Quality Manager Northern Europe

Is quality in the food industry part of your DNA? Are you looking for a dynamic role combining hands-on operations, strategic impact, and international collaboration? Join a globally recognized company where quality excellence, leadership and ambition are truly valued, and where you can make a visible impact across international teams and markets.

About the organization

Our client is a leading international player in the fresh produce industry. With an extensive network of owned farms and trusted grower partnerships across the globe, the company delivers a wide range of fresh products to consumers in more than 80 countries. Driven by a strong commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles, they make high-quality fresh products accessible to everyone, everywhere.

As part of a strategic reorganization of its European operations aimed at strengthening performance and leadership, the company is currently looking for a QA Manager Northern Europe to take on a key leadership role in driving and further developing quality assurance across the region.

The Team

The QA Manager will lead and further develop an established team of three to five professionals located across the Northern European region. In this role, the successful candidate will inspire, support, and guide the team in overseeing quality assurance processes, inventory management, regulatory compliance, and certification activities. The position also includes managing and strengthening relationships with external inspection partners to ensure the highest quality standards throughout the supply chain.

Job description

As QA Manager Northern Europe, you will be responsible for safeguarding the quality of finished products while ensuring full compliance with regulatory requirements and customer specifications. A key focus of the role will be to lead and implement the new QA program, driving continuous improvement and operational excellence across Northern Europe countries. This strategic leadership position combines hands-on operational management with strong customer engagement and stakeholder collaboration. An important aspect of the role will also be to build trust within the existing team, foster a collaborative culture, and successfully shape a cohesive and high-performing quality organization under new leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• You lead the QA department for the Northern Europe region, with responsibility for budget management, team leadership, operational oversight, and customer engagement.
• You coordinate quality control activities across all ports and manage both the Northern Europe QA team and external service providers.
• You support the commercial and operations teams on topics such as stock management, quality-related matters, and the implementation of quality procedures and processes.
• You oversee and monitor field trials and experiments related to production, shipping, and packaging activities.
• In this key position, you function as a central point of contact and provide feedback to production sites regarding identified quality issues.
• You work closely with customers by visiting sites, troubleshooting quality concerns, advising on product shelf life, and warehousing, and serving as a direct liaison between sales, customers, and production farms.
• You advise internal stakeholders on best practices related to receiving, warehousing, shipping, retail, and merchandising activities.

Profile

Natural leader and strong communicator, able to multitask effectively and work autonomously.

• Hands-on people manager who leads by example, with strong team management skills and a pragmatic approach to building trust and fostering successful collaboration with both internal teams and external partners.
• Customer-oriented professional, confident in engaging directly with customers, resolving issues and reinforcing confidence in the company’s quality standards and processes.
• Calm, proactive and autonomous, with the ability to take initiative, identify improvement opportunities and perform effectively in a dynamic environment.

Your Background

• Master’s degree or Engineering degree in Agronomy, Food Science, or a related field.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in a QA/QC management position within the food manufacturing industry, preferably Fruits/Vegetable based products.
• Strong knowledge of quality systems and standards, including ISO, HACCP, GMP and SOPs.
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken.

Offer

• An attractive salary package aligned with your experience and market standards.
• Company car.
• An opportunity to shape the future of the QA function in a key region for a major global company.
• The role offers a high degree of autonomy, the chance to have a significant impact and potential growth within the company.

Location

You are based in Belgium, the Netherlands or France, and willing to travel up to 50% of your time. Full remote position.

How to Apply

The selection and recruitment process for this position is managed exclusively by CeresRecruitment. For more information, please contact Nathalie Fossier on +32 483 07 77 82. To submit your application, please use our website: www.ceresrecruitment.fr.

Recruitment Process

• Initial phone conversation with Nathalie from CeresRecruitment
• Interview with Nathalie.
• Presentation of your profile to our client.
• First interview with the HR Director.
• Second and third interview with Regional and Corporate Management.
• Job offer and discussion of practical aspects.
• Mutual agreement? Congratulations on your new role!