Senior Manager, Manufacturing Quality & Food Safety

Join Our Ambitious Global Biscuits And Confectionery Business

Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits. To succeed at pladis you need to be purpose-led, resilient, and positive to succeed here because we expect pace and agility, we insist on collaboration and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact.

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Purpose

This role requires outstanding knowledge of world class quality and food safety principles, systems, standards, and approach with both an internal and external lens. The ability to evaluate / judge the performance of a system and in-depth experience working with manufacturing operations are also key requirements and will lead to varying levels of decision-making complexity. Day to day quality management could involve leading a root cause investigation, identifying nonconforming product, and coaching a QFS manager. This individual must be adept at translating qualitative and quantitative data into trends and key performance indicators (KPI's) to drive improvement actions. Sound reasoning and risk-based decision making are critical skills that also define this role. Additionally, this role requires external collaboration with suppliers for issue management and qualification support.

Key Accountabilities And Deliverables

• 70% Manufacturing Quality and Food Safety Oversight : Lead QFS management across North American manufacturing sites, ensuring regulatory compliance, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement. -15% Supplier Quality Assurance Support : Facilitate supplier qualification, on-boarding, monitoring, and quality improvement initiatives in collaboration with Procurement and Regulatory. -10% Leadership of Direct Reports and Teams : Manage and develop the QFS site teams through coaching, feedback, succession planning, and performance management. -5% Training and Education : Support the development and delivery of QFS training programs for manufacturing teams and relevant suppliers.

Key Responsibilities

a) Develop, implement, and govern the overall Quality and Food Safety Management System (QFSMS) for all North American manufacturing sites, ensuring robust alignment with evolving business needs, corporate strategies, and regulatory requirements. b) Lead the measurement, analysis, and reporting of quality and food safety performance against internal standards, external customer expectations, and global KPIs. Drive accountability and proactive management through data-driven insights. c) Establish, standardize, and harmonize key quality and food safety KPIs across the manufacturing network, ensuring consistency, visibility, and continuous improvement across sites. d) Champion and oversee quality and food safety training programs at all plants, developing educational strategies that empower teams at all levels and foster a culture of ownership, compliance, and excellence. e) Lead the management and resolution of deviations and non-conformances, driving root cause analysis, risk assessments (pre- and post-event), and the implementation of effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs). f) Oversee the governance and execution of all third-party food safety certification programs (e.g., GFSI, SQF), ensuring sites achieve and maintain necessary certifications to support business and regulatory compliance. g) Act as the senior subject matter expert for food safety and quality, providing strategic consultation and guidance to cross-functional teams, including Manufacturing, Supply Chain, R&D, Regulatory Affairs, and Commercial functions. h) Inspire and drive the Global Quality Vision, serving as a champion for continuous improvement initiatives, innovation in quality practices, and the advancement of operational excellence across the manufacturing network. i) Lead supplier onboarding and qualification initiatives in close collaboration with Procurement, R&D, and Regulatory Affairs, ensuring that all new and existing suppliers meet or exceed stringent food safety and quality standards. j) Support supplier risk assessments, audits, and approval processes, ensuring proactive identification and mitigation of risks that could impact manufacturing quality and compliance k) Monitor and drive supplier performance through defined metrics, providing leadership in corrective actions, continuous improvement efforts, and supplier development initiatives. l) Engage directly with suppliers to ensure comprehensive documentation, food safety certifications, and regulatory compliance are obtained, maintained, and continually improved. m) Serve as a key escalation point for any supplier-related quality or food safety concerns, working cross-functionally to resolve issues rapidly and ensure minimal disruption to manufacturing operations.

Skills And Experience Required

Essential Criteria

Additional Job Information

Base starting salary at $135,000 / yr. The base pay offered is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and internal equity.

pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.

We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List. If you are a recruitment agency and wish to submit candidate to be considered for this vacancy, you must have agreed to, and signed, our terms of business. We will not accept CVs from any other sources other than those currently on our PSL. We will not pay a fee for any candidate that has not been represented by a provider on our PSL.