QEHS Director

Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I; Coleford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I is seeking a senior QEHS leader to drive quality, environment, health and safety governance across multiple sites. You will shape policies, ensure regulatory compliance, and lead a prevention-driven Zero Harm culture with robust audit readiness.

As a strategic, cross-functional leader, you will deploy standards such as ISO, FSSC and AIB, manage risk, champion continuous improvement and build capability across QEHS teams and co-packers to safeguard consumers and

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in multi-site FMCG environments, preferably beverage or bottling.
• Advanced expertise in Product Quality and Food Safety management systems, audits and traceability.
• Strong incident and crisis management capability.
• Proven ability to deploy behavioural safety programmes and lead culture transformation.
• Solid environmental management knowledge including legal compliance, wastewater, waste, emissions and resource efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end Quality, Food Safety & Technical Governance ensuring full compliance with Suntory standards, regulations and best practices.
• Deploy Protect the Castle initiatives to safeguard product integrity, vulnerability assessments, food defence and fraud prevention.
• Own QEHS management systems and certifications (e.g., ISO, FSSC, AIB), sustaining operational excellence and audit readiness.
• Guarantee robust end-to-end traceability from raw materials to finished goods for rapid issue response.
• Lead technical and service teams for new product industrialisation and oversee incident management framework including escalation, root cause analysis, containment, CAPA and continuous improvement tools.
• Champion and lead full deployment of the Zero Harm programme to build a proactive, prevention-driven EHS culture focused on behaviours and risk elimination.
• Embed Zero Harm principles into daily operations with site leaders and frontline teams to strengthen awareness, accountability and safe decision‑making.
• Drive SBFE EHS strategy through structured cultural transformation including leadership visibility, safety conversations, observations and coaching.
• Ensure full compliance with environmental and safety regulations, managing waste, wastewater, recycling, emissions control and resource efficiency.
• Strengthen risk prevention, governance and performance tracking including hazard identification, risk assessments, near‑miss reporting, safe systems of work and leading indicators.
• Shape and drive the QEHS strategy and roadmap for GB&I ensuring alignment with SBFE direction and business needs.
• Provide financial leadership and oversight of QEHS variable spend including contracted services, laboratories and technical programmes.
• Build organisation capability through engagement, development, talent management and succession planning across QEHS and technical teams.
• Lead cross-functional and international projects ensuring capital investments meet QEHS requirements and are delivered safely, on time and within scope.

Skills

QEHS governance

Leadership

ISO/FSSC/AIB standards

Traceability

Incident management

Regulatory compliance

Audits

Education

Chemistry/Biology/Engineering degree

Job description

Suntory is a fast moving, agile and entrepreneurial business that is home to some of the nations most loved brands. The Suntory Group is one of the largest soft drinks companies and among the world’s leading consumer products companies. We offer a uniquely diverse portfolio of beverages enjoyed by millions across the globe

About your role

The purpose of this position is provide strategic leadership, governance and technical excellence across Quality, Environment, Health and Safety for GB&I, ensuring robust deployment of Suntory standards, protection of consumers and brands, and the advancement of a prevention driven Zero Harm culture, while driving continuous improvement across owned sites and co-packers.

What You'll Do

• Lead end-to-end Quality, Food Safety & Technical Governance ensuring full compliance with Suntory standards, regulations and best practices.
• Deploy Protect the Castle initiatives to safeguard product integrity, vulnerability assessments, food defence and fraud prevention.
• Own QEHS management systems and certifications (e.g., ISO, FSSC, AIB), sustaining operational excellence and audit readiness.
• Guarantee robust end-to-end traceability from raw materials to finished goods for rapid issue response.
• Lead technical and service teams for new product industrialisation and oversee incident management framework including escalation, root cause analysis, containment, CAPA and continuous improvement tools.
• Champion and lead full deployment of the Zero Harm programme to build a proactive, prevention-driven EHS culture focused on behaviours and risk elimination.
• Embed Zero Harm principles into daily operations with site leaders and frontline teams to strengthen awareness, accountability and safe decision‑making.
• Drive SBFE EHS strategy through structured cultural transformation including leadership visibility, safety conversations, observations and coaching.
• Ensure full compliance with environmental and safety regulations, managing waste, wastewater, recycling, emissions control and resource efficiency.
• Strengthen risk prevention, governance and performance tracking including hazard identification, risk assessments, near‑miss reporting, safe systems of work and leading indicators.
• Shape and drive the QEHS strategy and roadmap for GB&I ensuring alignment with SBFE direction and business needs.
• Provide financial leadership and oversight of QEHS variable spend including contracted services, laboratories and technical programmes.
• Build organisation capability through engagement, development, talent management and succession planning across QEHS and technical teams.
• Lead cross-functional and international projects ensuring capital investments meet QEHS requirements and are delivered safely, on time and within scope.

What's in it for you

Joining Suntory isn’t just about taking on a role, it’s about embarking on a career journey. You have the opportunity to work with talented, inspiring and authentic leaders and have the freedom to dream big and go for it (Yatte Minahare). At Suntory you’ll find a supportive work environment that values work life balance and that will help you realise your full potential and grow for good. Our People and Culture team are a team that genuinely care about creating a great experience for our employees and we would love you to be part of it.

What You need to be successful

• Senior leadership experience in complex, multi-site FMCG environments, preferably beverage or bottling, covering QEHS governance and technical leadership.
• Advanced expertise in Product Quality and Food Safety management systems, audits and traceability.
• Strong incident and crisis management capability.
• Proven ability to deploy behavioural-based safety programmes and lead culture transformation aligned with Zero Harm principles.
• Solid environmental management knowledge including legal compliance, wastewater, waste, emissions and resource efficiency.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across all organisational levels.
• Analytical, data-driven mindset with strong problem-solving and continuous improvement approach.
• Degree in Chemistry, Biology, Food Science, Engineering or related field.
• Availability for regular travel.

Desireable

• Experience in beverage manufacturing and co-packer network management.
• Qualifications in Health and Safety such as IOSH or NEBOSH.
• Knowledge of microbiology, packaging development, engineering and environmental science.
• Experience with international standards such as ISO, FSSC, AIB.
• Master’s degree in relevant scientific or engineering discipline.

Our DEI Commitment

At Suntory, we recognize that diverse knowledge, perspectives, and backgrounds contribute to our collective success. We are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where all individuals can bring their whole selves to work every day, regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or any other protected characteristic.

Our recruitment and selection processes are designed to highlight what Suntory offers as an employer while allowing candidates to share their unique skills and experiences. We understand that career trajectories vary, and if you believe your experience/background can benefit our team, we encourage you to apply. We endeavor to make our interview process as inclusive as possible and offer reasonable accommodations as needed. Together, we can cultivate a workplace where everyone can thrive and propel our mission of Growing for Good.