Food Safety and Quality Manager

Kerry; Beloit (WI); On-site; USD 107,000 - 144,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

401(k) plan with employer match

Employee Share Plan

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Kerry's Beloit North America Center is seeking a Food Safety & Quality Manager to lead FSQ programs, HACCP, and site compliance in partnership with the Beloit facilities team.

You will drive quality systems, regulatory readiness (FDA/CFIA), and continuous improvement across GMP, preventive controls, and supplier interfaces while enabling product innovation and customer satisfaction. Some travel required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in food science or related field.
• 4–10 years of quality experience and/or training.
• Experience with quality and food safety systems in a plant environment.
• Knowledge of GFSI standards (SQF, BRC, IFS, FS 22000).

Responsibilities

• Lead food safety and HACCP programs and GMPs.
• Develop and maintain quality systems aligned with Kerry standards and FDA/CFIA.
• Ensure regulatory inspections and audits are successful; close findings.
• Drive continuous improvement and KPI performance with root-cause analysis.
• Support customer satisfaction and proactive action plans.
• Manage plant QA team within budget and develop personnel.

Skills

Statistical analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Quality management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, or similar Science/Engineering

Tools

Intelex

Job description

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

The Food Safety & Quality Manager provides leadership for Food Safety and Quality (FSQ) in alignment with the Kerry Corporate Policies. The FSQ Manager has ownership of food safety and quality programs, including oversight of contract sanitation, innovation food safety programs, and facility maintenance working with the Beloit facilities team. The FSQ Manager will work alongside cross-functional teams to deliver product innovation for customers. FSQ Manager is accountable to investigate and solve complex issues, make decisions quickly with little information, and lead food safety programs and culture. The FSQ Manager ensures product innovation meets the expectations of our customers. This position requires 5-10% travel.

Our Beloit, WI Kerry North America Center is the location of the Beloit Research Center where product innovation and small batch trials are conducted.

Key responsibilities

1. Food Safety: Ensure effective food safety compliance and work with and Beloit facilities team to implement programs to mitigate risk. Manage and lead HACCP program and team, ensuring that Good Manufacturing Practices, preventive controls and prerequisite programs are in place and effective. Manage the plant Food Safety & Quality System to produce safe quality food. PCQI Certification with clear understanding of responsibility to ensure compliance of products.

2. Quality Systems: Develop and maintain food safety and quality systems including QC & QA. Develop, review, and align site procedures will Kerry global standards and FDA/CFIA expectations. Internally audit against global and regional standards and site procedures using Intelex as an effective repository and corrective action verification tool, with a continuous improvement mindset to drive excellence and compliance with all expectations. Effectively manage the food safety and quality system, including Prerequisite Programs, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Pest Control, Sanitation, and other programs as required by Kerry Standards. Be responsible for the accurate and effective evaluation of facility and products through analytical and microbiological testing. Control the positive release of product to ensure only compliant product is released. Partner cross-functionally to analyze and reduce internal non-conformances, driving Right the First Time improvement.

3. Compliance: Enforce Kerry standards in the areas of ingredient and product standards, process specifications, formula compliance, sanitation/GMP/pest control, and regulatory compliance. Ensure that the products released are compliant and safe foods. Be the point person at the site for regulatory inspections (FDA/CFIA) and customer audits. Ensure the site is audit ready every day and manage any audits or inspections with success, closing any findings on time in Intelex.

4. Quality Improvement: Implement Kerry Performance Standards (1KPS) as applicable to the pilot plant and support continuous improvement. Report and drive improvement in Key Performance Indicators through effective root cause analysis, trend review, and corrective action effectiveness. Develop and lead proactive action plans for performance improvement including complaint reduction, right the first time, timely release of product, completion and verification of corrective actions and audit findings. Drive completion of the functional master plan and contribute to the overall site master plan goals, partnering cross-functionally in quality and process improvement. Leads effective and successful external and internal audits. Identify and close any gaps to the global standards. Support cross-functional improvement, sustainability, and cost reduction initiatives.

5. Customer Satisfaction: Be proactive and responsive in addressing customer complaints, communicating effectively on technical issues and leading the root cause analysis. Develop and verify corrective actions. Professional and effective customer communication that builds confidence and partnership.

6. Managerial Responsibilities: Build the food safety culture at the site and effectively manage and engage the team. Develop, engage and maintain qualified personnel within the plant Quality department, through training, communication, and accountability. This involves recruitment, organizational development, personnel assessment, training, direction and motivation. Manage the department within budget and utilize resources effectively to meet needs of the business on a timely basis. Set goals and review performance effectively in system and with team to deliver accountability.

Qualifications and skills

Technical Skills: Continuously improve knowledge of products and technology to investigate variation and resolve technical problems with the team. Apply a scientific approach with statistical analysis to data and problem solving. Act as the primary technical liaison with customers, vendors and regulatory agencies. Proficiency in

Industry Experience: Experience with the technology and analytical methods associated with the products made at the site. Capable of bringing best practices and eliminating causes of variation and complaints based on understanding of product category.

Specific Skill Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Food Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, or similar Science/Engineering.
• Knowledge and experience with relevant GFSI standards such as SQF, BRC, IFS or FS 22000.
• Minimum 4-10 years of quality experience and/or training.
• Experience managing quality and food safety systems.
• Experience in a plant environment strongly preferred.

The pay range for this position is $107,000 - $144,000 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. In addition, this position is also eligible to earn a performance-based incentive compensation. Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement. This job posting is anticipated to expire on 10/31/26

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Kerry is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for employees and applicants. We prohibit discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, pregnancy, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, military service, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. This commitment applies to all employment practices, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, training, and career development. Kerry also takes affirmative action to ensure that minorities, women, disabled veterans, and other protected groups are introduced into our workforce and considered for promotional opportunities.