Quality Engineering Manager (COE)

OverviewReporting to the Sr. Director of Quality, the Quality Engineer Center of Excellence (COE) Manager provides enterprise-level leadership to drive consistent, data-driven food safety and quality practices across all manufacturing facilities. Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory (FSQR) are essential to the success of everything we do at Marzetti, and this role will be charged with defining standardized quality engineering tools, methodologies, and training programs; builds quality engineering capability within plant Quality and Food Safety teams; and serves as the organization's technical authority on applied statistics, process capability, and continuous improvement.ResponsibilitiesProvide enterprise leadership and technical support in Quality and Food Safety Management, ensuring consumer requirements, regulatory compliance, and preventive food safety controls are effectively integrated into continuous product quality and productivity improvement efforts.Lead the development, standardization, and governance of quality engineering tools, protocols, and methodologies for use by plant Quality teams across all facilities.Support the Quality and Food Safety organizations by embedding quality engineering skillsets into team structures, defining roles and responsibilities, and aligning capabilities with operational and business needs.Design and deploy standardized training programs, onboarding curricula, and competency models to ensure consistent Quality Engineer capability and effective implementation at each facility.Develop action plans with manufacturing, R&D, Engineering and Quality Operations teams to ensure that product specifications, analytical procedures, sampling programs and control systems are appropriate and meet system capability and key consumer requirements.Partner with Operations, R&D, Engineering, and Quality teams to develop and execute action plans ensuring product specifications, analytical methods, sampling programs, and control systems are statistically sound and capable of meeting key requirements.Serve as the enterprise statistical authority, providing guidance and coaching on SPC, MSA, capability analysis, sampling strategies, and experimental design.Lead and support product and process improvement initiatives through the design, execution, and analysis of designed experiments, capability studies, and variability reduction efforts.Collaborate with plant Quality teams and cross-functional partners to analyze in-process and analytical data, evaluate performance, identify trends, and enable proactive, risk-based decisions across operations.Provide quality engineering support for project start-ups, new product introductions, and process changes to ensure robust quality system implementation.Support the plant quality team in assessment and resolution of quality issues, including non-conforming product, through risk assessment, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, and loss minimization strategies.Develop and deliver training in applied statistics, regulatory requirements, and quality measurement systems to build organizational capability.Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert (SME) to provide escalation support and technical leadership to plant teams in resolving complex, high-risk, or recurring quality and food safety issues through standardized investigation, risk assessment, and corrective action processes.Collaborate with plant Quality teams and R&D to design, execute, and analyze plant trials, scale-ups, and commercialization activities using statistically sound experimental design, driving process validation, continuous improvement, and resolution of ongoing quality and process performance issues.This position is expected to travel 25-50%. Some trips will require overnight travel.QualificationsASQ Certified Quality Engineer certification strongly preferred.Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Food Science, or a related technical field; advanced degree preferred.7+ years of progressive experience in Quality Engineering, Manufacturing, or Continuous Improvement, preferably within food or consumer products manufacturing.Broad knowledge of food manufacturing with experience in quality, food safety, product development, or operationsDemonstrated expertise in statistical methods, process capability, SPC, MSA, and DOE.Proven ability to develop and standardize tools, training programs, and enterprise-wide quality practices.Strong cross-functional leadership, communication, and change management skillsComprehensive knowledge of food safety regulations and requirements (FSMA, HACCP, GMP)Strong written and verbal communication skillsAbility to influence without authority.Working Conditions/EnvironmentWorks in a normal office environment where the employee is regularly required to speak, see, hear, sit, stand, talk, type, walk and bend while moving about the facility. The noise level in the office is quiet. Occasional travel to plants or meetings is required.ASQ Certified Quality Engineer certification strongly preferred.Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Food Science, or a related technical field; advanced degree preferred.7+ years of progressive experience in Quality Engineering, Manufacturing, or Continuous Improvement, preferably within food or consumer products manufacturing.Broad knowledge of food manufacturing with experience in quality, food safety, product development, or operationsDemonstrated expertise in statistical methods, process capability, SPC, MSA, and DOE.Proven ability to develop and standardize tools, training programs, and enterprise-wide quality practices.Strong cross-functional leadership, communication, and change management skillsComprehensive knowledge of food safety regulations and requirements (FSMA, HACCP, GMP)Strong written and verbal communication skillsAbility to influence without authority.Provide enterprise leadership and technical support in Quality and Food Safety Management, ensuring consumer requirements, regulatory compliance, and preventive food safety controls are effectively integrated into continuous product quality and productivity improvement efforts.Lead the development, standardization, and governance of quality engineering tools, protocols, and methodologies for use by plant Quality teams across all facilities.Support the Quality and Food Safety organizations by embedding quality engineering skillsets into team structures, defining roles and responsibilities, and aligning capabilities with operational and business needs.Design and deploy standardized training programs, onboarding curricula, and competency models to ensure consistent Quality Engineer capability and effective implementation at each facility.Develop action plans with manufacturing, R&D, Engineering and Quality Operations teams to ensure that product specifications, analytical procedures, sampling programs and control systems are appropriate and meet system capability and key consumer requirements.Partner with Operations, R&D, Engineering, and Quality teams to develop and execute action plans ensuring product specifications, analytical methods, sampling programs, and control systems are statistically sound and capable of meeting key requirements.Serve as the enterprise statistical authority, providing guidance and coaching on SPC, MSA, capability analysis, sampling strategies, and experimental design.Lead and support product and process improvement initiatives through the design, execution, and analysis of designed experiments, capability studies, and variability reduction efforts.Collaborate with plant Quality teams and cross-functional partners to analyze in-process and analytical data, evaluate performance, identify trends, and enable proactive, risk-based decisions across operations.Provide quality engineering support for project start-ups, new product introductions, and process changes to ensure robust quality system implementation.Support the plant quality team in assessment and resolution of quality issues, including non-conforming product, through risk assessment, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, and loss minimization strategies.Develop and deliver training in applied statistics, regulatory requirements, and quality measurement systems to build organizational capability.Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert (SME) to provide escalation support and technical leadership to plant teams in resolving complex, high-risk, or recurring quality and food safety issues through standardized investigation, risk assessment, and corrective action processes.Collaborate with plant Quality teams and R&D to design, execute, and analyze plant trials, scale-ups, and commercialization activities using statistically sound experimental design, driving process validation, continuous improvement, and resolution of ongoing quality and process performance issues.This position is expected to travel 25-50%. Some trips will require overnight travel.