Food Safety and Quality Graduate

Dawn Meats; West Cork; On-site; EUR 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food company in Ireland is seeking a Food Safety and Quality Graduate to join their team. This graduate program offers a structured 2-year development plan with hands-on experience in the agri-food sector, mentorship from senior leadership, and ongoing training in food safety and quality assurance. Ideal candidates will have a degree in Food Science or Agricultural Science and possess strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Have a 3rd Level Qualification in Food Science / Agricultural Science or any related discipline.
• Be proactive, detail-oriented, and organised.
• Demonstrate strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Have strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Possess digital literacy skills and be technologically proficient.
• Be committed to continuous learning.

Responsibilities

• A structured 2-year development plan with hands on experience in the agri-food sector.
• Mentorship and coaching from senior leadership.
• Ongoing training and development in HACCP and Internal Auditing.
• Assisting in ensuring food safety, quality, and compliance.
• Learning HACCP techniques, GMP, food hygiene, and risk assessment.

Skills

Critical thinking

Problem-solving

Detail-oriented

Organizational skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Digital literacy

Education

3rd Level Qualification in Food Science/Agricultural Science

Job description

Overview

Company:Dawn Meats

Job title: Food Safety and QualityGraduate

Contract type:Full-Time/Permanent

Location: Carrolls Cross, Co. Waterford

Dawn Meats is one of Europe’s leading food companies, supplying quality beef and lamb products to a wide range of retail, foodservice, and manufacturing customers. With a reputation for excellence, innovation, and sustainability, we pride ourselves on operating to the highest standards of food safety, animal welfare, and environmental responsibility.

This is a graduate level opportunity working as part of the Food Safety & Quality team to support production teams by ensuring the highest standards of food safety and quality, traceability and compliance to 3rd party, legal, and customer specifications. You will liaise with NPD, commercial, intake, despatch and the production teams to gain insight into the full supply chain from farm to fork and develop both technical and leadership skills. You will work alongside experienced teams, gaining hands on experience in all aspects of a food production.

Our graduate programme is aimed at developing future leaders and technical specialists who will help shape the future of the Irish meat industry.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• A structured 2-year development plan with hands on experience in the fast-paced agri-food sector
• Mentorship and coaching from senior leadership
• Ongoing training and development in areas such as
  • HACCP
  • Internal Auditing
  • Food Defence, TACCP & VACCP
  • Lean and Continuous Improvement
• Assisting the FSQ team in its key business objective, to be “recognised as industry leaders in Food Safety, Quality, Innovation and Animal Welfare.”
• Learning HACCP techniques, GMP, food hygiene, risk assessment, and legal responsibilities
• Involvement with quality operations, policies, SOPs, procedures and product specifications
• Assisting with the implementation and maintenance of HACCP and Quality Management Systems
• Assisting with production and QC teams to ensure that product meets required customer and legal specifications
• Aiding production teams where necessary regarding product safety, quality or traceability control procedures
• Decision making based on data collection and analysis
• Microbiological and chemical sampling of finished product and raw materials as per sampling schedule
• Complaint and non-conformity handling and investigation including root cause analysis
• Exposure to BRCGS, ISO 22000, Bord Bia, or other food safety and customer standards
• Carrying out internal audits based on risk assessment and assisting with Customer & 3rd Party Audits
• Assisting in projects as outlined by the FSQ Manager
• Promoting a culture of “Always Audit Ready” and continuous improvement across the site

Qualifications

The ideal candidate should:

• Have a 3rd Level Qualification in Food Science / Agricultural Science or any related discipline
• Be proactive, detail-oriented, and organised
• Demonstrate strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Have strong written and verbal communication skills
• Possess digital literacy skills and be technologically proficient
• Be committed to continuous learning and professional development, recognising that education is an ongoing process

INDLP