Director, Global Food Safety & Quality Assurance Excellence (f/m/d)

About the role

As Director, Global Food Safety & Quality Assurance Excellence (f/m/d) for our Taste, Texture and Health business unit, you will safeguard our customers and protect our business by designing, governing, and continuously improving a robust Quality & Food Safety Management System (QFSMS) that meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and GFSI-recognized schemes, drives right-first-time operations, and cultivates a high-performance quality culture across all regions, plants, labs, and external partners.

In line with our hybrid working model policy, it is required to be on site in the office in Delft or Barcelona for a minimum of three days per week.

Your leadership will make Food Safety and Quality excellence a key differentiator for our customers, enabling sustainable business growth and setting new benchmarks in the industry.

Your key responsibilities:

• Contribute to the design and execution of the global Quality Strategy as part of the Taste, Texture and Health (TTH) Quality Leadership Team, ensuring all aspects of Quality Assurance and Food Safety are integrated into business priorities and supporting business growth.
• Lead Food safety and Quality Management Systems and programs focused on our Management principles and Operational standards, our Quality Essentials, change management, data integrity and continuous improvement to ensure compliance with international standards, protect consumer safety and drive operational excellence.
• Develop impactful global quality and food safety improvement programs based on insights from operational performance, quality losses, and KPI trends to drive efficiency and excellence.
• Track, analyze, and report global quality and food safety performance using leading and lagging KPIs, ensuring transparency and actionable insights for the business.
• Foster a sustainable quality and food safety culture by building and enhancing quality-related competencies across the organization through training initiatives and capability development programs.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to influence strategic decisions, drive quality initiatives and strengthen and sustain end-to-end quality and food safety culture in a matrixed environment.

We offer:

• Empowerment to make meaningful contributions while upholding ethical standards.
• Opportunities for growth and advancement for those who embrace innovation and take initiative.
• Dedication to creating better futures for customers, communities, people, and the planet.
• Supportive environment where individuals are empowered to progress and contribute to meaningful change.

You bring:

• Master’s degree in food science and/or quality management. MBA considered as a plus.
• 15+ years of managerial experience within the food, flavor, ingredients, or pharmaceutical industry.
• Proven track record of leading diverse, cross-functional teams in an international environment across multiple regions and countries.
• Strong experience in change management and people leadership.
• Proficiency in English; additional languages are considered an asset.
• Ability to define and execute strategies that align with business objectives while ensuring operational excellence.

About dsm-firmenich

Join our global team powered by science, creativity, and a shared purpose: to bring progress to life.

With learning that never stops, a culture that lifts you up and the freedom to move across businesses, teams, and borders, your voice matters here—and your ideas are essential to our future.