Sr. Manager, Consumer Affairs

Ferrero SpA; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 114,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Paid time off

Benefits package

Job summary

Ferrara is seeking a Sr. Manager Consumer Affairs & Customer Quality to lead global consumer affairs, oversee customer quality strategy, and drive proactive risk management across brands, customers, and markets.

You will translate consumer insights into improvements that strengthen quality, protect continuity, and support sustainable growth, with travel and cross-functional leadership responsibilities.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in Quality, Consumer Affairs, or related CPG functions.
• Experience with strategic customers and consumer complaint programs.
• Strong root cause analysis and CAPA experience.
• Executive communication, analytical thinking, cross-functional influence.
• CRM, complaint management, and BI platforms helpful.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the global Consumer Affairs and Customer Quality strategy, standards, processes, and governance.
• Establish consistent requirements for complaint management, customer quality engagement, escalation, investigation, and closure.
• Drive standardization, simplification, and digitalization of consumer and customer quality processes globally.
• Provide global oversight of consumer complaints, inquiries, adverse events, and emerging concerns.
• Ensure significant food safety, quality, regulatory, reputational, or business risks are promptly identified and escalated.
• Establish standards for timely, accurate, empathetic, and brand-appropriate consumer communication.
• Translate consumer complaint trends into actionable improvement priorities.

Skills

Consumer complaint reduction

Strategic customer quality

Customer escalation responsiveness

Complaint investigation & closure

Quality insights & trends

Risk identification

Actionable consumer insights

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related field

Tools

CRM

Business intelligence platforms

Job description

At Ferrara, Ferrero, Fox's Burton's, and The Fine Biscuits Company, we're loved by people of all generations for the joy we bring—and that joy is crafted by our people. Join us and explore a whole world to discover, where your passion will find its place.

Today, Ferrara is the #1 sugar confectioner in the U.S, with global sales in more than 40 countries. Ferrara boasts a passionate team of over 9,000 employees around the world who deliver and create hundreds of iconic and beloved products.

In the U.S., more than 67 million households annually enjoy our popular brands like NERDS®, Brach's®, Jelly Belly®, SweeTARTS®, Laffy Taffy®, and Trolli®. In Brazil, Dori has become a household name with snacking products that include brands such as Dori, Gomets, Pettiz, and Yogurte 100. And, in France, Carambar & Co have earned generations of loyal customers through the timeless appeal of iconic candy and chocolate brands such as Carambar, Lutti, Krema, Poulain, Vichy and Terry's.

Due to the highly interactive and team-based nature of this role, in-person attendance for most of the workweek (i.e., 3 days or more) is essential for: effective communication including during in-person meetings, strong supervision, real-time problem-solving, and participation in cross-functional initiatives.

Want to make an impact?

The Sr. Manager Consumer Affairs & Customer Quality is responsible for leading Ferrara’s global consumer affairs and customer quality strategy, governance, and performance across brands, customers, and markets.

This role serves as the global interface between consumers, strategic customers, and Ferrara’s Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory organization, ensuring consistent complaint management, proactive risk identification, strong customer relationships, and effective resolution of quality issues. The Sr. Manager translates consumer and customer insights into actionable improvements that strengthen product quality, protect business continuity, enhance trust, and support sustainable growth.

Travel Requirement

• 20% travel to facilities within the network
• Must have valid passport

Ways you will make a difference

• Define and lead the global Consumer Affairs and Customer Quality strategy, standards, processes, and governance.
• Establish consistent requirements for complaint management, customer quality engagement, escalation, investigation, and closure.
• Drive standardization, simplification, and digitalization of consumer and customer quality processes globally.
• Provide global oversight of consumer complaints, inquiries, adverse events, and emerging concerns.
• Ensure significant food safety, quality, regulatory, reputational, or business risks are promptly identified and escalated.
• Establish standards for timely, accurate, empathetic, and brand-appropriate consumer communication.
• Translate consumer complaint trends into actionable improvement priorities.

Customer Quality

• Serve as the senior quality interface for strategic customers and key accounts.
• Partner with Commercial teams to proactively manage customer quality expectations, requirements, and performance.
• Lead significant customer quality escalations, performance reviews, and improvement plans.
• Translate customer requirements into scalable and sustainable operational solutions.

Performance, Risk & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and monitor global consumer and customer quality KPIs, complaint trends, service levels, and performance expectations.
• Identify systematic and recurring issues by product, brand, customer, facility, geography, and defect type.
• Ensure effective root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action for significant or recurring issues.
• Partner with Manufacturing, R&D, Supply Chain, Food Safety, Regulatory, and Commercial teams to drive measurable improvement.
• Support recalls, withdrawals, crisis events, and other significant consumer or customer matters.

Systems & Insights

• Provide business leadership for consumer complaint and customer quality systems, analytics, reporting, and data governance.
• Ensure consistent coding, data quality, and integration with broader FSQAR and business intelligence platforms.
• Develop insights and early‑warning mechanisms to proactively identify emerging risks and opportunities.
• Lead and develop Consumer Affairs, Customer Quality, and external consumer contact center resources.
• Build capability in complaint management, customer engagement, risk assessment, investigation, and escalation.
• Represent Consumer Affairs and Customer Quality within global FSQAR governance and executive business reviews.
• Build strong partnerships across Commercial, Marketing, Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, Legal, Regulatory, and Food Safety.

Skills that will make you successful

• Consumer complaint reduction and recurrence
• Strategic customer quality performance
• Customer and consumer escalation responsiveness
• Complaint investigation and closure performance
• Consumer and customer satisfaction trends
• Identification of emerging quality risks
• Quality and actionability of consumer and customer insights

Experiences that will support your success

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology or related field
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Quality, Consumer Affairs, Customer Quality, Food Safety, Regulatory, or related CPG functions.
• Demonstrated experience managing strategic customers and consumer complaint programs in a complex, multi‑site or global organization.
• Strong experience with complaint management, root cause analysis, CAPA, customer escalations, and performance improvement.
• Strong executive communication, business judgment, analytical capability, and cross‑functional influence.
• Experience with CRM, complaint management, and business intelligence platforms preferred.

What We Offer

At Ferrara, we're proud to support our employees with comprehensive benefits that enhance health, financial wellness, and include paid time off (PTO). Eligible employees may also receive an annual bonus based on company performance. Learn more about our benefits at https://flimp.live/Ferrara-Benefits-Resource-Center

Compensation

The salary range for this role is $114,450 - $160,230 annually.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, employment decisions and opportunities at Ferrara will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital or civil union status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, military or veteran status, disability, handicap, genetic information, pregnancy (childbirth or related medical condition), or on any other basis prohibited by law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.