Senior Manager, Corporate Quality Assurance Pillar Lead

Job Description

Are You Ready to Make It Happen at Mondelēz International?

Join our Mission to Lead the Future of Snacking. Make It With Pride.

You manage technical and scientific professionals responsible for initiation and execution of programs. This is a leadership role in cross-functional teams and regularly interacts with RDQ and cross-functional senior management.

How you will contribute

You will lead regional and sub-regional teams to deliver on the quality strategy, providing sufficient resources and expertise to appropriate functions and locations. You will manage, lead, coach and develop a team of quality experts to execute regional and global quality programs, ensuring compliance with Mondelēz policies and procedures and adherence to external regional and local food safety/regulatory requirements in internal and external manufacturing locations and facilities. In this role, you will develop and report quality KPIs, applying your understanding of the impact regional KPIs have on the global business. In addition, you will facilitate communities of practice on quality related topics; represent the quality function at R&D meetings to ensure that sufficient resources and expertise are allocated to significant projects, and to ensure there are sufficient resources available so products meet design, food safety and quality policy requirements; identify quality enhancements and improvements across R&D and the supply chain; partner with technical groups such as food safety/micro and sanitation to ensure program compliance and enhancement, and; help manage special situations and early warnings with respect to plant investigations, root-cause analysis and follow-up for the SSMT, protecting Mondelēz’s interests and reputation.

What you will bring

A desire to drive your future and accelerate your career and the following experience and knowledge:

• Relevant experience in operations, quality and/or R&D
• Project management and managing multiple priorities
• Understanding of the commercial strategy process, product/package development process, food safety, plant commercialization, ingredient and package technology, coaching, and training in technical material
• Communication skills and leading cross-functional teams
• Statistical processes and problem-solving techniques
• Working with third-party manufacturers and suppliers to ensure compliance to Mondelēz International’s policies and procedures
• Working with customers on quality related issues
• Working with service-vendors’ technical equipment to support compliance

What you need to know about this position:

As the Sr. Manager accountable for driving the strategy and execution of the QM (Quality Management) Pillar within our Lean manufacturing program2, you will be a critical leader in our mission to transform and sustain Quality Culture across our North American plants and distribution locations.  This role requires a visionary leader who can develop organizational capabilities from the Core team to Plant leadership, ensuring alignment with our business objectives to deliver our Global ambitions.

Your primary responsibilities will include:

• Strategic Leadership:  Define and drive the QM Pillar strategy, integrating Lean Six Sigma principles to elevate quality management across all plants and distribution channels.
• Capability Development:  Develop and execute training programs for the Core team and plant leadership, enhancing their skills in Lean manufacturing and quality assurance. 
• Execution Support:  Provide hands-on support and guidance to the organization during the implementation of QM initiatives, ensuring consistent application and sustained performance.
• Continuous Improvement:  Foster a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence by leveraging data-driven insights and best practices.
• Change Management:  Lead the change management efforts to shift from a quality control to quality assurance mindset, promoting proactive quality practices. 
• Stakeholder Engagement:  Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Operations, Supply Chain and R&D to ensure cohesive and aligned efforts towards quality objectives.

What extra ingredients you will bring:

• Leadership Excellence:  Proven track record of leading large-scale Lean manufacturing transformations with a focus on quality management.
• Strategic Thinker:  Ability to define a clear vision and strategy for the QM Pillar, aligning it with broader organizational goals.
• Innovative Mindset: Creative problem-solving skills and the ability to drive innovative solutions to complex quality challenges.
• Strong Communicator:  Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
• Results Driven:  Demonstrated ability to deliver measurable improvements in quality performance and operational efficiency.
• Cultural Champion:  Passion for fostering a culture of quality and continuous improvement, with experience in driving cultural shifts within organizations.

Education / Certifications:

• Education:  Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management or related field.  A Master’s degree is highly desired.
• Certifications:  Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification is required.  Additional certifications in Quality Management (e.g., ASQ Certified Quality Engineer) are highly desirable.
• Experience:   Minimum 10 years of experience in manufacturing, quality or operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership role focused on Lean manufacturing and quality management.
• Skills:  Proficient in Lean Six Sigma methodologies, project management, and data analysis tools  Strong knowledge of quality management systems and regulatory requirements.

Job specific requirements:

The position is based in Toronto, CA

Travel requirements: 

Expect to travel around 50% to support execution of strategy and transformation of quality culture. Travel between Canada, US and Mexico

Work schedule:

Regular business hours Monday - Friday but may require some travel on weekends. 

Business Unit Summary

With several brands that are among consumer favourites, including Cadbury, OREO, Christie and Maynards, we are one of the largest snack companies in Canada. Many of our iconic brands are ranked first, second or third in their categories, and our manufacturers and pastry chefs have an enviable mission to create and manufacture chocolate, cookies, crackers and candy in our iconic factories and locations across Ontario. A company with many ambitious growth targets, we have invested close to $250 million in our Ontario plants in recent years alone; We run marketing campaigns promoting innovative products such as Cadbury Dark Milk tablets and OREO Birthday Cake and Peppermint Bark cookies. Our community of more than 2,683 employees is present across Canada and our head office is in Toronto. Passion and dedication characterize our Company. We encourage all our employees to be themselves at work, to speak out and to encourage diversity in all areas of activity. In addition, we foster a flexible work environment and place great importance on the notions of trust and empathy to promote a true sense of belonging.

Mondelez welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates with disabilities taking part in all aspects of the selection process.  Please note that the term "accommodation" in this posting means changes that are made in order to meet the needs of a person with disabilities and not lodging.

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