Business Area: Nestle UK&I
Location: Dalston, Cumbria

Salary: £11,200.00 

Shift/Working hours: Part time – Working days: Thursday and Friday 8am-4pm each week as part of a job share – 15 hours per week.

Some of our other fantastic benefits

• Potential, discretionary annual bonus
• Generous pension scheme – up to 12% contribution from Nestle
• Holiday entitlement: 10 days per year with potential to accrue flex leave also.
• A focus on personal development and growth.

We are recruiting for a Quality Assurance Technician to join the Quality Team at our Coffee manufacturing plant in Dalston, Cumbria. This is a permanent, part time opportunity which will report into the Laboratory manager on site.

The position is within our Nestlé Dalston Factory, which is the home of Nescafe and produces a range of Cappuccino, Aero and Coffee mate products. These are produced through a highly automated PLC controlled process plant and automated filling and packing lines. It is continually developing our recipes and expanding our leading brands.

We take pride in championing inclusion and diversity. We proudly signed the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter, are committed to Disability Confidence, and have been recognised as a Times Top 50 Employer for gender equality for three consecutive years. Additionally, we are a headline partner of Diversity and Inclusion in grocery.

Your impact

Ultimately, in this role you will be providing professional support by performing and communicating in a timely manner the necessary quality tests and analysis required for product safety and quality.

This will include testing quality of; physical, chemical, microbiological, sensory, intermediate products, raw materials, packaging as well as finished products.

You will be looking to identify trends during testing whilst also having a clear compliance goals and measures. This will include Monitoring of the performance of analytical instruments in production as needed.

Your other key responsibilities will include:

• Define, follow and update where necessary the specific quality procedures, instructions and tools which are directly related to analyses and tests.
• Responsible for the internal control plan of the equipment under their responsibility including calibration.
• Responsible for interpreting results and for reproducibility and repeatability of analyses.
• Reporting of out of specification results / abnormalities and involvement in Root Cause Analysis to drive solutions.   
• Perform training and coach operators and other technicians in performing sample analyses and tests.

Your ingredients for success

To be successful in this role you will already have/you’ll already have a fantastic breadth of experience within Quality and/or Laboratory environments. Previous experience within food manufacturing is desirable but not essential.

We’re looking for a proactive and enthusiastic person to join our team. You will need to be an agile individual with excellent attention to detail to succeed in our fast-paced environment.

Other key attributes are:

• Ideally qualified in a Scientific or Food Science discipline at degree or A-Level standard.
• Ability to develop and validate analytical methods.
• Calibration and maintenance of lab equipment.
• Experience of creation and implementation of SOP’s as required.
• Previous experience in another laboratory or analytical environment is essential.
• An analytical thinker with a keen eye for detail.

What you need to know

Advert posting date: 20/02/2026
Advert closing date: 06/03/2026

We will be considering candidates as they apply and we will occasionally close job advertisements early in the event we receive sufficient applicants, so please don’t delay in submitting your application.

At Nestlé, our values are rooted in respect and we believe that embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive environment allows everyone to reach their full potential and drives innovative thinking. We strongly encourage applications from individuals of all gender identities, ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, parents, carers and members of the LGBT+ community. Please let us know if we can provide accommodations to ensure your full participation in the application process.

To find out more about Nestle’s commitment to DEI: Nestlé's Commitment to a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

Right to work in the UK

In accordance with Home Office guidance successful candidates will be required to evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment.  We have assessed this role and do not consider that we would be able to sponsor a successful candidate under the Skilled Worker route as the role does not meet the relevant Home Office criteria; the successful candidate therefore must be able to demonstrate their own right to work during the recruitment process without Nestlé sponsorship.

To find out more about your recruitment journey with Nestle: Recruitment Journey | Nestlé UK & Ireland