PN China QFS Manager

Job Description

Job Description:

This role is responsible for leading Quality & Food Safety (QFS) across External Manufacturing (EM) and the China Market Unit (MU). The role ensures that all EM partners and relevant MU operations consistently meet Mars global standards, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations.

The Manager leads a specialized team of QFS associates and acts as a strategic business partner, supporting innovation, product launches, and continuous improvement initiatives. The role safeguards product integrity, ensures regulatory compliance, and strengthens customer trust—enabling organizational agility and business growth.

Key Responsibilities:

A. External Manufacturing (EM) Quality & Food Safety Oversight

1. Deploy Mars EM Quality Management (EMQM) requirements, standards, and governance across all EM partners.

2. Ensure EM products are fully fit-for-purpose and consistently meet or exceed Mars and PN Segment QFS requirements.

3. Oversee EM audits, non-conformance management, risk assessments, and continuous improvement programs to ensure compliance and operational excellence.

4. Drive year-on-year improvements in EM quality performance, including reduction of non-quality costs, enhancement of EM technical capability, and uplift of system maturity.

5. Conduct regular EM site visits and ensure robust and timely follow-up, eliminating root causes and preventing recurrence.

6. Lead the development, qualification, and continuous improvement of new EMs in accordance with Mars EMQM sourcing standards and capability requirements.

7. Protect the business by ensuring a high-performing EM supplier base that consistently operates to EMQM expectations and Mars global standards.

8. Support the development and commercialization of EM-manufactured products in line with the innovation pipeline—including those requiring raw material changes, new specifications, and COGS-related transformation projects.

B. Market Unit (MU) QFS Leadership

1. Lead MU-level QFS governance to ensure all market practices fully comply with Mars Global QFS Standards and China regulatory requirements.

2. Drive structured MU improvement programs to strengthen product quality performance, reduce CPM, and enhance customer experience.

3. Ensure MU-related risks, issues, and regulatory developments are proactively identified, escalated, and mitigated through cross-functional alignment.

4. Build strong partnerships with Supply Chain, Commercial, SRA, and MU functional teams to embed QFS principles into customer-facing and market delivery processes.

5. Ensure operational excellence in MU quality execution by aligning resources, priorities, and capability requirements.

C. EMQA Support to Business Initiatives & Innovation

1. Provide strong QFS leadership for EM-related innovation projects, including new product launches, reformulations, and process/technology optimizations.

2. Translate EM business priorities and innovation needs into clear QFS plans, resource requirements, validation activities, and risk-mitigation strategies.

3. Ensure end-to-end QFS integration across the EM value chain—spanning R&D, operations, sourcing, logistics, specification management, and commercialization.

4. Support EM-related business expansion and growth initiatives by ensuring that all new and existing EM products and processes remain compliant, safe, and quality-assured.

D. Incident Management & Risk Control

1. Provide decisive leadership during high-impact QFS incidents within EMs or the MU, ensuring rapid containment and effective cross-functional alignment.

2. Ensure root-cause investigations are rigorous, evidence-based, and supported by appropriate CAPA plans delivered within defined timelines.

3. Minimize business continuity risks through structured incident governance, escalation discipline, transparent communication, and robust documentation.

4. Collaborate with global and regional QFS teams, technical SMEs, EM partners, and internal stakeholders to resolve systemic risks and prevent recurrence.

E. Team Leadership & Capability Development

1. Lead, coach, and develop a high-performance QFS team with clear expertise across EM and MU responsibilities.

2. Ensure all associates meet the competency requirements of EMQA and MU capability frameworks and maintain a strong talent pipeline for future succession.

3. Allocate resources effectively to ensure balanced and uninterrupted coverage of EM and MU responsibilities without compromising QFS outcomes.

4. Promote a culture of technical excellence, accountability, continuous improvement, and constructive cross-functional engagement.

5. Protect the business by ensuring a high-performing raw materials and EM supplier base for the Global Food Segment/TBEL, operating in line with MQM and EMQM sourcing standards.

6. Fully engage the team in Q&FS strategy deployment and ensure continued development of functional and leadership capability.

7. Ensure operational excellence across MU operations and EM supplier base by identifying the right priorities, resourcing needs, and capability gaps.

F. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Governance

1. Build and sustain strong partnerships with Commercial, Sourcing, R&D, SRA, Operations, and Global/Regional QFS teams to support an integrated business approach.

2. Ensure EM and MU risks are transparent, well-communicated, and addressed collaboratively with the business.

3. Enable effective resource leveraging and cross-functional cooperation to create tangible value for the business and strengthen QFS governance.

4. Develop an extensive cross-functional communication network that enhances engagement with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring EM and supplier risks are visible, well-managed, and aligned with Mars expectations.

Requirements:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Quality Management, Engineering, or a related scientific/technical discipline.

2. Minimum 5 years of Quality & Food Safety experience within the FMCG or food industry, including direct leadership responsibility for teams or technical functions.

3. Demonstrated experience managing QFS across multiple business areas (e.g., External Manufacturing, Market Unit, Business Unit) — experience within Mars or comparable global FMCG organizations is highly desirable.

4. Deep expertise in QFS governance for External Manufacturing, QFS strategy deployment for Market Units, and operational QFS execution for Business Units.