Quality Officer

Kinisla Group; Listowel; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Kinisla is seeking a Quality Officer to lead our Compliance Audit team at Listowel, County Kerry. You will oversee GMP adherence, drive continuous improvement and manage internal, customer and third-party audits to close out findings.

The role emphasizes teamwork, effective leadership and training to implement quality standards across value streams and functions, ensuring sustained compliance.

Qualifications

• Completion of a 3rd Level qualification in Science, Food Science, Biochemistry or equivalent.
• Proficient in MS Office.
• Excellent written, numerical and verbal skills.
• Ability to drive continuous improvement and change management initiatives.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, coaching and conflict management skills.
• Focus on delivery of key agreed objectives and targets.
• Ability to gain deep process understanding.
• Attention to detail coupled with strong problem-solving ability.
• Team focus on strong people management and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Compliance Audit team to ensure engagement and high performance with focus on problem solving and teamwork.
• Build trust through effective leadership and people management processes with open two-way communications.
• Measure compliance to defined quality standards.
• Facilitate continuous improvement initiatives and CI culture.
• Ensure GMP adherence via management of Quality Compliance Auditing and processes to meet product specifications.
• Implement Quality Standards by providing training and support to value stream and other functions.
• Empower value stream to undertake quality training activities.
• Manage Factory Audits including Customer and Third-Party audits.
• Ensure internal Quality audits verify compliance to defined standards and codes of practice.
• Manage resolution and close-out of issues identified during audits.

Skills

MS Office

Written communication

Verbal communication

Problem solving

Numerical ability

People management

Education

Science/related 3rd Level qualification (Science, Food Science, Biochemistry)

Job description

Quality Officer - Listowel

About the Role

Here at Kinisla, we’re currently recruiting for a Quality Officer to join our team in Listowel, County Kerry. The successful candidate will lead and develop a high-performing Compliance Audit team, fostering a culture of teamwork, problem-solving and open communication. You will oversee compliance with quality standards and GMP requirements, drive continuous improvement, and ensure effective implementation of quality standards through training and support. The role will also manage internal, customer and third-party factory audits, ensuring findings, incidents and issues are effectively resolved and closed out.

What will I be doing?

• Leading the Compliance Audit team to ensure they are engaged and high performing with a focus on problem solving and teamwork.
• The successful individual will build trust through effective leadership and the skilled application of people management processes and open 2-way communications.
• Responsible for measuring compliance to defined quality standards.
• Ensure the continuous improvement (CI) of standards set by facilitating and participating in all relevant CI initiatives.
• Achieve quality standards and adherence to GMP through management of the Quality Compliance Auditing team and process to deliver agreed product specifications as defined in quality standards and policies.
• Facilitate the implementation of Quality Standards by ensuring the necessary training and support is made available to the value stream and other functional areas.
• Empower value stream to undertake quality training activities by providing technical training to Value Steam training personnel.
• Management of the Factory Audits including Customer and 3rd Party audits.
• Ensure that the internal Quality audits are carried out to verify compliance against defined standards and codes of practice.
• Accountable for managing the resolution and close out of issues, incidents which have been identified as part of the audit process.

What do I need to be successful?

• Completion of a 3rd Level qualification in Science, Food Science, Biochemistry or equivalent.
• Proficient in the use of MS Office tools.
• Excellent written, numerical and verbal skills.
• A demonstrated numerical ability to record, interpret and analyse key process data.
• Ability to drive continuous improvement and change management initiatives.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, coaching and conflict management skills.
• These include:
• Focus on delivery of key agreed objectives and targets
• Ability to gain deep process understanding
• Attention to detail coupled with strong problem-solving ability
• Team focus on strong people management and interpersonal skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent organizational and planning skills

About Kinisla

Kinisla is a vertically integrated farm-to-fork business with a very substantial consumer foods presence and a leading nutritional and dairy ingredients division, delivering high-quality dairy solutions with a focus on sustainability and innovation. From partnering with local family farms to producing world-class dairy products, we ensure every step of our value chain reflects our commitment to excellence.

With over 50 years’ experience in milk processing, dairy and nutritional technology advancement, and product innovation, we are a key stakeholder in the global food industry and creators of a strong portfolio of market leading dairy brands including Cheestrings, Charleville and Coleraine Cheese, Dairygold, Golden Cow and our new SMUG range. Our from food, for food culture and deep-rooted connection to our 2,800 milk suppliers differentiates our business and offers captivating opportunities for our customers and consumers.

Our dairy comes from some of the world’s richest grazing land and is produced by a network of Irish family farms that have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. Through a combination of expertise, innovation, and sustainability, Kinisla is proud to shape the future of dairy while meeting the diverse needs of our farmers, customers, and communities.

Headquartered in Tralee, Co. Kerry, we operate multiple manufacturing facilities in the southwest of Ireland, including Listowel, Charleville, Newmarket, and Farranfore. Additionally, we manage 28 Farm & Home stores throughout the region, ensuring comprehensive coverage and service. In Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, our presence extends to key locations in Portadown, Coleraine, and Ossett.

Globally, Kinisla employs over 1,700 dedicated professionals across Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, USA, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and China. In 2024, we achieved a turnover of approximately €1.3 billion, reflecting our commitment to excellence and growth.

At Kinisla, we benefit from the knowledge of our colleagues who bring a diverse range of cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles and experiences. One team fostering an inclusive culture that, above all, inspires food and nourishes life. One culture where everyone brings their unique perspectives and experiences to help make us better, together. We are committed to nurturing an environment of positivity and inclusiveness, where everyone can be at their best, both personally and professionally.

Our recruitment, selection and assessment process are based on the skills and competencies of the specific roles and based entirely on merit. We are committed to and value Diversity and Inclusion in all recruitment processes within Kinisla and do not discriminate based on gender, race, class, economic status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, veteran status, marital status or any other protected characteristic.

Please note: We do not accept CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies where Kinisla terms of business have not been signed. Additionally, we will not consider or agree to payment of any recruiter fee under these circumstances. This also applies to CVs or candidate profiles sent directly to any Kinisla Hiring Managers.