SEARCH: Global Head FSQA (Senior Director) – FMCG - Germany

Search overview

The company

• Employing around 9,000 globally, and FY22 revenue of almost EUR 1.76 bn.
• Working with the COO to identify leadership talent for operational effectiveness

The search

FSQA Director to take responsibility for leading Food Safety & Quality Assurance Standards across 27 sites. It will support the implementation of continuous improvement projects to enhance quality processes and enforce food safety policies company-wide.

Reporting directly to the Group Chief Operations Officer,the FSQA Director was to be responsible for ‘dotted-line’ management of a geographically diverse team within various Business Units, and come from a food business in addition to essential international knowledge and language skills.

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Focus Topics:

FSQ excellence programme - get a clear consistent approach across the group and how to implement it

Maturing group standards in FSQ

Collating, sharing, and embedding best practices.  

Developing a bench of FSQ talent - horizon scanning for emerging trends

Digitalisation and systems – How to advance and raise the bar 

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‍S-CAP Tools deployed

• Operational Maturity Assessment
• Cultural Assessment
• Leadership Dynamics 

Mutually agreed Search approach

• Critical success factors and desired future state outcomes
• Competency matrix definition (Technical and Behavioural)
• Designed bespoke evaluation assessment from S-CAP inputs
• Value proposition creation to attract passive candidates.
• Project plan the process, stakeholder accountability, and route to success

Execution

Research & Outreach

•   Mapped relevant bakery and food manufacturers of comparable, complexity, and maturity
•   Reviewed different customer channels, and perspectives across retail, fast food and service.
•   Conscious of localised brands, siloes in production sites and fluctuations in maturity and best practice
•   Conscious of cultural sensitivity, and an alignment of client’s value-streamed organizational structure
•   Highlighted specific “People of interest” and mutually agreed on NORTH STAR profile
•   Solidified longlist through a range of data-lead, industry-leading tools and headhunting techniques
•   Candidate universe defined – Commenced 4-tier confidential outreach, headhunt & evaluation campaign

Evaluation 

Phase 1

Value prop delivered – (Stress test)

Phase 2

Exchange of information under NDA – (Stress test)

Phase 3

Competency interview - – (Stress test)

Phase 4

Behavioural assessment - including cultural fit, leadership style, personality, EQ/IQ

Shortlist delivery of six candidates within the agreed timeframe accompanied by a detailed search report and SWOT analysis for each prospect

Result

• Advisory and guidance to select focus three candidates
• Melium provides client-side support to design and run the internal interview process
• Commercial negotiation assistance to ensure a “right-first-time” offer

Melium Consulting successfully identified and attracted a Quality Director in line with the initial candidate profile and mutually agreed competencies.

The new leadership will operate cross-functionally to develop and implement a company-wired quality roadmap alongside Group COO, and introduce a standardised methodology for measuring and digitally tracking quality success metrics globally.

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