Senior Manager, Manufacturing Quality & Food Safety

Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you.

As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. 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.<