Job Title

Head of Technical & Quality:Lakeland Dairies Co-operative Society Limited (The Group) is the second largest dairy processor on the island of Ireland. The business is complex and ambitious with a milk supply pool of 2 billion litres of milk, drawn from over 3,200 family farms across 16 counties.With the most modern dairy manufacturing facilities in 6 locations on a cross-border basis, the Group supplies to a broad customer base including some of the worlds foremost blue chip companies across the dairy food ingredients, foodservice and consumer food channels on a domestic Ireland, UK, European and global basis. Internationally we export some 240 different products to over 100 countries worldwide.The Groups Agribusiness Division (Lakeland Agri) operates a state-of-the-art Animal Feed Manufacturing Facility and is a leading and innovative provider of the highest quality feeds and agricultural inputs to dairy, beef, and sheep farmers across the north and south of Ireland.The RoleThe Head of Technical & Quality will oversee the technical and quality assurance functions within the organisation, ensuring that all products meet the highest standards of quality, safety, and compliance. This role is essential for maintaining the company's reputation for excellence, ensuring that the highest standards are in place for the site operations teams. The Role Holder will drive continuous improvement in product quality and technical processes, collaborating with R&D teams to ensure capability is in place to enter new routes to market. Utilising strong communication skills, this role will be a key interface between the company and its customers, working within multi-disciplinary teams ensuring close and collaborative relationships. This role will also oversee all customer technical relationships contributing to the company's success by driving continuous improvement and maintaining a strong reputation with our customers for excellence. Key ResponsibilitiesLead the technical and quality assurance teams, providing direction, support, and development opportunities ensuring adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards across the dairy sites.Develop and implement quality assurance policies and procedures to ensure consistency and excellence across all processes and products.Ensure compliance with all relevant health and safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements, representing the organisation at relevant industry forums.Own and oversee all audits (internal, external, regulatory and customer audits)Ensure robust traceability and recall systems are in place and tested regularly.Monitor and report to the COO, using a group wide consistent approach on quality performance metrics, identifying areas for improvement and implementing corrective actions as needed. Collaborate with other departments, including operations, supply chain, and procurement, to ensure that quality standards are maintained at the expected cost throughout the manufacturing process.Drive initiatives in conjunction with Head of Operational Excellence to improve product quality, reduce defects, and enhance customer satisfaction.Work closely with the customer facing teams to build and maintain relationships with key customers. Leading the companys response and communications to any customer incidents.Leading the customer technical strategy and joint quality plans. Work closely with Site Heads of Operations to ensure factory/site standards are at the highest possible levels and that there is consistency in the approach to factory standards.Manage resource allocation within the technical and quality assurance teams to optimise productivity and efficiency.Stay up to date with industry trends and advancements in quality assurance and technical processes and implement best practices within the organisation. Qualifications and ExperienceBachelors or masters degree in food or Dairy Science or related discipline.Significant experience in quality and food safety management ideally in the Food Industry.Knowledge of systems and processes which support Quality Management System. Extensive knowledge of global quality regulations, industry best practices, and international standards and ability to interpret and implement. Proven Leadership experience in managing cross-functional teams.Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining excellent third party and customer relationships.To request a detailed job description, please email gemma.lambe@lakelanddairies.com.To apply for this role, please e-mail your CV and cover letter quoting reference OPS00254 to Gemma Lambe, Group Head of Talent Acquisition at gemma.lambe@lakelanddairies.comClosing date for receipt of applications is Friday 2nd May 2025.Lakeland Dairies Ltd is committed to having an inclusive workplace where every employee feels they belong. If you require accommodations to be made during the recruitment process or have questions relating to accessibility, please contact us at 049 4364200 or email careers@lakelanddairies.com.