Are you an experienced quality professional ready to take the next step in your career? Whether you're currently leading a team or eager to step into a leadership role, we’re looking for a Quality Team Lead on behalf of one of our clients based in Naas, Co. Kildare. This is an exciting opportunity to lead quality initiatives in a dynamic, fast-paced food production environment. Reporting to the Technical Manager, you'll lead a small but skilled quality team focused on maintaining exceptional food safety and quality standards. You will drive improvements across internal systems, supplier performance, audit readiness, and customer satisfaction, with a hands-on approach to compliance, testing, and team development.
Location: Naas, Co. Kildare (Fully on-site) Salary: €42,000 Schedule: Monday to Friday Hours: 08:30 – 17:00 Annual Leave: 20 Days
Key Responsibilities: Leadership & Communication
Manage, support, and develop the site QC team
Represent the quality team at site meetings and coordinate with cross-functional departments
Develop your leadership and people management skills
Ensure effective communication of customer requirements and quality standards across teams
Quality Systems & Compliance
Lead or co-lead the site HACCP team; maintain, review, and challenge food safety systems
Ensure the Quality Management System (QMS) complies with internal, customer, and regulatory standards (e.g., BRC, DAFM, Tesco, M&S, etc.)
Implement and manage the internal audit programme and support external audits
Maintain and review process documentation and QMS procedures
Performance & Process Improvement
Monitor and report on KPIs; identify and implement quality and process improvements
Support plant-wide initiatives to enhance quality systems and processes
Drive root cause analysis and continuous improvement following non-conformances
Training & Development
Champion food safety and quality training across departments: hygiene, allergen awareness, HACCP, taste panels, and more
Assist in induction and on-the-job training for new and existing staff
Testing & Product Evaluation
Oversee raw material, in-process, and finished product testing
Risk assess and implement microbiological, chemical, and physical testing schedules
Manage shelf-life trials and quarantined product protocols
Supplier & Customer Management
Oversee supplier approval, risk assessment, and audit programmes
Maintain detailed supplier records and liaise with procurement on supplier performance
Travel for supplier audits where necessary
Support customer specification development (Micros, Hamilton Grant, FIND, etc.)
Represent the business in customer meetings, complaint investigations, and technical discussions
Assist the Business Development team in building and maintaining customer relationships
Qualifications & Experience:
Degree or Diploma in Food Science or related discipline is required
Minimum 4 years’ experience in food manufacturing or FMCG
Internal Auditing or Lead Auditor certification (preferred)
Experience with BRC Global Food Standard and high care facilities
Strong understanding of food safety systems, testing programmes, and legislation
Excellent communication, interpersonal, analytical and organisational skills
Strong proficiency in MS Office and data analysis
Motivated self-starter with a collaborative mindset
For more information, please apply through the link provided for the attention of Nicole Sinnott or email your cv to Nicole to nicole.sinnott@osborne.ie If you are interested in finding out more about the above role and would like to be considered other suitable roles that we may have available for your skill set – please attach your CV via the link provided Please submit your updated CV in Word Format If you are living in Ireland and hold a valid work permit, we would love to hear from you, if however, you do not hold a valid work permit unfortunately we will not be in a position to assist you with your job search. Osborne are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please visit www.osborne.ie for more information on all of our roles
