Who are we?
We are New Directions, a group of companies that provide UK wide services (including recruitment, training, care provision and other support services) within education, social care, domiciliary care and the pharmaceutical sector, from a network of offices across the UK.
Voted Best Employer - Cardiff Life Awards 2024
Purpose of Role:
The QA department serves as a governance, audit, and analysis support to New Directions Group of companies. Key focus areas are legal and regulatory risk, data protection, complaints and non-conformity management, and internal audits. Excellent communication skills and attention to detail are required. You will require a high level of personal integrity, professionalism, and an ability to work at pace whilst producing accurate results. As the Quality Assurance Manager, you will play a pivotal role in maintaining and enhancing our quality management systems, fostering a culture of quality, and driving continuous improvement across the organisation.
Key Responsibilities:
Management
- Line Management of QA Team, providing guidance, mentor ship, and performance evaluations.
- Support the Head of QA and Compliance in the production of management reports.
- Support the Head of QA and Compliance with attendance at Business Partner meetings, as required.
Legal
- Responsible for ensuring systems and processes are updated in line with legislative changes
- Develop and deliver relevant training
Data Protection
- First point of contact for all data protection queries, providing first line advice for SARs, breaches, and erasure requests.
- Support the Data Protection Lead with the design of GDPR audit schedules, conduct data protection investigations and impact assessments.
Audits and inspections
- Monitoring and reporting on non-conformities, leading in root cause analysis and ensuring improvement plans are implemented
- Identify Compliance and QA training needs for Group
- Create internal audit programme and timetable covering regulatory compliance and quality assurance, reporting on findings and conducting detailed analysis of actions to be taken
- Ensure that the Group has up to date policies and procedures and associated documentation in all areas of internal and external compliance and regulation
ISO
- Management Representative for ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 27001:2013, ensuring minimal noncompliance and successful maintenance of the standards.
- Design of ISO internal audit schedule and lead in the preparation for external audits.
Business Processes
- Evaluate and improve the effectiveness of policies, procedures and controls of risk management and governance for the Group
Person Specification:
- Proven experience in quality assurance or quality management, with a track record of successfully managing quality systems in a dynamic environment.
- Detailed knowledge of compliance, quality assurance and vetting requirements for all sectors of recruitment
- Strong understanding of quality principles, methodologies, and tools, including ISO standards
- Experience in conducting audits, root cause analysis, and implementing corrective and preventive actions.
- Excellent leadership and team management skills
- Proven ability to manage and drive change and continuous improvement initiatives across an organisation.
- Sound time management skills, pro-active with managing workload in order to meet deadlines and able to work under pressure
- Innovative approach to work, applies divergent thinking and values LEAN concepts to strive for efficiency
What we offer:
- A flexible working environment, with the opportunity for hybrid working
- Health Cashback scheme
- Life Assurance of 4 x salary
- Pension Salary Sacrifice Scheme
- A generous annual leave entitlement of 28 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 30 days holiday after two years' service)
- Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave through salary sacrifice
- A day off for your birthday
- A Giving Back day - to offer your services to the local community
- Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme (subject to qualifying eligibility criteria)
- Employee referral scheme; you can earn between £250 and £500 for each successful referral into the business