Technical & Quality Manager

🌱 Who we are

Mother Root is the Ginger non-alcoholic aperitif. We harness the power of apple cider vinegar to serve up a dose of good feelings. Our mission is to redefine what it means to drink well and feel good - with drinks that are complex, delicious and rooted in nature.

Fresh from securing three offers on BBC Dragons’ Den, we’re on an exciting growth journey — scaling from a £7m brand today towards £50m+ in the years ahead, with 230% year-on-year growth already underway. With our small but mighty team, we’re building one of the UK’s fastest-growing non-alcoholic brands, both online and in retail.

We’re bold, inclusive and ambitious. We value creativity, curiosity and collaboration — and we believe work should be joyful, purposeful and full of flavour.

🚀 The Role

An incredible opportunity to join one of the UK’s fastest-growing non-alcoholic brands as we scale across retail, DTC and export markets.

As Technical & Quality Manager , you’ll own the full technical and quality agenda at Mother Root — from QMS and supplier approval to product integrity, packaging quality and customer experience .

You’ll play a pivotal role in ensuring every bottle of Mother Root that leaves our hands is safe, legal and consistently brilliant — whether it’s landing on a Waitrose shelf, an Ocado basket or through our DTC store.

This is a hands-on, high-impact role that combines technical leadership, operational rigour and continuous improvement . You’ll work closely with our founder (Bethan), COO (Alice), Operations Manager (Jordan) and external partners to set and uphold the standards that define our brand.

📋 What You’ll Do

• Own and improve the QMS , keeping Mother Root fully compliant with food safety, quality and legality standards.
• Oversee product and packaging quality — from supplier checks and batch testing to ensuring every bottle meets brand standards.
• Manage suppliers and co-manufacturers , leading audits, onboarding and continuous improvement to maintain consistency and reduce issues.
• Support NPD and EPD projects , ensuring new and existing products scale smoothly with the right technical controls.
• Lead compliance and incident management , resolving quality or safety issues quickly and effectively while staying ahead of evolving UK/EU/US regulations.
• Champion a culture of quality , tracking technical KPIs, driving corrective actions, and embedding best-practice processes across the team.

🎓 What You’ll Bring

• Degree in Food Science, Food Technology or related discipline
  
• Proven experience in a technical, quality or manufacturing role within food or beverage
  
• Experience managing QMS, supplier auditing and co-manufacturer relationships
  
• Strong understanding of packaging quality, process control and finished goods QC
  
• Experience supporting NPD/EPD , including factory trials and scale-ups
  
• Excellent communication, organisation and stakeholder management skills
  
• HACCP Level 3 or 4 and Internal Auditor qualification preferred

💫 You’ll Thrive Here If You

• Have strong technical knowledge of food or beverage manufacturing , QMS and regulatory compliance
• Balance process discipline with entrepreneurial agility — you know when to be precise and when to be pragmatic
• Communicate clearly across internal teams and external partners, from founders to factory operators
• Enjoy working collaboratively to problem-solve and continuously raise the bar on quality
• Have a genuine passion for great food, drink and delivering joyful customer experiences

💛 Benefits & Perks

• Share Options Programme: Equivalent to 15% of salary from day one
• Annual Leave: 25 days per year
  
• Summer Hours: Early finish Fridays (June–August)
  
• Work From Anywhere: Up to 2 weeks per year
• Pension: 5% matched contribution
  
• Cycle Scheme: Bike or Lime/Forest Pass
  
• Personal Development: £300 annual allowance for approved training
• Wellbeing Support: Access to Spill app & Heka allowance (£40/month) + birthday/work anniversary boosts
• Annual Team Trip: Gastronomical & wellbeing-focused team away trip
• Parental Leave: Competitive maternity/paternity package
• Lots of free Mother Root