Quality Assurance Officer
Also advertised as: chemical manufacturing quality assurance officer, chemical manufacturing quality inspector, chemical manufacturing quality tester, chemical production quality technician, chemicals quality inspector, chemistry quality control technician
Checks that products and processes meet the required standard, and investigates when they do not.
What the job involves
Quality officers protect standards. You run inspections and audits, document non-conformances, investigate root causes and drive corrective actions. Food, pharmaceutical and engineering manufacturers all rely on this role, and many recruit from production staff.
Typical responsibilities
- Carry out inspections and process audits
- Record and investigate non-conformances
- Drive root cause analysis and corrective action
- Maintain quality documentation and standards
- Train production staff on quality requirements
Common employers
- Food manufacturers
- Pharmaceutical firms
- Aerospace suppliers
- Automotive plants
- Packaging producers
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£24,000 – £30,000 a year
With experience
£34,000 – £45,000 a year
Typical hours
Often shift based, 37.5 to 42 hours
Working environment
Production floor and laboratory or office
Remote working
on_site
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Auditing
- Root cause analysis
- Documentation
- Standards knowledge
- Attention to detail
Transferable skills you may already have
- Following procedures
- Spotting faults
- Record keeping
Requirements employers ask for
- Auditing
- Root cause analysis
- Documentation
- Standards knowledge
- Attention to detail
- No formal qualification required
- communicate test results to other departments
- controlled substances permits
- use ICT systems
- good laboratory practice
- adhere to standard procedures
- prepare chemical samples
- calibrate laboratory equipment
- work safely with chemicals
- perform product testing
- test chemical samples
- document analysis results
- laboratory techniques
Useful but not essential
- Following procedures
- Spotting faults
- Record keeping
- CQI or IRCA auditor training
- HACCP Level 3 for food
- analyse production processes for improvement
- revise quality control systems documentation
- support implementation of quality management systems
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
- use chromatography software
- perform quality audits
- maintain test equipment
- recommend product improvements
Helpful qualifications
- CQI or IRCA auditor training
- HACCP Level 3 for food
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Quality Practitioner (Level 4)
- Food Industry Technical Professional (Level 3)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Engineering
- Related subject: Food science
- Related subject: Chemistry
- Related subject: Manufacturing
Where this career can lead
next
Quality Manager
next
Technical Manager
next
Head of Quality
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Direct promotion route from production
- Skills transfer between industries
- Structured and methodical work
What people find hard
- Can create friction with production targets
- Shift working
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a quality assurance officer?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a quality assurance officer earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £24,000 to £30,000 a year, rising towards £45,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Following procedures, Spotting faults, Record keeping.
Related careers
Process Engineer
Designs and optimises industrial processes such as chemical, food or pharmaceutical production.
Manufacturing Engineer
Designs and improves the processes used to build products on a production line.
Production Planner
Schedules manufacturing activity so materials, machines and people are ready when needed.
Quality Inspector
Checks parts and products against specifications to catch defects before they reach customers.
Machine Operator
Sets up and runs production machinery to manufacture parts or products.
Toolmaker
Makes and repairs the precision tools, jigs and moulds used in manufacturing.
Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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