnicity or gender, but as members of ethnic minority groups and women are currently under-represented in the co-op, we particularly encourage applications from women and ethnic minority candidates. Appointment will be based on merit alone.

If you are interested in any of the following roles, and your skills and values are aligned with ours, we would love to hear. Please note, at Suma we shortlist candidates based on our selected screening questions. We do not require candidates to submit or attach a CV or a covering letter – this data will not be included as part of your application.

https://jobs.suma.coop/?utm_source=corp&utm_medium=int&utm_campaign=sumcoop-nav&utm_term=jobs

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About Suma

Suma is a worker co-operative; a business owned and run by nearly 200 members who work here. We’re a group of ordinary people who have built a business on principles of integrity and equality. Suma workers work together collectively to set the direction of the business - there are no shareholders and no traditional ‘bosses’. Everyone at Suma gets paid the same wage, takes personal and equal responsibility and does a range of different jobs each week.

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