Americas FS&Q Audit Hub Leader

Job Location: ​Chicago​

Company description

Ferrero is a family-owned company with a truly progressive and global outlook and iconic brands such as Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Raffaello®, Kinder Bueno® and Kinder Surprise®. As the love for our brands continues to grow, so too does our global reach. Represented in more than 50 countries, with products sold in more than 170, the Ferrero Group is loved by generations around the world. The secret to our global success? 40,000  dedicated employees who celebrate care and quality to craft a business, careers and brands we are proud of. Join us, and you could be one of them.

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Head of Food Safety and Quality Audits (FS&QA) to lead all Quality Audit activities throughout Ferrero and our related companies across the Americas. This role is pivotal in developing a high-performing audit team, managing resources, and ensuring excellence in food safety and regulatory audits. The position reports to the Head of FS&QA and requires strong leadership skills to build a local team and collaborate with global partners.

As the Head of FS&QA, you will be joining a high-performing global team while building out a team locally in the Americas. This is an exciting opportunity to shape a new structure within Ferrero, working closely with key stakeholders across various regions and functions to drive our food safety and quality initiatives.

Main Responsibilities:

• Team Development: Lead hiring, performance appraisals, and training programs to ensure consistency and excellence in audit execution. 
• Leadership: Provide support and guidance to resolve challenging situations and model appropriate behaviors.
• Resource Management: Efficiently allocate resources to meet department budget targets and audit program requirements.
• Audit Program Management: Define and communicate the audit program, resolve challenges, and share learning opportunities across the organization.
• Continuous Improvement: Ensure audit programs evolve with future strategies, policy updates, and organizational changes.
• Global Collaboration: Interface with key global contacts to ensure alignment on programs and scope, and act as a resource for queries and feedback.

Who we are looking for:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Safety, Food Science, Biology, Quality Systems, or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 15 years of relevant experience in a major FMCG company, with a background in leading or participating in audit programs.
• Strategic mindset with a global approach to quality, communication, and knowledge sharing.
• Experience in a manufacturing environment, with significant experience in product quality and food safety.
• Knowledge of Quality certification processes (ISO 9001, FSSC 22000) and certifications as a Lead Auditor are a plus.
• Strong analytical, project management, and organizational skills.
• High-level negotiation, communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead teams and a passion for people development.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Fluent in English; additional languages are a plus.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% initially, reducing to 25-30% over time, including international travel beyond the US, Canada and Latin America.

How to be successful in the role and at Ferrero:

Consumers, quality and care are at the heart of everything we do. So, to be successful at Ferrero, you’ll need to be just as consumer and product centric as we are - dedicated to crafting brilliant results for consumers around the world. 

Strong analytical mind, attention to details on one hand, and ability to cooperate with employees at all levels and great organizational skills on the other, would be key to success.  Employee contribution and engagement at Ferrero is based on the individual, team and organization dimension, so you should have the ability to work independently, as a part of the team and build good relations with stakeholders at all levels.  Being flexible and dealing with a dynamic working environment as well as the ability to embed new knowledge and skills in existing competencies will definitely help you to become high performer here. 

Diversity Statement

Ferrero is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all of our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at Ferrero. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative and highly rewarding.

Ferrero N.A. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.