About KWS:

KWS is one of the world’s leading plant breeding companies. Nearly 5,000 employees in more than 70 countries generated net sales of around €1.68 billion in the fiscal year 2023/2024. A company with a tradition of family ownership, KWS has operated independently for almost 170 years. It focuses on plant breeding and the production and sale of seed for sugarbeet, corn, cereals, vegetables, oilseed rape and sunflower. KWS uses leading-edge plant breeding methods to continuously improve yield for farmers and plants’ resistance to diseases, pests and abiotic stress. To that end, the company invested more than €300 million last fiscal year in research and development.

We are looking for a

Quality Manager Food Ingredients (m/f/d)

who will play an active role in driving KWS’s ambitions in the field of plant-based food ingredients. This is a full-time, permanent position based at our headquarters in Einbeck, Germany (KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA).

The core responsibility is to maintain, manage, and further develop the quality management system for KWS Food Ingredients (IFS Broker, EU Organic) to ensure that the production of food ingredients (specifically pea protein isolate) complies with legal product safety standards and meets customer requirements.

• Prepare and/or review quality management-related documents and records in line with customer requirements and applicable food regulations.
• Lead the HACCP team and contribute to the design of the HACCP concept and related hazard analyses. Additionally, you will be a member of and provide expertise to the Food Crisis Team, as well as the Food Fraud and Food Defense Team.
• Audit and monitor production and quality management at external service providers.
• Control and evaluate internal deviations (5 Whys analyses, corrective actions).
• Support the creation of training plans; conduct employee training and evaluate training effectiveness when needed.
• Maintain KWS certifications in the Food Ingredients sector during audits by customers, accredited certification bodies, and official inspections (document management and adjustments, compliance with standards, training, etc.).
• Manage KWS’s internal documents and records (review, revision, storage, and archiving).
• Support the preparation and technical review of specifications (e.g., raw material specifications, finished goods specifications).
• Assess and review the results of food analytics.
• Take the opportunity to become an influential member in the dynamic and growing field of plant-based food ingredients at KWS.

• B.Sc., M.Sc. or equivalent degree in Food Technology, Food Chemistry, Food Safety, Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Science, Food Technology, or vocational training in the food industry
• Extensive experience in quality management, with proven leadership or project responsibility - ideally gained within the food industry
• Experience in food ingredient production and/or agricultural production preferred
• Empathetic, persuasive, and assertive personality
• Solution-oriented and proactive approach to challenges
• Excellent networking skills and the ability to work in interdisciplinary teams
• Driver’s license (Class B) required
• Fluent German and English language skills (spoken and written)
• Willingness to travel (audits, assessment of suppliers and service providers, etc.)

• As a family-run company we are guided by the values of closeness, reliability, foresight and independence; this culture is lived in practice creating thus an open and friendly working atmosphere.
• True to our motto Make yourself grow, we support employees’ professional and personal development.
• We offer excellent work equipment (e.g. the newest laboratory equipment), a fully-fledged, subsidized canteen and sufficient free parking spaces at the KWS location.
• We offer a company pension scheme, capital formation benefits, Christmas and holiday bonuses, special prices for company shares, childcare allowance and a job bike.
• Health & Safety are very important for us: our company doctor, company fire brigade / paramedics (with time credit) and company sports create a solid base for this.