Quality Manager

Unilever; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); On-site; USD 103,000 - 154,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance and benefits

Job summary

Unilever Kilbourn site seeks a Quality Manager to lead site-wide consumer safety and quality programs, aligning with HACCP and corporate policies. You will drive continuous improvement, mentor the quality team, and partner with production to embed quality in daily operations.

The role reports to the Head of Quality for Nutrition and integrates with the site leadership team to ensure products meet defined standards and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or other applicable field required
• Minimum 5 years supervisory/lead experience in manufacturing; food manufacturing preferred
• Ability to work with people from differing backgrounds collaboratively is required
• Minimum 5 years of quality assurance experience
• Experience in production, quality, or materials management
• Experience in WCM, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, or other continuous improvement program
• Strong communication skills with ability to influence others in a matrixed environment
• Ability to manage projects and project teams from inception to completion
• Working knowledge of OEE and improvement using Loss Tree
• Familiarity with HAACP and other QA regulations preferred
• Food manufacturing experience preferred

Responsibilities

• You’re a born leader: lead site team and extended factory teams
• You’re a dot connector: educate employees on Food Safety Programs and regulations
• You’re a changemaker: drive continuous improvement and benchmarking
• You’re a culture & change champion: instill quality and food safety into daily work
• Establish, lead, and deliver Quality systems for the site
• Act as SME on quality programs and processes
• Provide technical feedback on product inquiries or complaints
• Manage microbiological concerns and ensure products meet quality standards
• Drive continuous improvement and train collaboration with production
• Lead quality talent development and succession planning
• Support regional/export markets on quality standards and regulatory requirements
• Develop KPIs, scorecards, and reports for quality improvements

Skills

Leadership

Food safety

Quality systems

Regulatory compliance

Continuous improvement

Six Sigma / Lean

OEE knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science or Microbiology

Job description

JOB PURPOSE

The Quality Manager has overall responsibility for managing site wide consumer safety and quality program implementation and continuous improvement. Following HACCP processes, Unilever Corporate policies, and Supply Chain Nutrition initiatives, the QA Manager oversees the site quality agenda and participates as a part of the site leadership team. The Quality Manager role works in supporting the Kilbourn site and reporting to the Head of Quality for Nutrition.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• You’re a born leader: Your success will be based on the success of your team, the extended factory team, and the efforts they lead.
• You’re a dot connector: You will educate employees at all levels on Food Safety Programs, Regulatory requirements, and connect our programs to the everyday activities and actions of the team.
• You’re a changemaker: You will deliver new levels of Quality performance through continuous improvement, benchmarking globally and regionally.
• You’re a culture & change champion: You will inspire a culture where employees are passionate about the consumer experience and find ways to infuse quality and food safety into their work.
• Establish, lead, and deliver Quality systems for the site
• Act as the subject matter expert on decisions related to quality programs and processes
• Provide technical information/feedback related to product inquires or complaints
• Manage microbiological concerns.
• Ensure all products meet or surpass defined quality standards.
• Drive continuous improvement
• Collaborate with production departments on awareness and training
• Ensure good manufacturing practices are in place at all times; set example and champion Quality initiatives.
• Responsible for food safety programs
• Participate as part of site leadership team
• Hire, develop, and manage quality team
• Builds Quality talent (recruitment, coaching, training)
• Participates in developing, maintaining and implementing Quality learning frameworks, Quality skills dictionary and Job skill profiles
• Support regional and export markets to ensure quality standards and regulatory requirements are met
• Participates in developing and operationalizing of Unilever Quality strategy, governance, ways of working, organization model, resource levels, roles & responsibilities
• Supports ensuring consumer needs and expectations are linked into Unilever objectives
• Supports ensuring a balanced approach between satisfying customer needs and expectations and internal interests
• Provides expertise, leadership and support in Quality management and deep expertise areas for implementation of Quality standards, resolution of Quality issues across end-to-end SC
• Participates in defining relevant KPIs, building scorecards & reports for Quality KPIs, analyzing data and drawing insights to drive Quality improvement
• Participates in developing and deploying new approaches, processes and tools to “raise the ceiling” and develop future capability for Quality
• Participates in obtaining, maintaining and using insights from external benchmarks, assessment tools, standards, and knowledge about what other organizations are doing to manage Quality
• Participates in managing, advising and coordinating Quality Incident Management process (including recalls) using project management approaches, contacting with experts (SEAC), providing guidance on action resolution, and the reporting and replication of lessons learned
• Influences development and drives use of the Unilever quality improvement process and toolkit
• Provides Quality leadership to influence Quality culture through visibility and coaching of cross-functional leadership across the business

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or other applicable field required
• Must have a minimum of 5 years of supervisory/lead experience in manufacturing environment; food manufacturing preferred
• Ability to work with people from differing backgrounds collaboratively is required
• Must have a minimum of 5 years of quality assurance experience
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills and abilities through experience in production, quality, or materials management is required
• Must have experience in WCM, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, or other continuous improvement program
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence others through a matrixed environment is required
• Must have the ability to manage project and project teams from inception to completion including hitting deadlines and documenting progress
• Working knowledge of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and ability to drive improvements using the Loss Tree is required
• Familiarity with HAACP and other QA regulations preferred.
• Food manufacturing experience preferred.

Leadership

• You are an inclusive motivator of people. Your team deliver with real passion, growing and learning from each other whilst delivering quick wins.
• You are still responsible for your own results and as a manager, you also need to motivate others to deliver with passion, creating an inclusive and engaging climate around you. You can balance challenge with support and coaching. You understand the wider business context and you are emotionally intelligent enough to motivate people to deliver what is needed.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $103,000 to $154,400. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.

Bonus

This position is bonus eligible.

Long-Term Incentive (LTI)

This position is LTI eligible.

Benefits

Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

At Unilever, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive/succeed. All applicants will receive fair and respectful consideration, and we actively support the growth and development of every employee. Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities. For more information on your federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.

#LI-Onsite