External Manufacturing Quality Assurance Technologist

Mars; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 87,000 - 119,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Mars University

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Mars is seeking a Senior Quality & Food Safety professional to partner with External Manufacturers, ensuring products meet Mars QFS standards and legal requirements. You will lead risk assessments, drive supplier development, and manage incidents, while embedding Mars principles across EM partnerships.

Key focus areas include audits of co-manufacturers, implementing EMQM, and continuous improvement of supplier quality. Travel up to 40% is required to manage via collaboration with EM sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in food science/technology or related field.
• 3+ years in Food Development/Manufacturing, preferably QA/Food Safety with auditor experience.
• Strong leadership, communication and commercial awareness.
• Solid analytical and problem‑solving abilities.
• Proven project management and organizing experience.
• Knowledge of HACCP, GMP/GHP, and FSSC22.000.
• Ability to manage non-conformances and incidents.
• Willingness to travel up to 40%.

Responsibilities

• Translate and embed Mars principles and culture.
• Partner with commercial teams to drive performance of EMs and ensure QFS compliance.
• Develop suppliers and implement new products at EMs.
• Collaborate to mitigate Change Management impacting quality and compliance.
• Own PRIMP/NCMGT responsibilities for non-conformances.
• Oversee External Manufacturer approval and verification activities.
• Drive EMQM QMS standards adoption and action planning.
• Develop External Manufacturers to agreed status and track KPI targets.
• Manage metrics on food safety and quality and escalate findings.
• Lead risk assessments and NPD activities with supplier line trials.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Project management

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Supplier management

Quality mindset

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in food science/technology

Job description

Job Description

As the primary interface between Mars and our External Manufacturing (EM) partners. You will lead as the “face” of R&D between Mars and the EM stakeholders to safeguard great products and brands that are manufactured at EM’s are guaranteed to always delight consumers and customers and always meet Mars and legal requirements.

What are we looking for?

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in food science/technology, a related technical field or equivalent.
• 3+ years working experience in a Food Development/Manufacturing environment, preferably within Quality & Food Safety and with (lead) auditor experience and qualification
• Visible passion, leadership, and behaviors in line with MARS’ first principle – QUALITY
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability
• Proven and effective project management & organizing experience
• Strong communicator & relationship builder with good commercial awareness and supplier management skills
• Knowledge of Quality & Food Safety (HACCP, GMP/GHP, FSSC22.000)
• Non-conformance and incidents management skills
• Up to 40% travel required

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of Quality & Food Safety (HACCP, GMP/GHP, FSSC22.000)
• Sound risk assessment & management skills
• Basic food microbiology, analytical chemistry, and sensory methods

What will be your key responsibilities?

• Translating and embedding MARS principles and culture
• Partnering with commercial to drive the performance and continuous improvement of our External Manufacturers, with focus on their adherence to MARS Q&FS requirements and best practices to ensure that we protect our brands and corporate reputation.
• Process specific supplier development and implementation of new products at External Manufacturers.
• Collaborate with functions to mitigate any Change Management impacting the product compliance to quality, legal, and food safety requirements
• Own the PRIMP Incident Owner or NCMGT responsibilities regarding non-conformances impacting MARS product at External Manufacturers.
• Detailed responsibilities include:

External Manufacturer approval and ongoing verification

• Assess and drive MARS quality culture and behavior
• Perform all co-manufacturing Q&FS audits verifying the quality and effectiveness of their quality management systems and compliance to MARS EMQM Procedure and QMS requirements Assess and ensure continuous improvement culture is in place

Drive implementation of QMS standards, specifically External Manufacturing Quality Management (EMQM)

• Ensure that the supplier has robust and affective quality management systems and processes in place e.g., HACCP, Supplier Quality Assurance, Allergen Management and Foreign Material Management
• Creation of implementation action plans and monitor progress to ensure completion in line with mandated timeframes

Development and continuous improvement of External Manufacturers

• Develop External Manufacturers to agreed status
• Set Q&FS measures in line with targets like Total Conformance Index and Consumer Complaints and ensure clear action plans are in place to meet KPI’s.
• Implement best practices and learning from relevant serious and critical incidents within the targeted time frame

Performance management of External Manufacturers

• Responsible for gathering and reporting of all food safety and quality related metrics and driving necessary improvement programs
• Responsible for the analysis of microbiological and analytical laboratory data related to the safety of raw materials and finished goods and carrying out the correct escalation procedures

New product development

• Lead Risk Assessments to ensure that all Q&FS and legal hazards have been identified and effective control measures are in place
• Create Technical Product Specifications based on risk assessment output, product specifications, and manufacturers’ process specifications.
• Participate in line trials at the supplier, assess effectiveness of all control measures, and identify necessary improvements
• Lead and execute Handover to approve supply solutions to self-sufficient production status

Incident Management

• Incident owner for co-manufacturer incidents
• Manage Hold & Release process
• Application of problem-solving tools such as RCA, 5Why, and Fishbone to aid root cause analysis as part of post incident review
• Ensure Corrective and Preventative actions are implemented within agreed time frames and incident learnings are shared within the wider business

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.
The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting:USD 86,720.00 - USD 119,240.00