R&D, Food Safety & Quality Product Design Lead - Confectionery, North America

FERRERO • Chicago, IL, US • $150.54k - $200.72k / year • 3m ago

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:

As the Food Safety & Quality Product Design NAM Manager your mission is to ensure that FSQ principles are embedded into every stage of the product development process — from concept to launch — by designing and updating product FSQ specifications that are clear, actionable, and aligned across the global value chain. You will act as a key point of contact between FSQ and other core functions such as R&D, Marketing, and other functions, facilitating product innovation while safeguarding compliance and quality standards. The scope of the role is the North America perimeter, covering branded products as well as integration support for other industrial portfolios.

Main Responsibilities:

You will be responsible for writing and maintaining FSQ product specifications for NAM products, setting out the rules that production plants and partners must follow to meet our standards. These rules apply to the entire value chain, including raw materials, process parameters, shelf life, sensory aspects, and final product characteristics. You will lead the continuous improvement of these specifications by integrating data from field operations, plant audits, and consumer feedback, and by actively engaging with Group FSQ Industrial & Supply.
You will support all stages of the product innovation pipeline, working closely with NAM R&D and other stakeholders to ensure FSQ criteria are integrated from the beginning of the development process. Your involvement in industrial trials will ensure that safety and quality expectations are respected in real-world production settings.
Your role will also include participating in key governance meetings to ensure that FSQ perspectives are fully embedded in strategic decisions.
On the data side, you will lead the development and management of KPIs and FSQ Innovation dashboards, providing insights at both the category and product levels.

Who we are looking for:

Bachelor’s degree in nutrition, food science, food technology, chemistry, biology or related field with 8 plus years of significant expertise in quality, food safety, R&D, food science, product development and industrial production.

You have a deep understanding of confectionary, chocolate and biscuit products, their processes, and their risks, and you know how to translate that knowledge into precise, actionable Product FSQ specifications.
With an extensive experience in the food industry, you are ready to manage complexity and lead with confidence.
You are comfortable interacting with diverse stakeholders, and you know how to balance innovation with compliance.
You have a proactive mindset, strong organizational skills, and a collaborative approach that helps you align global teams around shared standards.
Your managerial experience allows you to lead and develop others, and your ability to navigate change makes you a valuable asset in transformation and integration projects.
You have strong presentation skills coupled with strong project management, planning and coordination skills and functional knowledge of SAP
You have broad Food Safety & Quality function experience, along the full value chain from suppliers to industrial to customers.
You have FDA/FSMA/CFIA knowledge and can adapt group procedures to the NAM region (preferred)

Compensation Data

The base salary range for this position is $150,541 - $200,722 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This range represents the anticipated salary for this position at this time. In addition to base salary, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and other benefits. Learn more about our benefits at https://www.ferrerocareers.com/us/en/our-benefits

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 organisational skills on the other, would be key to success. Employee contribution and engagement at Ferrero is based on the individual, team and organisation 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.

#FNA

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

Requisition ID

71353

Job function

Research & Development

Country

United States of America

City

Chicago

APPLY NOW