Quality Manager, food industry
food industry
QUALITY MANAGER
food industry
LOCATION: Bucharest, Ilfov, Arges, Dimbovita, Brasov
THE COMPANY
Our client is a key player in the Romanian food production market and part of a fast-growing international group. The factory near Bucharest plays a strategic role in supplying fresh, high-quality products to both local and international markets. The company is committed to continuous innovation, operational excellence, and raising local quality practices to the same high standards already implemented in its European sites.
THE ROLE
We are looking for a hands-on and experienced Quality Manager to lead the site’s quality assurance, control, and food safety systems. Reporting both to the local CEO and the Group Quality Director, the person in this role will be responsible for elevating the quality culture and aligning the plant’s performance with international benchmarks.
This is a strategic and operational leadership role, managing a team of approx. 30 people, including QA, QC, and lab personnel. The focus will be on compliance, team development, risk prevention, and continuous improvement in a fresh food production environment.
The main objective of the role is to prevent the company from any risks relative to:
– Finished products parameters deviations
– Food safety & Hygiene
– Legal issues concerning production process and finished products
Key Responsibilities:
- Quality Assurance & Control
- Coordinate the plant’s quality communication regarding raw materials, ingredients, finished products, and consumer claims; benchmark performance against objectives and drive corrective actions.
- Verify daily quality results and promptly inform the Plant Manager of any deviations or risks.
- Supervise the activity of the plant’s laboratory, ensuring implementation and optimization of control plans, analytical methods, and compliance with Group standards.
- Food Safety & Compliance
- Identify food safety risks and coordinate preventive actions in collaboration with Production and Maintenance teams.
- Lead the development and continuous updating of the HACCP system following technical or process changes, in alignment with Group QA guidelines.
- Organize and conduct internal quality audits as part of the certified internal auditors team.
- Continuous Improvement & Problem Solving
- Coordinate problem-solving groups and quality improvement projects addressing incidents and systemic performance gaps.
- Participate in plant-wide QCDM improvement initiatives, motivating team involvement and validating resource needs.
- Lead laboratory performance improvement projects including tools deployment, process optimization, and safety initiatives.
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Work closely with R&D and Production teams to participate in industrial tests and propose specification enhancements based on quality outcomes.
- Take part in daily production meetings, cross-functional projects, and New Product Development discussions, ensuring quality alignment.
- Reporting & Governance
- Represent the plant in QAFS meetings, presenting quality performance data and action plans when needed.
- Support transparent reporting and alignment with Group-level quality expectations.
- Training & Capability Development
- Plan and deliver regular plant-wide training sessions (e.g., GMP, hygiene, Operator Autocontrol) and ensure documentation of participation and evaluation.
- Foster a culture of quality by actively involving the team in training, awareness, and structured improvement initiatives.
THE CANDIDATE
- University degree in Food Engineering, Chemistry, or Biology.
- Minimum 4–5 years in a quality leadership role in the food industry, ideally in fresh or perishable products (e.g. meat, dairy, ready meals).
- Experience in quality improvement projects, i.e. different food quality, products flavors & micro stability, cooling & freezing processes influence to the product quality and stability
- In-depth knowledge of specific quality assurance systems HACCP, IFS, and BRC systems; experience managing audits and food safety compliance.
- Practical experience with lab processes, allergen/micro risk assessments, and root cause analysis.
- To fit the organizational culture, we look for someone proactive and having a “can do” approach, good planning and organizational skills, attention to detail and orientation to permanently improve, actively present on the shop floor, not just in an office role.
- Fluency in English and Romanian is mandatory.
- Availability to work on site minimum 3 days / week.
ATTRACTIVE ASPECTS
- Our client is one of the most important companies in the food production market in Romania and worldwide, that’s committed to innovation and new product development in each of our markets to meet evolving consumer demand. This is an opportunity for you to feel good by doing good in your everyday work, something we can proudly stand by.
- You will join a market leader in food production with a strong reputation for quality and innovation.
- Lead the transformation of a plant into a Group-level food safety and quality benchmark.
- Opportunities for professional growth and development at Group level.
We welcome resumes or / and recommendations in English Language until latest FRIDAY 20.06.2025.
If, this opportunity does not interest you, but you would like to recommend a member of your professional network who might have the right profile and a potential interest in pursuing it, please don’t hesitate to forward them this ad or directly send us their coordinates.
Please consider that only the suitable candidates will be contacted for interview, but we appreciate everyone’s interest in our projects and would like to keep in touch for future projects.
Pendl & Piswanger offers HR and management advisory services in the last 40 years in CEE. As members of InterSearch, a worldwide executive search firm with more than 100 offices in 50 countries, we are amongst the top search firms globally and operate across all major industry sectors. We are experienced, innovative, and totally committed to our clients who gain competitive advantage by hiring great people. For more information, please visit www.ro.intersearch.org.