Plant Food Safety & Quality Manager

About the Role

Position is located in Florence, KY with 300+ employees creating iconic products:
Fudge Stripes and Famous Amos cookies. The Plant Food Safety & Quality Manager is a key functional and management role within the Ferrero Quality Organization and is in charge of quality and food safety for the plant. As the leader of the Quality Team, this position reports directly to the VP of Industrial Quality NAM and will manage a team of 5 while being actively involved in cross‑functional work with Production, R&D/Technology, Engineering and Maintenance.

The Plant Food Safety & Quality Manager supports the implementation of the Ferrero Food Safety and Quality Standards. This person will activate and ensure all necessary levers to guarantee and monitor Food Safety & Quality for products and production processes, according to the standard defined by the Ferrero Food Safety and Quality Department ensuring compliance with all the standards of Food Safety and hygiene in the food industry.

The role includes leading root cause analysis related to non‑conformances, participating in continuous improvement, and executing related actions. It also involves quality training and development to achieve food safety and quality objectives.

• Ensure an efficient and effective management of Food Safety and Quality (FSQ) in manufacturing
• Implement FSQ plans, improvement initiatives and projects at a plant level, ensuring central guidelines and legal and scientific standards are correctly applied
• Implement within the plant all Food Safety improvement initiatives and risk‑preventing actions
• Ensure efficient and effective implementation, maintenance and application of Plant Food Safety & Quality guidelines
• Guarantee certifications requirements are respected, ensuring product compliance for all receiving markets and coherence with product claims
• Serve as a reference for local application of recipe/material compliance with local and international legislation
• Make management and decisions within the plant on FSQ non‑conformities and consumer complaints
• Carry out root‑cause analysis on critical and major non‑conformities and support the SME
• Measure compliance with FSQ through all transformation processes
• Execute allergen cross‑contamination risk assessment in the plant
• Facilitate the application, maintenance and updating of all internal regulations and external ones related to products, processes and linked structures
• Ensure correct application of the Ferrero Quality System, quality certifications and legal standards throughout the productive process
• Ensure execution of the analytical sampling plan
• Team management
  • Manage the team to ensure all activities are performed on time
  • Ensure all team members are trained on related procedures and operate in compliance with work instructions and procedures
  • Organize work schedule and priorities of the team
  • Conduct yearly performance evaluation of direct reports

• Minimal Requirements
  • Master’s degree in food science or a related field
  • Minimum of 8 years’ experience in quality assurance within the food industry
  • Ability to read and interpret quality and regulatory documents
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Auditing and assessment skills

Career growth opportunities and a supportive work environment that fosters professional development.

Ferrero is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable human rights laws. Ferrero will recruit, hire, train, and promote all persons without regard to race, creed, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity), religion, national origin or ancestry, age, disability, or history of disability (except where physical or mental abilities are a bona fide occupational requirement and the individual is not able to perform the essential functions of the position even with reasonable accommodations), citizenship, or any other protected characteristic.

Ferrero will accommodate the needs of applicants with disabilities throughout all stages of the selection process. If you need accommodation during the recruitment process, please advise the People & Organization (HR) Representative. Information related to the need for accommodation and accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.