Quality Manager

Quality Manager

Location: Co. Kildare

Sector: Food Manufacturing

An established and expanding food manufacturing business based in Co. Kildare is seeking to appoint an experienced Quality Manager to lead site quality and food safety operations.

This is a key leadership role within the business, responsible for ensuring that all quality, food safety and regulatory requirements are consistently met, while driving continuous improvement across the site.

The Role

Reporting to the Technical Manager, you will lead the Quality function, ensuring robust systems, compliance, and standards are in place across all operations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead, develop and manage a team of quality professionals, fostering a high-performance culture
• Maintain and continuously improve Quality and Food Safety Management Systems in line with regulatory, customer and third-party standards
• Act as site lead for HACCP and TACCP systems, ensuring ongoing review and effectiveness
• Manage all internal and external audits, including customer, regulatory and certification bodies (e.g. BRC, DAFM)
• Ensure full compliance with food safety legislation and customer-specific standards
• Drive site-wide quality and process improvement initiatives in collaboration with operations and innovation teams
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for non-conformances and customer complaints
• Oversee supplier approval, risk assessment and audit processes
• Manage testing programmes including microbiological, chemical and physical analysis
• Support new product introduction and ensure successful transfer into production
• Provide technical guidance to senior stakeholders and represent the business in customer interactions

Candidate Profile

We are seeking a quality professional with strong technical expertise and proven leadership capability within food manufacturing.

Key requirements:

• Minimum 7 years’ experience in Quality within food manufacturing / FMCG
• 3–5 years’ people management experience, with the ability to lead and develop teams
• Strong experience managing customer, regulatory and third-party audits
• In-depth knowledge of food safety systems, HACCP and BRC standards
• Proven track record in driving quality improvements and managing compliance in a manufacturing environment
• Experience working cross-functionally with operations, supply chain and innovation teams
• Strong understanding of food legislation and customer standards
• Degree or diploma in Food Science or a related discipline
• Lead Auditor certification desirable

The Next Step for you:

Should this position be of interest to you please forward your CV to Sarah Mac Mullan from Next Generation Recruitment or alternatively call on the main line on 00 353 1 6498546

Next Generation are specialists in Supply Chain, Procurement, Engineering, Quality, Technical and Operation (permanent, contract and temporary) positions.

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