Quality Performance Lead

The Irca Group is an International Leader in high quality finished and semi-finished ingredients for the bakery, pastry, and ice cream markets. With a solid history of over 100 years in the industry, the Group has its headquarters in Italy (Gallarate) and a strong global footprint with 23 production sites and over 2000 employees in Europe, the United States and Vietnam.

Our core product categories include chocolate, compounds, chocolate decorations, sprinkles, creams, pastry mixes, gelato ingredients, nuts and candied fruit. The most recent acquisition of Kerry Sweet complements our existing categories with the addition of sweet particulates, chocolate confections, inclusions, variegates and frozen fruit purees.

Through its 8 key brands (IRCA, Dobla®, in2food, Via Degli Orsini, Joy Gelato, Ravi Fruit, Cesarin and Anastasi®) the IRCA Group offers an unparalleled "one-stop shop" approach for delivering quality solutions to all ingredients needs, through a broad range of innovative products. We offer every day and seasonal solutions to 3 macro channels:
Gourmet, Food Manufacturing and Consumer Product (Retail). "Extraordinary made simple"

Job Purpose:

The Quality Performance Lead is responsible for governance, effectiveness, and continuous improvement of the site Quality Management System (QMS). This role ensures audit readiness, regulatory compliance, and robust food safety programs while driving a prevention-first culture through data-driven insights, strong system ownership, and cross-functional collaboration.

Requirements

• QMS Governance & System Integrity
  • Own and manage document control systems, including procedures, records, and version control
  • Lead Change Control / Management of Change (MOC) program governance and execution
  • Lead Management Review and Food Safety Team processes, including scheduling, KPI inputs, and action tracking
  • Establish, maintain, and execute the site verification and validation master schedule
• Audit & Compliance Leadership
  • Lead internal audit programs (SQF, GMP), including audit planning, execution, and follow-up
  • Coordinate and support external audits (customer, certification, regulatory), ensuring readiness and effective execution
  • Collaborate on audit responses, ensuring clear root cause, CAPA, and timely submission
  • Manage certification programs (e.g., Organic, RSPO, Fair Trade, Kosher, etc.), including compliance and inventory/accounting requirements where applicable
  • Provide updates and represent Quality in customer and certification forums as needed
• Risk Management & Food Safety Programs
  • Maintain and continuously improve Food Safety Plan and Quality Plan, including hazard analyses and controls
  • Lead Food Defense program implementation, assessments, and updates
  • Support PCQI responsibilities, including verification activities
  • Ensure robust traceability systems and conduct traceability exercises to verify effectiveness
• Issue Management & Continuous Improvement
  • Own and oversee the CAPA program, including quality of root cause analysis, effectiveness verification, and closure discipline
  • Track, trend, and analyze deviations, non-conformances, complaints, and CAPAs to drive systemic improvements
  • Audit third-party warehouses and external storage locations as needed
• Commercialization & Product Compliance
  • Participate in commercialization and production readiness processes to ensure quality and compliance requirements are met
  • Review and approve product specifications, labeling, and certification claims
  • Support customer questionnaires, technical documentation, and regulatory inquiries
  • Review and approve system workflows (e.g., Optiva), ensuring alignment with quality and food safety requirements
  • Est up systematic product inspection plans (align SFDC, Optiva PLM and M3)

Qualifications

• • Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or related field
  • 3-7 years of experience in Quality, Food Safety, or related function within food manufacturing
  • Experience with SQF or equivalent GFSI scheme required; PCQI certification preferred
  • Strong working knowledge of food safety systems, regulatory requirements (FSMA), and certification standards
  • Demonstrated experience with QMS ownership, audit…