Food Safety & Quality Manager

The Food Safety & Quality Manager provides leadership for Food Safety and Quality (FSQ) in alignment with the Kerry Corporate Policies. The FSQ Manager has ownership of food safety and quality programs, including oversight of contract sanitation, innovation food safety programs, and facility maintenance working with the Beloit facilities team. The FSQ Manager will work alongside cross-functional teams to deliver product innovation for customers. FSQ Manager is accountable to investigate and solve complex issues, make decisions quickly with little information, and lead food safety programs and culture. The FSQ Manager ensures product innovation meets the expectations of our customers. This position requires 5-10% travel.

Our Beloit, WI Kerry North America Center is the location of the Beloit Research Center where product innovation and small batch trials are conducted.

Key

1. Food Safety Ensure effective food safety compliance and work with and Beloit facilities team to implement programs to mitigate risk. Manage and lead HACCP program and team, ensuring that Good Manufacturing Practices, preventive controls and prerequisite programs are in place and effective. Manage the plant Food Safety & Quality System to produce safe quality food. PCQI Certification with clear understanding of responsibility to ensure compliance of products.

2. Quality Systems Develop and maintain food safety and quality systems including QC & QA. Develop, review, and align site procedures will Kerry global standards and FDA/CFIA expectations. Internally audit against global and regional standards and site procedures using Intelex as an effective repository and corrective action verification tool, with a continuous improvement mindset to drive excellence and compliance with all expectations. Effectively manage the food safety and quality system, including Prerequisite Programs, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Pest Control, Sanitation, and other programs as required by Kerry Standards. Be responsible for the accurate and effective evaluation of facility and products through analytical and microbiological testing. Control the positive release of product to ensure only compliant product is released. Partner cross-functionally to analyze and reduce internal non-conformances, driving Right the First Time improvement.

3. Compliance Enforce Kerry standards in the areas of ingredient and product standards, process specifications, formula compliance, sanitation/GMP/pest control, and regulatory compliance. Ensure that the products released are compliant and safe foods. Be the point person at the site for regulatory inspections (FDA/CFIA) and customer audits. Ensure the site is audit ready every day and manage any audits or inspections with success, closing any findings on time in Intelex.

4. Quality Improvement Implement Kerry Performance Standards (1KPS) as applicable to the pilot plant and support continuous improvement. Report and drive improvement in Key Performance Indicators through effective root cause analysis, trend review, and corrective action effectiveness. Develop and lead proactive action plans for performance improvement including complaint reduction, right the first time, timely release of product, completion and verification of corrective actions and audit findings. Drive completion of the functional master plan and contribute to the overall site master plan goals, partnering cross-functionally in quality and process improvement. Leads effective and successful external and internal audits. Identify and close any gaps to the global standards. Support cross-functional improvement, sustainability, and cost reduction initiatives.

5. Customer Satisfaction Be proactive and responsive in addressing customer complaints, communicating effectively on technical issues and leading the root cause analysis. Develop and verify corrective actions. Professional and effective customer communication that builds confidence and partnership.

6. Managerial

Build the food safety culture at the site and effectively manage and engage the team. Develop, engage and maintain qualified personnel within the plant Quality department, through training, communication, and accountability. This involves recruitment, organizational development, personnel assessment, training, direction and motivation. Manage the department within budget and utilize resources effectively to meet needs of the business on a timely basis. Set goals and review performance effectively in system and with team to deliver accountability.

and skills

Technical Skills Continuously improve knowledge of products and technology to investigate variation and resolve technical problems with the team. Apply a scientific approach with statistical analysis to data and problem solving. Act as the primary technical liaison with customers, vendors and regulatory agencies. Proficiency in

Industry Experience Experience with the technology and analytical methods associated with the products made at the site. Capable of bringing best practices and eliminating causes of variation and complaints based on understanding of product category.

Specific Skill

• ✓Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Food Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, or similar Science/Engineering.
• ✓Knowledge and experience with relevant GFSI standard