Food Safety Lead in Newtownards

Location variable NI/ROI

Lakeland Dairies Co-operative Society Limited (The Group) is the second largest dairy processor on the island of Ireland. The business is complex and ambitious with a milk supply pool of 2 billion litres of milk, drawn from over 3,200 family farms across 16 counties. With the most modern dairy manufacturing facilities in 8 locations on a cross-border basis, the Group supplies to a broad customer base including some of the world’s foremost ‘blue chip’ companies across the dairy food ingredients, foodservice and consumer food channels on a domestic Ireland, UK, European and global basis. Internationally we export some 240 different products to over 100 countries worldwide.

The Group’s Agribusiness Division (Lakeland Agri) operates a state-of-the-art Animal Feed Manufacturing Facility and is a leading and innovative provider of the highest quality feeds and agricultural inputs to dairy, beef and sheep farmers across the north and south of Ireland.

Applications are invited for the above position to be based at any of our NI or ROI operational sites:

The Role

Are you a technical leader ready to shape the future of food safety in a leading dairy organisation? Our new, Group Food Safety Lead will drive the evolution of our FSQ structure, spearheading Group Food Safety Standards and driving our Food Safety continuous improvement and shared learnings agenda. From supporting incident investigations and CAPEX projects to acting as an Operational Excellence ambassador, the successful applicant will play a critical role in standardisation, resource optimisation, and continuous improvement. This is a tailormade role for an ambitious subject matter expert who is passionate about building robust quality frameworks and leading key transformations. The successful applicant can be based at any of our operational sites across NI or ROI.

Key responsibilities will include (Not limited too):

• Standards & Compliance: Establish ‘best-in-class’ food safety standards across our Dairy Business.
• Incident Management & RCA: Support the response to food safety and quality incidents, ensuring a consistent approach to Root Cause Analysis (RCA), CAPA implementation, and effectiveness reviews.
• Microbiology Leadership: Provide strategic oversight for External and Internal Microbiology Laboratories, including budget and service optimisation.
• Operational Excellence: Act as a key enabler for our Operational Excellence Programme, driving continuous improvement and risk mitigation across all sites.
• Capital Projects & Investment: Partner with site FSQ teams on CAPEX processes, providing technical expertise for high-priority equipment and infrastructure upgrades.
• Stakeholder & Customer Engagement: Support the Customer Segmentation model by engaging with key clients, participating in working groups, and sharing best practices.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to standardise ways of working and facilitate the sharing of best practice and shared learnings across our Dairy Business.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Support supplier and TPM approval processes while partnering with wider business functions to deliver the overall Group Strategy.

What do I need to be successful in this role?

• Industry Expertise: Extensive experience in a food safety leadership role within the food manufacturing sector.
• Technical Mastery: A proven track record in developing and maintaining high-level food safety frameworks.
• Regulatory & Compliance: Deep technical expertise in BRC and FSSC 22000 standards and their practical application. Demonstrated experience of working with customer and other compliance standards.
• Visionary Leadership: A 'lead from the front' people manager with a proven ability to inspire teams and drive a culture of excellence.
• Communication & Influence: Exceptional ability to translate complex technical data into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders at all levels.
• Commercial & Budgetary Acumen: Demonstrated experience in budget management, resource optimisation, and financial oversight.
• Educational Background: A third-level qualification (Degree or higher) in Food Science, Technology, or a related discipline would be desirable.
• Valued extras: Prior experience in system digitalisation, large-scale FSQ implementations, or the foodservice/retail sectors is highly desirable. Experience working with SAP beneficial.

If you have the necessary skills and attributes to meet this challenging opportunity in a dynamic, high volume and fast-moving business, we would be delighted to hear from you!

Application Process:

To apply for this role, please submit a copy of your CV by no later than midday on Monday 23rd March 2026.

Lakeland Dairies Ltd is committed to having an inclusive workplace where every employee feels they belong. If you require accommodations to be made during the recruitment process or have questions relating to accessibility, please contact us at recruitmentni@lakelanddairies.com.