Sr Specialist Food Safety & Quality Labs

Job Description:

About Mars Snacking Accelerator

Accelerator a global Division of Mars Snacking is on the front line of unlocking growth across high-potential categories and brands to fuel whats next for Snacking. Its home to both emerging and enduring brands includingKIND TRÜ FRÜ NATURES BAKERY RXBAR EGGO POP-TARTS and RICE KRISPIES TREATS. Combining the scale of Mars with the agility of a start-up our Division has the ambition to accelerate the future of snacking by delivering products consumers love today discovering category-shaping innovations for tomorrow and developing entrepreneurial teams whose impact will last for generations.

Were looking for passionate talent who dare to dream big agile collaborators who talk straight and decide fast and driven performers with a growth mindset. Were proudly part of Mars while also building something boldly different. If this inspires and energizes you youve found the right place where you can do cool things with fun people for one of the biggest snacking companies in the world!

The Opportunity: Why This Role Matters

This isnt a factory-floor quality role; this is a strategic division-level opportunity to be the central nervous system for food safety. As our Sr. Specialist you are the designated Subject Matter Expert for the most critical risks to our products and consumers:allergens chemical hazards and foreign materials.You wont be responsible for a single lab or plant; instead youll be the expert who provides the guidance sets the standards and builds the risk frameworks that our internal and external manufacturing partners across the entire Accelerator portfolio execute against. You are the technical authority who ensures our sites are compliant our testing is robust and our products are safe no matter where theyre made.

What Youll Do (Key Responsibilities)

• Govern Food Safety Standards:Own the Accelerator Allergen Substantiation procedure govern division-level chemical and mycotoxin hazard controls and support compliance with the Mars Foreign Material Management Standard (FMMS).

• Act as the SME:Provide expert technical guidance for site-level risk assessments support sites in achieving compliance and act as the division SME for any contamination incidents (PRIMPs) guiding investigations and CAPA development.

• Drive Continuous Improvement:Identify and lead initiatives within the allergen chemical and foreign material domains to drive risk reduction improve testing efficiency and optimize costs.

• Manage Risk & Verification:Lead and maintain Division Quality Risk Management activities within the Archer platform. Partner on lab test trending and study execution to refine verification requirements for finished products.

• Deploy Technology & Training:Lead the deployment and governance of the handheld XRF analyzer program across internal sites and develop specialized training programs to build expertise across the network.

• Represent the Division:Serve as the Accelerator representative in relevant Mars Global Communities of Practice influencing global strategy to support our divisions needs and future growth.

What Were Looking For

• A Deep Technical Expert:Advanced practical knowledge of food safety hazards specifically allergens (risk assessments testing changeovers) chemical contaminants and foreign material control (metal detection X-ray).

• A Strategic Standard-Setter:Experience developing and implementing guidance specifications and risk frameworks for manufacturing sites to execute against rather than just following established procedures.

• An Influential Collaborator:The ability to provide expert guidance and drive compliance across a network of internal sites and co-manufacturers without direct authority.

• A Proven Problem-Solver:Demonstrable experience in root-cause analysis incident management (PRIMP) and developing corrective/preventive action plans (CAPA).

Qualifications

• Education:Bachelors degree in Food Science Chemistry Biology or a closely related field.

• Experience:7 years of experience in a food manufacturing environment with a focus on quality and food safety.

• Certifications:HACCP FSSC 22000 (or similar GFSI scheme) certification required. Certified auditor experience is also required.

• Location:Must be based in the Chicago IL area.

• Travel:Ability to travel up to 30% to manufacturing sites.

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below however base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors including but not limited to job-related knowledge skills and total compensation package for this position will include variable pay medical and dental benefits participation in 401k plan and paid time off of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.