Background
Pulpex is a manufacturing business. It asked Maxwell Stephens to find a Quality and Technical Manager to take a strategic role in product safety, quality assurance, environmental standards and supply chain integrity across its operations.
The role sits within the senior leadership team and leads the technical team, so the person appointed represents the company on technical matters as well as running day-to-day systems.
The business therefore needed a specialist who could bring order and credibility to its technical function, rather than a general manager. Experience of BRCGS audits, supplier approval and team leadership had to be real and demonstrable.
The Challenge
This is a technical compliance role in an automated production setting, and it is far from a standard facilities brief. The post owns the quality management system, the HARA plan and BRCGS accreditation, and leads third party and customer audits. It also runs supplier approval and performance monitoring, the internal audit system, calibration, the pest control programme, site hygiene standards and legionella control.
The essential credentials were demanding: a degree or equivalent, HARA qualification, lead auditor status, IOSH Managing Safely, a supervisory qualification and first aid. On top of that the employer wanted proven manufacturing experience in a site technical or compliance position and the ability to lead a team. That narrows the field considerably.
For a business where product safety is critical, a poor appointment would put accreditation, customer confidence and supply relationships at risk, which is why the client wanted a thorough, evidence-based process.
Our Approach
- We took a thorough brief on the technical standards involved, the shape of the existing team and how the role would work with the senior leadership team.
- We looked beyond conventional facilities networks to site technical, quality and compliance managers in manufacturing.
- We checked each candidate against the listed qualifications and against their actual experience of BRCGS, audits and automated production, rather than relying on CV wording.
- We presented a short list with our interview notes and managed the process through to offer and acceptance.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens made the appointment.
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