Food Safety & Quality Manager (m/f/d)

Within Ferrero’s Ice Cream Business, Ice Cream Factory Comaker (ICFC), one of the largest ice cream manufacturers in Europe within the Ferrero Group, we are looking for a Plant Food Safety & Quality Manager at our Alzira plant.

The successful candidate will be responsible for implementing all the necessary guidelines to manage overall Food Safety and Quality within the plant, in accordance with the policies and procedures defined by the Ferrero Group Corporate Food Safety & Quality function. The role will activate and ensure all the necessary mechanisms to guarantee and monitor the Food Safety and Quality of products and production processes, in line with the standards defined under the “New Product Full Mix” pillar and by the Group Corporate Food Safety & Quality function, ensuring compliance with all food safety and hygiene regulations applicable to the food industry. In addition, the Plant Food Safety & Quality Manager will ensure that plant personnel are properly trained in all Food Safety and Quality-related matters. This position works collaboratively across functions to achieve Ferrero’s objectives in safety, productivity, and quality.

Food Safety Implementation & Execution

• Ensure the efficient and effective management of Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) in manufacturing, covering the acceptance of raw materials, packaging materials, semi-finished products, and finished products, with particular attention to food safety and the organoleptic characteristics of products.
• Implement FSQ plans, improvement initiatives, and plant-level projects, ensuring that corporate guidelines and legal and scientific standards are properly applied.
• Monitor compliance with FSQ requirements throughout all manufacturing processes (receiving, processing, finished product release, etc.) through sampling plans, audits, and corporate information systems.
• Implement all Food Safety improvement initiatives within the plant, including thermal validation, Environmental Monitoring Programs (EMP), sanitation, infrastructure and equipment improvements, zoning, positive finished product release, positive raw material release, and risk prevention actions following CAPA methodologies.
• Ensure the implementation, maintenance, and proper application of plant Food Safety & Quality guidelines in accordance with policies and procedures defined by Ferrero Group FSQ experts (Product Excellence, Food Safety, ISO 9001, ISO 22000, and other certification schemes required by the Group and customers), based on risk analysis using HACCP methodology.
• Propose improvements to existing guidelines and communicate them to regional and area teams, providing feedback and recommendations when policies, procedures, and methodologies are not effectively implemented.
• Ensure compliance with certification requirements (Food Safety & Quality systems, product certification systems, ethical and religious certifications), guaranteeing product conformity for all destination markets and consistency with product declarations.
• Support central audits, from plant activities through the definition of corrective action plans, ensuring deadlines are met.

Non-Conformities & Consumer Complaint Management

• Manage and make decisions within the plant regarding Food Safety & Quality non-conformities and consumer complaints (e.g., unsafe products that expose or may expose consumers to significant health risks, such as hazardous foreign bodies, toxic compounds, chemical residues, pathogens, undeclared allergens, or other critical regional business issues).
• Block all non-conforming materials and processes (incoming materials, semi-finished products, and finished products), consulting with Area FSQ I&S, RFSQM, and AFSQM as required.
• Conduct root cause analyses of critical non-conformities and support Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in identifying and implementing corrective and preventive actions to avoid recurrence.

People & Team Management

• Ensure, in collaboration with relevant functions, the training and coaching of employees regarding equipment safety, tool usage, handling of substances used in production, and accident prevention.
• Manage assigned personnel, fostering a management approach based on Ferrero’s values, motivation, diversity and inclusion, competency development, and employee empowerment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Food Science, Biology, Microbiology, or a related field
• Knowledge of manufacturing and processing operations, including raw materials, production processes, and quality control systems
• Experience with BRC and IFS standards
• Proven experience in quality control analysis, including conducting tests and inspections on products and processes to assess quality and performance
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and results.
• Knowledge of certification standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 22000.

Experience

• Minimum 8–10 years of experience in Food Safety & Quality within a manufacturing regulatory environment in Europe (FMCG strongly preferred)
• At least 3–5 years in a leadership role (Plant / Site FSQ, Quality Manager or equivalent)
• Proven track record in managing audits, food safety incidents, and complex non-conformities in an industrial context
• Experience in matrix organizations and interaction with corporate functions is a strong advantage

IT Skills

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office and SAP

Languages

• Fluent spoken and written English
• Fluent spoken and written Spanish