Market Quality Operation Specialist – Ice Cream

If you are in the Unilever Ice Cream business or are considering working for the Unilever ice Cream business, you will work for the global, leading Ice Cream player with €8bn Turn Over in 2023. The Ice Cream business is operating in a highly attractive category, as we are part of the 1 trillion snacking and refreshment industry, growing consistently at high pace. We have strong brands equities: 5 of the top 10 selling brands including Wall’s, Magnum, Ben &Jerry’s. We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of Ice Cream as a standalone entity, once we separate from Unilever, which is planned to happen by November 2025. Ice Cream has distinct characteristics from Unilever’s other operating businesses and the growth potential of Ice Cream will be better delivered under a different ownership structure.

We hope that you will want to build the new chapter of our Ice Cream history together with us.

Unilever Ice Cream is the largest global Ice Cream Company in the world, with over 100 years of experience delivering a diverse range of indulgent, yet responsible, craft food experiences and treats delighting consumers. Committed to innovation, quality, and sustainability we have 35 brands, including 3 one billion Euro brands (Magnum, Wall’s, Ben & Jerry’s), a strong presence in over 60 countries, generating annual revenue of €8 billion. All brands are driven to transform moments into memories through indulgent yet responsibly made and marketed products. We have a well-developed strategy to deliver growth and value creation which is clear on where to play and how to win.

We turn the ordinary into the extraordinary by designing unique and innovative Ice Cream experiences that make life taste better, creating joyful experiences. In our Ice Cream business, we’re crafting the future through innovation and imaginative minds, creating unique products. We spark moments of happiness for people and within the communities where we operate. However, it is not as simple as it may seem. As Ice Cream makers we are serious about happiness. With warm hearts, we create the coolest products.

Leading for a winning, trusted and investible global ice cream market leader

This is your chance for a ‘once in a lifetime’ career experience, playing a part in the creation of a fully independent, new Ice Cream organisation.in what will be the Ultimate Pleasure Food company.

Just imagine the benefits of working within a single category, where everyone and everything is laser-focused on the same goal, where there's opportunity to develop deep and wide understanding of the business economics and international ecosystem of a single category, and to translate that into value creation.

Category/function introduction:

Overview

Quality is a key driver of competitive advantage in the Ice Cream business. The Market Quality Operation plays a crucial role in embedding a strong culture of quality within the business unit, ensuring every product delivers the best experience and delights our consumers.

Key Responsibilities:

• End-to-end quality Cold Chain responsibility across the entire South Africa region: Primary and Secondary (Warehouse & Transportation), Tertiary (Distributors, Concessionaries, Customers -cabinets, and freezers).
• Ensure Warehouse and Transportation quality requirements, including external certifications when applied.
• South Africa Collaborative Manufacturing (CM’s)Quality Management, Audits &continuous improvement, and metrics. (Including external certification).
• South Africa Re-packer Quality Management, Audits, continuous improvement and metrics.
• Member of the BU Quality Team and partnering with South Africa stakeholders’ team.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and customers to address quality issues and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Investigating customer & consumer complaints and implementing corrective and preventive actions to address quality issues and prevent recurrence. Tracking CCPMU/ Customer data and sharing trends/insights with BU Quality team and South Africa LT.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with key customers to ensure E2E quality standards.
• Develop, implement, and control the Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure full compliance with our products - (including Local Legislation requirements)
• Coordinate the development of training materials.
• Driving all compliance and regulatory matters with local & international (in case of importation & exportation) regulatory bodies.
• Ensure, lead, and execute ICQA (Inter Company Quality Agreements) in case of importation process.
• Maintain an effective Change Management system to ensure business changes are effectively managed.
• Investigate quality issues (Non-conformances) and failures, lead Critical Event Processes, and apply Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) to prevent recurrence. Ensure that improvements to products and procedures can be identified and fixed.
• Monitor & manage critical consumer complaints. In case of marketplace issues or incident-related product safety/quality, support local IMT and E2E investigation. Ensure actions are in place and Learnings shared with the business

Professional Skills & Competencies:

• Strong knowledge of food safety regulations and standards: Ensuring compliance with regulations such as HACCP, FSSC22000, and local food labeling requirements.
• Proven experience in quality management within Food companies.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities, analytical skills, and attention to detail.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience as a quality leader.
• Experience in virtual teamwork.
• Auditing skills and clear understanding and ability to assess and act upon product safety, quality, efficacy, and compliance risks.
• Proactive approach: Anticipating potential quality issues, implementing preventive measures, and continuously seeking opportunities for improvement.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional information

The role is office based, with hybrid working schedule of 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home. Please note that this may change at any time at the company’s discretion.

Unilever es una organización comprometida con la equidad, la inclusión y la diversidad para impulsar los resultados de nuestro negocio y crear un futuro mejor, cada día, para nuestros diversos empleados, consumidores globales, socios y comunidades. Creemos que una fuerza laboral diversa nos permite igualar nuestras ambiciones de crecimiento e impulsar la inclusión en todo el negocio. ¡En Unilever estamos interesados en que cada individuo traiga su 'Whole Self' al trabajo y esto te incluye a ti! Por lo tanto, si necesita algún requisito de soporte o acceso, le recomendamos que nos avise en el momento de su solicitud para que podamos apoyarle a través de su viaje de reclutamiento.