Quality, Technical & Food Safety Manager

At Suntory, quality is more than a standard. It's a commitment to our consumers, customers, brands and people.

As one of the world's leading beverage companies, we're proud to create products enjoyed by millions every day. Behind that success is an unwavering focus on quality, food safety and continuous improvement across everything we do.

We're looking for an exceptional Quality leader to join our Toledo manufacturing site and play a pivotal role in safeguarding our products, driving a world-class quality culture and supporting the future growth of our business.

You're a passionate Quality and Food Safety leader who believes that excellence starts with strong standards, capable teams and a culture that never stops improving.

You combine technical expertise with strategic thinking and know how to influence at every level of the organisation. Whether you're responding to complex quality challenges, leading major audits, driving transformation initiatives or developing future talent, you're always focused on protecting consumers and delivering sustainable business results.

You are:

✅ A trusted leader with deep expertise in Quality and Food Safety

✅ Passionate about building world-class manufacturing standards

✅ Comfortable influencing senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams

✅ Data-driven and focused on risk-based decision making

✅ A strong people developer who builds high-performing teams

✅ Resilient, proactive and solutions-oriented

✅ Motivated by creating a culture of continuous improvement and excellence

As Quality, Technical & Food Safety Manager, you'll lead the Quality and Food Safety agenda for our Toledo manufacturing site, ensuring robust systems, compliance, product quality and operational excellence across the business.

Reporting to the QEHS Director, you'll lead a team of Quality professionals while serving as a key member of the Site Leadership Team. You'll shape quality strategy, oversee food safety governance, drive continuous improvement and act as a critical partner across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, R&D and the wider European organisation.

This is a highly visible leadership role with significant impact on business performance, consumer trust and brand reputation.

🛡️ Lead Quality & Food Safety Excellence

• Define, implement and continuously improve site Quality and Food Safety standards.
• Ensure compliance with all internal, legal and certification requirements.
• Maintain world-class Quality Management Systems and Food Safety programmes.
• Drive the site's Quality strategy and Quality Culture transformation journey.

✅ Protect Consumers, Customers & Brands

• Ensure the highest standards of product quality across raw materials, manufacturing processes and finished products.
• Lead root cause investigations and corrective action plans for quality incidents.
• Manage consumer complaints, non-conformities and quality risks.
• Drive proactive prevention strategies to reduce quality failures and food safety risks.

📋 Own Compliance & Audit Readiness

• Lead internal and external audits, including certification activities.
• Ensure compliance with FSSC 22000, HACCP, Food Safety and Quality standards.
• Maintain strong governance, controls and risk management practices.
• Partner with regulatory bodies and external stakeholders where required.

👥 Lead & Develop High-Performing Teams

• Inspire, coach and develop the Quality & Food Safety team.
• Drive employee engagement, succession planning and talent development.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership and continuous learning.
• Lead site-wide quality awareness and training initiatives.

🚀 Drive Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Identify and lead improvement projects that strengthen quality performance and operational effectiveness.
• Support new product development and industrialisation projects.
• Use data and insights to drive decision-making and risk mitigation.
• Deliver measurable improvements across key Quality and Operational KPIs.

🤝 Influence Across the Business

• Act as the site expert and ambassador for Quality, Technical and Food Safety matters.
• Collaborate closely with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, QEHS, R&D and European teams.
• Represent the site with customers, auditors, authorities and external partners.
• Elevate critical quality risks and business insights to senior leadership and executive stakeholders.

Essential

🎓 Degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering or a related discipline

🏭 Experience in Quality, Technical or Food Safety leadership roles within FMCG manufacturing

🛡 Advanced expertise in Quality Management Systems, HACCP, Food Safety and auditing

📋 Strong understanding of ISO 9001, ISO 22000 and associated compliance frameworks

👥 Proven experience leading large, multidisciplinary teams

📊 Strong analytical capabilities with experience using data to make risk-based decisions

🚀 Track record of leading transformation and continuous improvement initiatives

🤝 Excellent communication, stakeholder management and influencing skills

🌍 Experience operating in complex manufacturing environments, ideally within food or beverage production

Nice to Have

⭐ Experience within global FMCG organisations

⭐ Exposure to Site Leadership Team responsibilities

⭐ Experience leading major certification and audit programmes

⭐ Strong project management and industrialisation experience

⭐ Knowledge of international quality and regulatory environments

⭐ Experience influencing regional or international stakeholders