Director - Quality

What makes this a great opportunity?

Our Distilling, Bottling and Bulk Spirits operations across the UK & Ireland produce a range of premium products from our portfolio of Scotch Whisky, Irish Whiskey and Gin servicing a global customer base.
The role holder will be accountable for:

•    Leading the Quality function within the UK and Ireland, ensuring all external and internal compliance requirements for Quality are delivered to the Group standards.
•    Working with the Operations team, Global Quality team and Procurement / NPD functions to create and execute strategies and initiatives that will attain our goal of Quality Excellence across our UK and Irish sites
•    Governing, developing and executing the Integrated Management System that ensures quality assurances and compliance processes are being adhered too, audited and improved.
•    Partners with Global Quality to develop, design and implement quality assurances programmes and systems that achieve best in class quality performance across our product portfolio to the customer. 
•    Partnering with NPD and Procurement on product design standards, supplier selection and supplier management that supports a quality first mindset.  
•    Partnering with our commercial teams and developing a proactive QBR and feedback process that support and underpins a partnership and continuous improvement mindset.  
•    Supporting, coaching and developing the teams on having a ‘quality first’ mindset and high-performance culture.
 

Role Responsibilities

•    Develops, aligns and executes the strategy for Quality Assurance (QA), IMS & ISO, documentation systems and ISO risk prevention that attains quality excellence performance across the UK and Ireland Operational sites.
•    Leads a team of quality professionals and specialists, developing leadership and technical skills and capability that supports a prestige portfolio of products. 
•    Governs the standards for food safety, product assessment and product risk ensuring compliance across our Suntory Global Spirit sites and co-manufacturers in the UK and Ireland.
•    Manages the Quality Assurance and Acceptance processes for third-party Co- Manufacturers and Suppliers in UK and Ireland, liaising with Global Quality on auditing processes and standards.
•    In collaboration with the Operations team, continuously evolves the production operating standards through the TRACC Quality, Visual Management and 5’s program striving for industry best in class.
•    Resolves relevant tactical and strategic gaps raised from IMS and central audits that elevate our internal compliance and performance against the Group Quality standards to be benchmarked at upper quartile.
•    Ensures compliance with all relevant legislation, policies and procedures through a holistic and focused auditing program and IMS structure.
•    Leads and supports the food safety program and develops strategies for the prevention and mitigation of product and food safety risks including the development and execution of contingency plans.
•    Works in collaboration with Procurement and Packaging development to ensure product design, supplier audits and verification processes are defined, developed, and audited at least annually under the IMS process.
•    Develops, manages and delivers against the functional cost center budgets to ensure maximum return on investment.
•    Develops and executes a strategy to enable the sharing and adoption of learning from other facilities (internal and external benchmarking, etc.) with a kaizen mindset.

Qualifications

•    Qualified to degree level in a science or technical discipline.
•    Comprehensive knowledge of all management and ISO Systems (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001.
•    OHSAS18001 ISO 22000 or BRC standards).
•    Multi -year management experience in Manufacturing and Technical/Quality functions
•    Senior Leader with skills to lead, motivate and manage people and a high-level knowledge of Supply Chain and general business understanding.
•    Previous premium drinks / spirits sector experience desirable.
•    Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a highly matrixed, multi-site and ideally international environment.