Quality & Technical Manager – Asbestos Consultancy
Location: Northampton, with travel to other Acorn offices and client locations as required
Salary: £50,000 - £60,000 per annum, dependent on qualifications and experience
Job type: Permanent, full-time
Working hours: [insert working hours]
The role
Acorn Analytical Services is looking for an experienced asbestos professional to join our senior management team as Quality & Technical Manager.
This is a senior position with responsibility for maintaining the technical standards, quality systems and accreditations that support our asbestos surveying, analytical and laboratory services.
We are looking for someone who has progressed through the asbestos industry and understands the work from practical experience. The successful candidate will need to be a highly experienced asbestos consultant with a strong knowledge of surveying, air monitoring, four-stage clearance, technical auditing and asbestos management.
You will take overall responsibility for the continued operation and improvement of our Quality Management System, including compliance with UKAS requirements, ISO/IEC 17020, ISO/IEC 17025, HSE guidance and Acorn’s internal procedures.
This is not a general administration or document-control position. It requires someone who can make sound technical decisions, challenge standards where necessary and provide credible advice to surveyors, analysts, laboratory staff, managers and clients.
Main responsibilities
You will be responsible for:
- Leading, maintaining and continually improving Acorn’s Quality Management System.
- Ensuring continued compliance with ISO/IEC 17020, ISO/IEC 17025, UKAS requirements, HSE guidance and company procedures.
- Acting as a principal point of contact for UKAS assessments, surveillance visits and accreditation matters.
- Coordinating the response to UKAS findings and ensuring corrective actions are completed effectively and within agreed timescales.
- Maintaining and developing the Quality Manual, technical procedures, policies, forms and controlled documents.
- Ensuring technical work is completed in accordance with approved methods and company procedures.
- Leading management reviews and quality meetings.
- Planning and overseeing internal quality audits, technical audits and witnessed assessments.
- Supporting the technical auditing team and monitoring the completion of audit and resurvey programmes.
- Reviewing the technical quality of asbestos survey reports, air monitoring documentation, certificates for reoccupation and other technical records.
- Investigating complaints, technical incidents and non-conforming work.
- Completing effective root-cause analysis and ensuring appropriate corrective and preventive actions are implemented.
- Monitoring trends arising from audits, complaints, quality checks and technical performance.
- Overseeing internal and external quality-control schemes, including RICE, AIMS, fibre-counting quality control and laboratory proficiency testing.
- Ensuring equipment maintenance, calibration, verification and record-keeping systems remain compliant.
- Overseeing the approval and review of critical suppliers, equipment and technical resources.
- Supporting the validation and introduction of new methods, equipment and working practices.
- Ensuring technical authorisations are supported by suitable evidence of training, experience and demonstrated competence.
- Providing senior technical advice to employees, managers, clients and their representatives.
- Supporting complex projects, tenders and technical submissions where required.
- Monitoring changes to legislation, HSE guidance, UKAS publications, British Standards and recognised industry practice.
- Escalating any matter that could affect legal compliance, accreditation, impartiality, technical integrity or the quality of work delivered to clients.
Routine operational line management and the day-to-day allocation of surveyors and analysts will remain with the relevant operational managers. This allows the Quality & Technical Manager to remain focused on technical governance, accreditation and quality assurance.
Qualifications
Applicants must hold:
- BOHS P401 – Identification of Asbestos in Bulk Samples, or an accepted equivalent.
- BOHS P402 – Surveying and Sampling Strategies for Asbestos in Buildings, or an accepted equivalent.
- BOHS P403 – Air Sampling and Fibre Counting, or an accepted equivalent.
- BOHS P404 – Clearance Testing and the Requirements of a Certificate for Reoccupation, or an accepted equivalent.
- BOHS P405 – Management of Asbestos in Buildings, or an accepted equivalent.
- BOHS Certificate of Competence in Asbestos, commonly referred to as CoCA.
The following would be particularly advantageous:
- BOHS S301 or W504, or an accepted equivalent.
- A recognised auditing, quality-management or training qualification.
- Membership of a relevant professional body.
Experience required
You should be able to demonstrate:
- Substantial experience working as a senior asbestos consultant, surveyor and analyst.
- Strong practical knowledge of management surveys, refurbishment and demolition surveys, air monitoring and four-stage clearance procedures.
- Experience working within a UKAS-accredited asbestos consultancy or laboratory.
- A detailed understanding of ISO/IEC 17020 and ISO/IEC 17025.
- Experience supporting or leading UKAS assessments.
- Experience investigating complaints, technical failures and non-conforming work.
- Experience completing technical audits, witnessed assessments and report reviews.
- A good understanding of impartiality, confidentiality and the responsibilities of an independent asbestos consultancy.
- The ability to interpret technical standards and turn them into clear, workable company procedures.
- The confidence to challenge poor practice and make evidence-based technical decisions.
- Strong written communication and report-writing skills.
- The ability to explain technical requirements clearly to employees and clients.
About you
You will be an experienced asbestos professional who takes standards seriously but also understands that procedures must work in practice.
You will be comfortable reviewing detailed technical evidence, identifying weaknesses and following issues through to completion. You must be able to work constructively with operational teams while remaining independent enough to challenge decisions that could affect quality, compliance or accreditation.
The right person will be organised, consistent and able to prioritise the matters that present the greatest technical or business risk.
You will also need:
- A full UK driving licence.
- The ability to travel between Acorn offices and attend UKAS or client meetings when required.
- Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and electronic quality-management systems.
- The right to work in the UK.
What we offer
- Salary of £50,000 - £60,000, dependent on qualifications and experience.
- 23 days' annual leave entitlement excluding Bank Holidays
- Additional days' leave for each year following 3 years' service
- Fully Expensed Company Vehicle
- Royal London Pension Scheme
- Mental Health Support Programmes
- Enhanced parental leave
- Birthday off
- Payment of relevant professional membership fees.
- Support with continuing professional development.
- A senior role within an established and growing independent asbestos consultancy.
- The authority and support needed to make meaningful improvements to technical and quality standards.About Acorn Analytical ServicesAcorn Analytical Services is an independent asbestos consultancy providing asbestos surveys, air monitoring, four-stage clearance, laboratory analysis, asbestos management support, project management and training.
We operate from several UK locations and employ a large team of asbestos consultants, analysts, laboratory staff, auditors and support personnel.
Our services are delivered under UKAS-accredited management and laboratory systems, supported by ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001.
How to apply
Please submit your CV together with a short covering statement explaining:
- Your current asbestos qualifications.
- Your experience working within ISO/IEC 17020 and ISO/IEC 17025 systems.
- Your involvement with UKAS assessments or accreditation matters.
- Your experience investigating technical issues and non-conforming work.
- Why you are interested in joining Acorn Analytical Services as Quality & Technical Manager.
Acorn Analytical Services is an equal opportunities employer. Appointment will be subject to satisfactory references and confirmation of qualifications.
Pay: £50,000.00-£60,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company car
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Enhanced paternity leave
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
- Work from home
Experience:
- Quality & Technical Asbestos Management: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
- • BOHS Certificate of Competence in Asbestos (CoCA) (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: On the road
