Plant Quality Systems and Compliance Specialist

Barry Callebaut • Saint Albans City, VT

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Quality Systems and Compliance Specialist develops, maintains and communicates the site’s quality management system (QMS), supporting Barry Callebaut policies and standards for Quality, Food Safety, Sanitation and Regulatory Compliance. The role ensures the site QMS meets regulatory, GFSI and customer requirements and fosters a “Safety, Food Safety First and Quality Always” mindset in alignment with Barry Callebaut’s “Go for Zero” objective. The position is responsible for speaking up and escalating deviations that cannot be resolved locally, including issues involving infrastructure or resources that prevent effective execution of QMS procedures.

The position is based in St. Albans, Vermont, reports to the Sr. QA Manager and works Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It partners with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Food Safety, Laboratory, Customer Quality and other site functions to embed quality-system requirements into routine operations. The role coordinates documentation, audits, corrective actions, compliance schedules, training, management reviews, traceability and change-management activities, and communicates significant compliance gaps and systemic risks to site leadership.

The duties listed are not comprehensive; additional tasks may be assigned and the scope may change with business demands. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Quality or a related discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Typically 3–5+ years of quality systems, compliance or quality assurance experience in food manufacturing or another regulated manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of Quality Management Systems, GMPs, document control, CAPA, internal auditing and certification requirements.
• Working knowledge of a GFSI-recognized food safety standard, preferably FSSC 22000 or BRCGS, and applicable food manufacturing regulatory requirements.
• Strong organization, documentation, analytical, problem-solving and follow-through skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to train, coach and influence cross-functional teams.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and applicable quality/document-management systems.
• English proficiency and applicable local-language proficiency as required by the site.
• Strong working knowledge of QMS principles, controlled documentation, CAPA, audit programs, compliance calendars and management review.
• Ability to translate global, regional, regulatory and certification requirements into practical site-level processes and controls.
• Experience maintaining inspection-ready records and supporting customer, regulatory and certification audits.
• Ability to coordinate internal audits, evaluate recurring findings and maintain disciplined follow-up of corrective and preventive actions.
• Ability to use data, audit results and compliance trends to identify systemic risks and escalate appropriately.
• Strong organization and follow-through in maintaining schedules, records, training requirements, action plans and governance routines.
• Demonstrated ability to standardize processes and sustain compliance across multiple plant functions.
• Ability to communicate requirements and compliance risks clearly to site leadership and cross-functional partners.
• High ownership, discipline and attention to detail; systems thinking; practical, solutions-oriented approach; confidence escalating compliance risks and overdue actions; collaborative influence without direct authority; clear communication; and a continuous-improvement mindset.

Nice To Haves

• Internal auditor or quality-system training.
• ASQ or other relevant quality certification.
• Experience with SAP or other manufacturing systems.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the site QMS in alignment with Barry Callebaut global and North America standards, policies, and applicable regulatory, certification and customer requirements.
• Manage site document control and the controlled-document lifecycle, including creation, review, approval, revision, obsolescence and record retention.
• Champion good documentation practices and keep site quality-system documents current, controlled and inspection-ready.
• Coordinate the site internal quality and food safety audit program, including scheduling, readiness, findings, action tracking and escalation of overdue or recurring gaps.
• Coordinate readiness and governance for customer, regulatory and GFSI/certification audits; organize documentation, support audit execution and track resulting actions.
• Govern the site CAPA process by maintaining visibility to actions, aging, due dates and effectiveness checks, and escalating as needed; functional owners remain accountable for investigation and closure of assigned CAPAs.
• Maintain the site quality and food safety compliance calendar and ensure required QMS activities, reviews and certifications are completed on schedule.
• Coordinate Management Review preparation, required inputs, records, actions and follow-up.
• Coordinate deployment of global and North America quality-system standards, policies and regional programs at the site, and track implementation to completion.
• Coordinate QMS and compliance training requirements, including assignments, completion visibility and required training records; partner with functional owners on technical training content.
• Monitor QMS effectiveness through audits, recurring findings, CAPA trends, compliance checks and other system indicators; identify systemic gaps and recommend improvements.
• Coordinate site traceability and mock-recall readiness, required exercises, documentation and follow-up; support actual recall execution through the established site recall process.
• Support quality-system aspects of change management so impacted procedures, records, training and compliance requirements are addressed before implementation.
• Lead sharing of QMS best practices and lessons learned, and support standardization of site quality-system processes.
• Communicate significant compliance gaps, overdue actions and systemic risks to the Plant QA Manager and appropriate site leadership.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Food Safety, Laboratory, Customer Quality and other site functions to embed quality-system requirements into routine operations.
• Support a strong quality and compliance culture through visible coaching, disciplined follow-up and timely escalation when requirements are not met.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• 12 paid holidays, generous PTO, and your birthday off.
• Workplace flexibility.
• Personal and professional growth opportunities within an organization that values development and internal career growth.
• Inclusive workplace and diversity initiatives, including the Americas Women’s Forum and the Racial Equality Forum.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level