HR Busines Partner

About the role

As Quality Manager for UK & Ireland, you'll lead the end-to-end quality, food safety and compliance agenda across one of our most important markets. You'll also run our Innovation Kitchen, playing a critical role in bringing new products to life and ensuring they land brilliantly in the restaurant. You will be the subject matter expert across food safety, legislation and product quality, while staying deeply connected to how our food is made, from supplier to customer experience.

Responsibilities

• Own food safety, quality and legal compliance across all KFC products in UK & Ireland
• Lead and develop a small but high performing team (Quality Technologist and Kitchen Manager)
• Deliver product and process projects from concept to successful restaurant launch
• Act as guardian of product quality, ensuring consistency across every restaurant
• Lead response to new regulations and legislation, keeping the business compliant and future ready
• Act as key contact for trading standards, customer incidents and technical PR matters
• Drive continuous improvement and cost efficiency initiatives with supply chain, suppliers and operations
• Lead product, equipment and recipe validation, including reformulation where needed
• Support key brand priorities such as nutrition and Halal standards
• Use data, audits and insights to identify risks and continuously raise standards
• Partner cross functionally to embed quality into all business decisions
• Build and champion a strong food safety culture across the organisation

Why this role matters

Because great food doesn't happen by accident. You'll ensure every product we serve is safe, compliant and high quality-while helping us innovate and evolve to meet changing customer expectations. It's a unique opportunity to combine technical expertise with real commercial impact.

What we love from you About you

• Collaborative team player who builds strong relationships across functions
• Self motivated, curious and adaptable in a fast paced environment
• Comfortable working in a lean team with broad responsibility
• Pragmatic problem solver with strong commercial awareness
• Passionate about high standards, continuous improvement and delivery
• Energised by working on food that reaches millions of customers

Experience

• At least 5 years' experience in a food technical role (manufacturing, retail or food service)
• Degree in Food Science or a related discipline
• Strong expertise in food safety, quality management systems and food legislation
• Experience working across the full food supply chain, from supplier to end consumer
• Proven track record of delivering projects and influencing multiple stakeholders
• Confident managing risk, incidents and complex challenges
• Commercially aware, with a solutions focused approach
• Able to balance strategic thinking with attention to detail

What's in it for you

• Hybrid working from our Woking RSC (remote based with occasional visits)
• Up to 11% company pension contributions
• Fri Yay finishes at 1 pm every Friday
• 25 days' holiday (plus bank holidays)
• 5 Live Well Days a year, just for you
• Bonus scheme linked to company & personal performance
• Private healthcare, Digital GP access & mental health coaching
• Enhanced parental leave and flexible return options
• Study support, income protection, life cover & more
• 25% off the chicken

KFC for everyone

We promise that every person who applies to a role at KFC, regardless of age, background, ethnicity, gender, ability, religion or sexual orientation, will have an equal opportunity to work here. We encourage applications from underrepresented groups from all industries.

Please note this is a 12 month maternity contract.

Beware of fake job postings using Yum! and/or our brand logos-KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill-on fraudulent sites. Yum! Brands only posts jobs on official careers pages and never asks for money during onboarding. Avoid unsolicited contacts via Telegram, WhatsApp or similar social apps.

Compensation: Competitive salary