Quality Assurance Lead

Position Type FT Permanent

Recruiter #LIOO1

Posting Type LI

Leading to better encompasses all we do at Kerry, it’s how we’ve become the worlds leading taste and nutrition company. Whether it’s building and manufacturing sustainable solutions for food, beverage or pharmaceutical consumers, our commitment to lead the world to better nutrition drives us forward. With 25,000+ colleagues across the globe and 15,000+ Kerry products, your opportunities are limitless.

About Kerry

A career with Kerry Taste & Nutrition offers you an opportunity to shape how people across the globe view food and beverage while providing you opportunities to explore and grow as your interests do. With our commitment to a sustainable future, a career with Kerry is something you can feel good about.

About The Role

We have an excellent opportunity for a Quality Assurance Manager to join the Kerry team at our site in Runcorn, this is a varied role where you will have a range of responsibilities, tasks and ownerships.

The successful candidate will drive the GMP standards within the plants to ensure all products manufactured comply with all food safety, quality and legal requirements. You be responsible for all quality assurance related matters with our internal and external customers whilst leading your direct reports to effectively manage the Quality Assurance on sites.

This is a multifunctional role where you will work across multiple parts of the business and have a significant continuous improvement focus where you will develop projects and effectively use the tools available to you in order to manage projects and planned improvements.

How will you contribute

• Supporting the Quality Systems Manager in the sites HACCP, TACCP & VACCP programme and FSMA programme in implementation in the factory
• Complete food safety based risk assessments with the support of the Quality Manager
• Support the closure of non-conformances raised through external or customer audits
• Lead the sites external audits and visits, including via 3rd party & customer
• Support on the implementation of golden 6 tool, and completion of the Inspection programme.

Control of products and product standards

• Manage the process for any Shelf life extension requests and concessions, both for raw materials and finished product
• Ensure retained samples and micro samples are managed effectively
• Manage the process for the release f all raw materials an finished products
• Ensure the quality of the product produced meets our specifications
• Provide a sensory evaluation when products are completed
• Ensure QC checks are completed and accurately recorded in accordance to procedures
• Make sure all microbiological and chemical testing is completed for non-batch and by batch customer requirements

Manufacturing Practices

• Working closely cross functionally to drive imporvements in factory standards
• Ensuring the production teams understand he required standard within the production and associated areas
• Supporting the Quality team in the timely completion of audits
• Managing the sites ‘audit ready’ status on a daily basis

Change Management

• Lead change management requests from a food safety perspective, or where they have a direct impact on product quality

Incident and Crisis Management

• Support the sites root cause analysis to prevent any reoccurrance of issue
• Support the Quality teams in the investigation and resolution of issues raised
• Manage incidents with the support of the Senior Food Safety and Quality Manager
• Support the Quality Systems Manager in the completion of regular mock recalls
• Primary contact for domestic authorities concerned FS/Hygiene/Compliance

Non Conformance Management

• Report KPI’s to internal and central functions when required
• Support the Quality team in decision making of product that is outside of the specified limits
• Correct escalation to the Senior Food Safety and Quality Manager, you will then support escalation to the central food safety teams where required

People and Project Management

• Conduct appraisals and regular 121 sessions with direct reports to support, coach and develop
• Conduct absence and conduct disciplinaries in-line with Kerry Policies and Procedures
• Complete annual development plans with direct reports to support progression
• Lead projects that relate to Food Safety and Quality

What you will bring

• Understanding of Food Safety and Quality Management systems in both low/high care food manufacturing environments
• Food hygiene level 4 or equivalent
• IOSH managing safely
• Highly motivated individual with a desire to drive performance and improvements
• Analytical ability applying a high level of detail
• Able to prioritise and apply appropriate levels of focus

What We Will Deliver

• We will offer a competitive salary and benefits package
• We will develop and expand on your skillset
• We will offer internal opportunities for you to constantly progress within your career
• We will give you multiple platforms to support your well-being