Role: Quality Manager
Location: Preston, PR2 plus travel required to all operational sites
Hours: Monday – Friday, 40 hours per week
Salary: £40,000 - £45,000 per annum, dependant on experience, plus business expenses
The Role:
We’re looking for an experienced and proactive Quality Manager to take ownership of the Quality function across our three operational sites and Head Office.
Sitting within our HSEQ team and reporting to the HSEQ Manager, this is a hands-on, multi-site role with the opportunity to make a visible impact across the business.
You’ll take the lead on strengthening our quality systems and processes, maintaining regulatory and ISO compliance, improving operational performance and embedding a culture where quality is understood and owned across our teams.
This isn't a role focused purely on maintaining systems and paperwork. We’re looking for someone who will get out into the operation, understand how our processes actually work, identify where improvements can be made and work collaboratively with our teams to implement practical solutions.
From leading audits and improving process flow to tackling the root causes of non-conforming loads and customer complaints, you'll play an important role in helping us deliver safer, smarter and more consistent ways of working.
The Business:
Recycling Lives Services is not a typical recycling company. Since 2008, the business has been structurally built around social value, employing people from disadvantaged backgrounds, partnering with the justice system to reduce reoffending, and delivering environmental excellence at scale. The social mission is not a layer added on top of commercial activity. It is the reason the business operates in the way it does.
As a certified B Corp (scoring 103.5 against a business median of 50.9), Recycling Lives Services generated £42.9m in social value in 2024, achieved a 61% reduction in CO2 emissions, and diverted 97% of waste from landfill. 15% of our team have been welcomed through our rehabilitation programmes, and only 6% of people we support reoffend — compared to a national average of over 25%.
We operate UK-wide across construction, manufacturing, retail, utilities and public sector markets, offering total waste management, WEEE recycling, and specialist hazardous waste services.
What You'll Be Doing:
- Own and drive Quality across the business, providing expertise, guidance and challenge to ensure our operations meet required quality and regulatory standards.
- Lead and continually improve our Quality Management System, including ownership of ISO 9001 accreditation and supporting wider accreditations such as Safe Contractor and Construction line.
- Develop and implement process maps across the business, working directly with operational teams to identify inefficiencies, improve process flow and embed more consistent ways of working.
- Drive continuous improvement, using Lean, Six Sigma, root-cause analysis or similar methodologies to improve operational performance and reduce unnecessary cost.
- Own the internal audit programme, ensuring audits are completed effectively, actions are identified and corrective actions are followed through to completion.
- Lead and support external audits, ensuring the business remains audit-ready and accreditation requirements are successfully maintained.
- Investigate non-conformances, particularly exported loads, identifying root causes and implementing effective corrective and preventative actions to improve product and material quality.
- Improve the customer quality experience, understanding customer requirements, investigating quality issues and helping to reduce complaints and repeat issues.
- Build quality capability across our teams, delivering training and helping employees and managers understand the processes, standards and behaviours required.
- Work collaboratively across Operations, HSEQ and other business functions to ensure Quality becomes embedded into day-to-day decision-making rather than operating as a standalone function.
What We're Looking For:
We're looking for someone who combines strong technical Quality knowledge with a practical, operational mindset. You'll be comfortable working independently, challenging existing processes where necessary and building relationships with people at all levels of the business.
Ideally, you'll bring:
- Proven experience within Quality Management, Quality Assurance or a similar role, ideally within an operational, manufacturing, recycling, engineering, logistics or other process-driven environment.
- Strong working knowledge of ISO 9001 and Quality Management Systems, with experience supporting or leading certification, surveillance and external audits.
- Experience planning and delivering internal audits, managing findings and ensuring corrective actions are effectively closed out.
- Strong knowledge of root-cause analysis, corrective and preventative action (CAPA) and non-conformance management, with the ability to turn findings into sustainable improvements.
- Experience of process mapping and continuous improvement, with knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma or similar methodologies highly desirable.
- A commercially aware approach to Quality, understanding that effective Quality Management should improve operational performance, customer satisfaction and cost efficiency, not simply achieve compliance.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the confidence to investigate problems, challenge assumptions and use evidence to identify the underlying cause.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively with operational employees, managers, customers, auditors and senior stakeholders.
- A hands-on and pragmatic approach – comfortable spending time across operational sites, understanding how work is actually carried out and helping teams implement practical improvements.
- The confidence to deliver Quality training and guidance and build greater understanding and ownership of quality standards throughout the business.
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple audits, improvement actions and priorities across several locations.
- A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly between our operational sites.
What Success Looks Like
This is a role where we want you to make a measurable difference. Success will include:
- Clear and effective process maps implemented across key business activities.
- Employees who understand and consistently follow agreed processes.
- More streamlined and efficient operational processes.
- A measurable reduction in non-conforming loads and repeat quality issues.
- Improved customer liaison and a reduction in quality-related complaints.
- Successful ISO 9001 renewal and continual improvement of the management system.
- Internal audits completed to schedule, with corrective actions effectively addressed and closed.
- Successful external audits with continued compliance against required standards.
What We Offer:
- Competitive salary
- 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays.
- Company pension (5% employee / 3% employer).
- Healthcare Cash Plan.*
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Free financial wellbeing support
- Cycle to Work Scheme.*
- Enhanced maternity and paternity pay.*
- The opportunity to work for a certified B Corp making a genuine social and environmental impact.
- Available after 12 months' service.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitable qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.
