JOB DESCRIPTION

 

 

JOB TITLE:                     Quality Assurance Technician

FUNCTION:                 Operations

REPORTS TO:             Quality Assurance Manager

Location:                       Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, Ireland.

 

 

 

 

 

Ornua is a leading dairy co-operative which sells premium dairy products globally on behalf of its Member Co-operatives, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. 

 

Ornua has revenues of €3.4 billion and is supported by a global team of approximately 2,800 employees. The Group operates as a commercial organisation across 10 business units, including 12 production facilities located in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. 

 

The commercial organisation is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Ireland’s most successful food export: Kerrygold. Consumer markets are served by production facilities in Ireland, Germany and the UK and by in-market Sales & Marketing Teams in Asia, Germany, Ireland, MEA, Poland, Spain, rest of Europe and North and Latin America. 

 

It also manages the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products, the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers globally, and the implementation of de-risking and trading strategies to manage market volatility. These activities are supported by production facilities and in-market teams in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. 

The Role

The Quality Assurance Technician plays a pivotal role in ensuring food safety, quality, and compliance with finished products within a manufacturing facility. Collaborating closely with operations, maintenance, and quality teams, the incumbent ensures adherence to HACCP standards, operational procedures, and work instructions. Responsibilities span from monitoring and maintaining plant hygiene to conducting analytical tests on raw materials and finished products. The role involves addressing non-conformances, coordinating with suppliers, and actively participating in audits. Training and competency check for personnel, handling non-conformances, and supporting Health & Safety initiatives are integral aspects of this position. The Quality Assurance Technician acts as a crucial link in maintaining product specifications and customer satisfaction while contributing to continuous improvement and problem-solving within the production environment.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Work with the operations and maintenance teams to ensure that the food safety and quality of all finished products produced on shift is maintained, ensuring that HACCP is fully implemented, and procedures and work instructions are always fully adhered to.
• Responsibility for ensuring that food safety and quality of finished products meets agreed product specifications.
• Responsibility for ensuring that all records are completed correctly on shift.
• Responsibility for ensuring that plant hygiene always meets and exceeds Department of Agriculture, BRC and customer requirements.
• Responsibility for ensuring that the plant is cleaned to the correct standard after scheduled cleaning by doing visual checks, ATP swabbing and micro swabbing.
• Work closely with shift operations team and maintenance to deal with non-conformances as they arise, work as part of the team to drive identification of root cause, preventive actions and close out of non-conformances. Keep a record of all factory non-conformances on shift.
• Responsibility for dealing with any supplier non-conformances as they arise on shift and gathering information for the quality coordinator.
• Responsibility for training and competency checks for production and maintenance personnel on shift for CCPs and quality procedures. Responsibility for keeping training versatility charts for CCPs and quality procedures for personnel on shift.
• Responsibility for passing raw materials such as cream and bulk butter as it arrives on site by carrying out various analytical methods in the laboratory.
• Responsibility for passing buttermilk when it is ready to be dispatched by carrying out various analytical methods in the laboratory.
• Support site during Department of Agriculture, BRC and customer audits.
• Assist the quality team as required with customer complaints, specification updates, product trials etc.
• Support site Health & Safety initiatives.

Key Skills / Attributes:

• Certificate, Diploma or Degree in Food Science / Science / Quality / Nutritional disciplines.
• HACCP Trained (desirable)

• 6-12 months experience in Technical / Quality Assurance / Manufacturing / Laboratory role ideally dairy, however food or beverage may be considered.
• Working knowledge of BRC (or equivalent) and retail standards in a production facility is desirable.
• Ability to work to deadlines and work under pressure.
• Problem solver, disciplined in collecting information and supporting root cause investigation for non-conformances.
• Flexible and committed attitude with the ability to display initiative.
• The ability to work well individually and integrate well with the operations team.
• IT literate with strong Word, Excel and database skills.
• Drive to learn and interest in food, quality, and science.
• Flexibility to work on a rotating shift pattern over both days and night.

Ornua Core Competencies

• Ownership: Clarifies accountabilities, overlaps and gaps, and helps others remain motivated through difficult times.
• Working Together: Encourages co-operation in own team and supports cross functional learning.
• Communicative: Communicates confidently, adapting style for different situations.
• Expertise: For projects that involve others applies effective professional skills, analysis and decision making, planning, and reviewing.