Head of Quality (f/m/d)
On-site · Memmingen, Bavaria, Germany or Kempttal, Kanton Zürich, Switzerland
Job Summary
Lead the quality organization across Planted’s sites in Kemptthal (Switzerland) and Memmingen (Germany) and at suppliers/co-manufacturers to drive food safety, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. Establish scalable QMS processes, oversee audits (customer, certification, regulatory, supplier, and co-manufacturers), advance quality culture, and steer automation/digitalization initiatives leveraging AI tools. Own quality at production sites, collaborate with Operations, R&D, Commercial, suppliers, and customers, and manage budgets. Build expertise in quality and food safety topics with a focus on fermentation technologies; chair crisis management as needed. Ensure compliance with IFS and applicable legal frameworks across sites, and drive scalable operations to support growth. Travel regularly between Kemptthal and Memmingen to maintain close on-site collaboration; communicate fluently in German and English.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Microbiology, Food Science, Food Technology, or a related field
- 8+ years of experience in Quality Management within the food industry
- Deep expertise in Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Quality Management Systems
- Experience with fermentation processes and meat alternative products is a plus
- Proven experience managing quality incidents, audits, and stakeholder communication
- Strong leadership skills and ability to balance operational excellence, continuous improvement, and transformational change
- Customer-focused and service-minded mindset
- Hands-on ownership attitude, collaborative, fast-paced
- Strong decision-making under high pressure
- Entrepreneurial mindset and passion for scaling fast-growing organizations
- Fluency in German and English; additional languages a plus
- Willingness to travel regularly between production sites in Switzerland and Germany
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