Job Profile: Head of Quality
Department Technical / Quality Assurance
Location Lusk, Co. Dublin
Reports To MD
Employment Type Full-Time, Permanent
Role Purpose
The Head of Quality is a senior site leadership role responsible for ensuring that all Company products meet the highest standards of food safety, quality, legality, and customer expectations. Leading the site’s Technical, QA, and Compliance teams, the role drives operational excellence, audit readiness, and continuous improvement across the business.
This role provides strategic and technical direction across all functions, acting as the site lead for food safety and quality culture, and maintaining full compliance with BRCGS, HACCP, customer codes, and Irish/EU legislation.
Key Responsibilities
Quality Strategy & Technical Leadership
Develop and implement the site’s food safety and quality strategy in alignment with business objectives, customer expectations, and regulatory requirements.
Lead, coach, and develop the QA, Technical, and Compliance teams to ensure a proactive, high-performance, and audit-ready culture.
Represent BMF in technical engagements with key customers, retailers, and certification bodies.
Compliance, Certification & Regulatory Alignment
Maintain and continuously improve certifications to BRCGS, Organic, DAFM, and customer-specific standards.
Own the site’s HACCP, TACCP, VACCP and Environmental Monitoring (EMP) programmes.
Ensure compliance with all Irish and EU food safety legislation and maintain up-to-date regulatory registers.
Food Safety Systems & Digital Quality Management
Maintain and develop the Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure process control, traceability, and continuous improvement.
Ensure quality data integrity across digital systems (e.g. ERP, QAS portals, complaint systems, specification platforms).
Utilise data and dashboards to drive trend analysis, issue resolution, and strategic planning.
Crisis & Incident Management
Act as Technical Lead for food safety incidents, product withdrawals, or recalls.
Maintain and routinely test the Product Recall Procedure, including conducting mock recalls and traceability drills.
Lead root cause investigations and communicate with regulatory and customer contacts as needed.
Customer & Supplier Management
Serve as the primary technical contact for all customer relationships (Tesco, Dunnes, M&S, Aldi, etc.).
Manage customer complaints, ensuring timely response, root cause analysis, and closure of corrective actions.
Oversee supplier approval, raw material risk assessments, and supplier performance management.
Audit Readiness & Internal Governance
Lead all external audits (BRCGS, customer, DAFM, Organic), ensuring zero major non-conformances and high scores.
Maintain a robust internal audit programme covering GMP, traceability, allergen control, and process compliance.
Monitor hygiene validation, EMP results, and CCP verification to ensure factory hygiene and environmental safety.
Product Innovation & NPD Support
Provide technical input for all new product launches, packaging validations, and process changes.
Approve finished product specifications, shelf-life protocols, and allergen risk assessments before launch.
Participate in factory trials and ensure new lines meet quality, safety, and legality criteria.
Talent & Succession Planning
Lead succession planning within the technical function, identifying and developing high-potential team members.
Promote cross-functional learning, technical training, and structured development plans across QA and compliance teams.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner closely with Operations, NPD, Commercial, Engineering, Hygiene, and Health & Safety teams to ensure end-to-end quality delivery.
Participate in CAPEX planning, factory design, and improvement projects as the technical representative.
Key Interfaces
Internal: Operations, Engineering, Hygiene, NPD, H&S, Sales
External: Retailer Technical Teams, Regulatory Bodies (e.g. FSA), Certification Bodies, Approved Suppliers, Auditors
Working Hours
Full-time with flexibility to support audits, mock recalls, customer visits, and crisis response.
May require occasional evening or weekend availability.
Key Success Measures
Zero major/critical non-conformances in BRC or customer audits
98% customer complaint closure within SLA
Product withdrawal frequency 95% within target timeframe
KPI
External audit scores (BRCGS, customer, DAFM)
Right First Time (RFT) and product conformance
Hygiene and EMP performance trend
Customer complaints and repeat incident rates
Supplier NCs and raw material compliance
QMS document review and closure rates
QA team engagement, retention, and development metrics
Qualifications & Experience
BSc or MSc in Food Science, Microbiology, or related discipline
Minimum 7+ years in senior food safety or quality leadership, ideally in chilled/high-care environments
Advanced understanding of HACCP, TACCP/VACCP, EMP, BRCGS, and Irish/EU food law
Demonstrated success in leading customer and regulatory audits
Experience with QMS, specification systems, and ERP integration
Strong cross-functional communication and stakeholder engagement
Personal Attributes
Strategic mindset with exceptional attention to detail
Inspirational leader and effective mentor
Calm under pressure with strong problem-solving capability
Analytical and data-driven decision-maker
Advocates quality culture and continuous improvement
High integrity and confidentiality
Confidentiality and Compliance
Maintains full confidentiality regarding all business, product, and customer-sensitive information.
Fully compliant with company policies, ethical standards, and food safety regulations.
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