Global Microbiology & Food Safety Director

Danone; Hoofddorp; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Danone is seeking a Quality and Food Safety Applied Microbiology Director to drive governance and compliance across manufacturing networks. You will provide microbiological expertise to manage risk, design surveillance and enable early warning across operations globally.

You will lead EMP programs, develop standardised processes with category teams, and partner with cross-functional groups to ensure safe, compliant products. Fluent English and crisis management skills are essential.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s in microbiology, food science or related field is required.
• Strong experience in applied food microbiology, food safety or quality within manufacturing or regulatory environments.
• Fluency in English and proven data analysis, trend interpretation and risk assessment skills.

Responsibilities

• Define microbiological criteria and sampling plan stringency for materials and finished products.
• Own the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) design, governance and continuous improvement.
• Build an early-warning system with trending, triggers, escalation and intervention playbooks.
• Lead crisis assessments for pathogens, spoilage and EMP events and translate learnings into standards/tools.
• Partner with HACCP and Analytical Excellence teams to embed microbial controls and strengthen lab networks.
• Develop global QFS training and community of practice for sharing best practices.

Skills

Fluency in English

Stakeholder engagement

Crisis management

Education

PhD or Master’s degree in Microbiology, Food Science, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology or related discipline

Job description

Danone is seeking a Quality and Food Safety Applied Microbiology Director to drive governance and compliance across manufacturing networks. You will provide microbiological expertise to manage risk, design surveillance and enable early warning across operations globally.

You will lead EMP programs, develop standardised processes with category teams, and partner with cross-functional groups to ensure safe, compliant products. Fluent English and crisis management skills are essential.