Supplier Quality Specialist

Date: Sep 18, 2025

Location: Hilbert, WI, US, 54129

Company: Ornua Co-operative Limited

Company Background 

Ornua is a dairy co-operative which sells dairy products on behalf of its members, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers.  Founded in 1961, the Ornua Co-operative has become Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, exporting to 110 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Dublin, it has annualized sales of over $4.3 billion and a global team of 2,900 employees. Ornua operates from 10 global business units, including 13 production facilities located worldwide. 

The Ornua family is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients. Ornua Foods is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Kerrygold, Dubliner, Pilgrims Choice, Forto and BEO. Ornua Ingredients is responsible for the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products and for the sale of ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers around the world.  

Ornua Ingredients North America is the largest of the four global Ornua Ingredients organizations worldwide, with USA-based processing and innovation that services customers across the western hemisphere.  

 

Ornua’s Values 

At Ornua, our Values lie at the core of everything that we do and how we behave both individually and as a business. Our five values, and their underlying behaviors, encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas, Make It Happen, Be Our True Selves, Show You Care and Achieve Great Things Together. 

 

Ornua’s Growth 

At Ornua, our co-operative ethos lies at the heart of how we do business. We care passionately about driving sustainable, profitable growth, underpinned by our ambitious ‘Path to Prosper’ strategy. We have delivered significant growth in our core business, and we have ambitious plans for continued growth over the next five years. 

Job Summary:

Responsible for evaluating incoming materials against the OINA standard and reviewing Certificates of Analysis for conformity to specification.  This role will also be responsible for testing and data input into OINA systems to track and trend material inputs for operational use and supplier compliance.  This role is also responsible for identification of supplier nonconformance and the creation, submittal and follow up on SCAR.  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Inspect, sample and analyze our materials and rework in third party warehouses and OINA facilities to evaluate and disposition them.
  • Collaborate with Operations, Quality, R&D/Tech Service and Supply Chain to ensure that problematic ingredients are used in the right products at an appropriate level. Or, if necessary, work with Supply Chain to return to supplier or to dispose of the problematic item.
  • Create and share reports, analyzing the type of non-conformances (including compositional, microbiological, flavor, appearance etc) their frequencies, trends and quantities involved and impacts to the business or our customers.
  • Maintain a supplier/product risk assessment and adjust sampling frequency based on this as necessary.
  • Liaise with Supply Chain and suppliers to assess potential ingredient suitability and to ensure that where appropriate, ingredient non-conformances and corrective/preventative actions plans are documented and managed.
  • Evaluate aged inventory and collaborate with Operations, Supply Chain, R&D and FSQA to disposition it in an efficient manner to minimize waste.
  • Mentor others, including Quality, Operations, Sourcing and R&D teammates in assessing suitability of ingredient cheeses for specific finished products.

Required Skills and Abilities:

  • Advanced to professional skills with Microsoft ™ office tools
  • Excellent verbal, analytical, organizational, and written skills
  • Experience in lab methods, sampling methodology and statistics a plus.
  • Write professional reports, prepare presentations and other business correspondence
  • Work as a member of a team
  • Uphold confidentiality of sensitive information
  • High attention to detail, maintain excellent attendance
  • Must possess a valid driver’s license and ability to travel 20-40% of the time.\
  • Strong oral, listening, written and electronic communication skills in order to communicate with all levels of the organization.
  • Calculate figures and amounts such as proportions, percentages, averages, density, area, circumference, and volume with accuracy and ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
  • Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions given in written, oral or diagram form.
  • Critically analyze processes and procedures to identify and assess potential food safety hazards and quality defects.
  • Excellent people skills with ability to work with individuals from different disciplines
  • Document management

Education and Experience:

  • 5+ years experience in a food manufacturing environment or experience in a technical support area such as Food Safety & Quality, and Product Development
  • Experience with FDA, USDA and Dairy
  • Knowledge of FSMA, CFR, and regulatory requirements a plus
  • Preferred Qualifications include: PCQI registration, HACCP certification, direct Audit Leadership experience and Lean Six sigma and/or Project management experience.

A green rectangle with white textAI-generated content may be incorrect. Ornua Ingredients North America is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will be provided with equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status, or genetic information. 

APPLICATIONS TO CLOSE SEPTEMBER 29TH


Nearest Major Market: Appleton
Nearest Secondary Market: Oshkosh

Job Segment: Sustainable Agriculture, USDA, Agriculture