Director FSQR, Customer Relations Americas

Barry Callebaut Manufacturing Iberica SA.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Comprehensive benefits package

Paid time off

Job summary

Barry Callebaut seeks a Director of FSQR, Customer Relations Americas, based in Chicago to define and drive the regional customer quality strategy. You will partner with commercial, operations, R&D, and supply chain to ensure alignment with global FSQR standards and customer expectations.

You will lead a diverse regional team, oversee audits and CAPAs, and deliver sustainable quality governance while fostering continuous improvement and stakeholder collaboration in a fast-paced manufacturing

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in food science/food technology or equivalent.
• Proven leadership experience in regional or global roles, managing complex stakeholder environments.
• Experience in audits, certifications, and regulatory frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the regional customer quality strategy, aligned with global FSQR and business objectives.
• Establish governance frameworks, KPIs, and performance management systems for consistent regional execution.
• Drive standardization and digitalization of customer-related quality processes across sites.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Audit experience

Regulatory knowledge

English fluency

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in food science/food technology

Job description

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Director FSQR, Customer Relations Americas

Location: Chicago, US, 60654

At Barry Callebaut, we are on a journey to transform the cocoa and chocolate industry. As the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, our actions truly shape the future of our industry. We are a business-to-business company, serving the entire food sector, from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. We are a company with a purpose, we believe in doing well by doing good and reinvesting in the communities we operate. We have a long-standing commitment to sustainability and our goal is to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.We are headquartered in Zurich, and have more than 12,000 passionate Employees working in more than 40 countries worldwide.We are very proud of who we are and what we do. And of course, we are always looking for talented people to help us have a positive impact on our industry and beyond!

About the role:

Barry Callebaut is a global organization poised for growth; a company which has embraced the vision to delight its customers, while out-performing its competitors, a business which is committed to sustainability, has innovation in its DNA, is a leader in complex manufacturing and supply chain solutions and is focused on being a best-in-class employer. Barry Callebaut seeks diverse and passionate people who thrive in a dynamic environment, focused on continuous learning, living Barry Callebaut (BC)’s Values and of course loving chocolate. The Regional FSQR Customer Relations is a strategic leadership role responsible for defining and driving the regional customer quality strategy, ensuring alignment between customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and internal Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory (FSQR) standards. The role acts as the primary regional interface for customer quality, partnering with key customers, commercial teams, and global functions to deliver consistent quality performance, manage risks, and strengthen long-term customer relationships. This position plays a critical role in protecting business continuity, enhancing customer satisfaction, and enabling sustainable growth through robust quality governance, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities include:

Strategy & Governance

• Define and execute the regional customer quality strategy, aligned with global FSQR and business objectives
• Establish governance frameworks, KPIs, and performance management systems to ensure consistent execution across sites
• Drive standardization and digitalization of customer-related quality processes

Customer Engagement & Relationship Management

• Act as the senior quality contact for key regional customers, ensuring proactive engagement and strong partnerships
• Lead customer performance reviews and drive improvement actions based on insights and trends
• Manage escalations and ensure effective resolution of critical issues and complaints

Quality Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Define, monitor, and drive customer quality KPIs and service levels across the region
• Lead root cause analysis and ensure sustainable corrective and preventive actions (CAPA)
• Identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities, driving continuous performance improvements

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with customer requirements, regulatory frameworks, and internal standards
• Support and participate in external audits and assessments, leveraging insights to improve processes
• Oversee issue management and customer communication during incidents

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate closely with Commercial, Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, and Sustainability teams to ensure end-to-end alignment
• Translate customer and regulatory requirements into scalable operational solutions
• Drive alignment across global and regional stakeholders

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and develop a high-performing regional customer quality team
• Build capabilities in customer engagement, compliance, and issue management
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

About you:

• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in food science/food technology or equivalent
• Bachelor/master's degree in food science/food technology or equivalent
• Proven leadership experience in regional or global roles, managing complex stakeholder environments
• Experience in audit management, certifications, and regulatory frameworks
• Strong managerial experience with leading direct and indirect teams, ideally with background in confectionery/ food environment
• Fluent English, additional languages are an asset
• Availability to travel for customer meetings, audits (on request), project and departmental meetings

What you can expect from Barry Callebaut:

• Salary Range of $160,000 - $180,000, depending on factors such as experience and location, plus annual bonus and our comprehensive benefits package.
• Paid time off, Paid Holidays, and Flex Days
• Environment that welcomes workplace flexibility
• An atmosphere where diversity is embraced, and inclusivity is second nature. We call it #OneBC! Just ask our champions with the Americas Women’s Forum and the Racial Equality Forum!
• Ability to grow personally and professionally within an organization that values development and internal career growth.
• Be part of our mission in making sustainability the norm through Forever Chocolate with priorities centered around prospering farmers, zero child labor, carbon and forest positive, and creating 100% sustainable ingredients in all of our products.

At Barry Callebaut, we are committed to Diversity & Inclusion. United by our strong values, we thrive on the diversity of who we are, where we come from, what we’ve experienced and how we think. We are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment where people can truly be themselves, grow to their full potential and feel they belong.#oneBC - Diverse People, Sustainable Growth.