Head of Quality – EWA at Unilever
Our brands are trusted everywhere and, by listening to the people who buy them, we’ve grown into one of the world’s most successful consumer goods companies.
Look in your fridge, or on the bathroom shelf, and you’re bound to see one of our well-known brands. We create, market and distribute the products that people choose to feed their families and keep themselves and their homes clean and fresh.
People’s lives are changing fast. As the way we all live and work evolves, our needs and tastes change too. At Unilever we aim to help people in their daily lives. So we keep developing new products, improving tried and tested brands and promoting better, more efficient ways of working.
We have a portfolio of brands that are popular across the country. Popular because of our two key strengths:
Strong roots in local markets and first-hand knowledge of the local culture.
World-class business expertise applied internationally to serve consumers everywhere.
Focusing on performance and productivity, we encourage our people to develop new ideas and put fresh approaches into practice. Hand in hand with this is a strong sense of responsibility to the communities we serve. We don’t only measure success in financial terms; how we achieve results is important too. We work hard to conduct our business with integrity – respecting our employees, our consumers and the environment around us.
Unilever is proudly one of the country’s leading suppliers of fast-moving consumer goods in all our three divisions – Foods, home care and personal care.
Foods
We are the largest seller of packet tea with our Lipton brand leading the Foods and Beverages category.
We are the category leader in margarine in the country with the Blueband brand.
In savoury, our Royco and Knorr brands are household names you can’t ignore.
Home & personal care
We are highly visible in the home care market in the country, which includes cleansing and hygiene products.
Our home care products, Omo and Sunlight are household names synonymous with home care.
Within the personal care market, we are very visible with brands like Lux and Pears to help you look and feel good.Job Purpose
Unilever is the place where you can bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. You will lead the Quality agenda, and will be responsible for overall Quality compliance, leading transformation, driving business improvement and setting the Quality Strategy in line with the Supply Chain and Business strategies. You will be responsible for the Quality function at manufacturing site(s), lead the governance and compliance to Unilever QMS and relevant GMPs, Regulatory and Legal Quality requirements.
What Will Your Main Responsibilities Be
The Head of Quality, EWA leads the regional Quality agenda and is responsible for overall Quality compliance, leading Quality transformation, driving business Quality improvement and setting the Quality Strategy in line with the regional Supply Chain and Business strategies. A key functional business partner for Supply Chain, BTs and Governance committees.
Key Responsibilities Include
Develop and implement the regional Quality strategy
Responsible for product superiority and Consumer/Product safety through implementation of relevant standards in Sourcing Units, Collaborative Manufacturers, material Suppliers
Oversee Quality improvement through UMS Pillar structures
Enable Quality information management and cost-opportunity decision making
Lead quality processes that support implementation of innovation
Lead incident and crisis management for the relevant market
Manage Quality in New Business Channels (e-commerce)
Manage Consumer and Customer Feedback, including CEC interface and technical support
Lead the local Quality Partner (Material suppliers and CMs) and Localization workstreams
Drive end to end Quality digital transformation
Lead Quality culture improvement initiatives
What You Need To Succeed
Experiences & Qualifications
A relevant degree in Science or Technical discipline
Demonstrated commercial acumen
Exemplary performance demonstrated for managing high performing teams
Demonstrated track record of working on complex problem solving, tight deadlines with quick turnaround
Essential
Deep technical understanding of effective Quality Management Systems
Manufacturing process knowledge
Experience in implementing Quality Management Systems
Supplier (CM and material suppliers) quality management experience
Desirable
Good change management and influencing skills
Previous experience in Quality and/or Operations Management roles
Skills
Excellent understanding of an integrated supply chain network.
Excellent understanding of Quality Management Systems
Quality in Manufacturing and Operations management
Good understanding of an integrated supply chain network
Good understanding of financial drivers
Strong Customer Service orientation
Strong interpersonal skills and team commitment
Excellent team-working and networking skills
Excellent communication skills across all levels of the organisation
Ability to work well in a diverse team
Ability to work with peers and demonstrate lateral influence
Excellent team building skills
Excellent understanding of technical areas
Collaborating and delivering through others
Developing others
Good knowledge of Unilever’s business and processes
Leadership
You are energized by delivering fantastic results. You are an example to others – both your results and your resilience. You are constantly on the lookout for better ways to do things, engaging and collaborating with others along the way.
As an individual you are the one responsible for your own wellbeing and delivering high standards of work. You must also focus on the Consumer/Customer and what they need. You are humble and have your head up, looking around to interpret evidence and data smartly, spot issues and opportunities to make things better.
Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors
Focus on what counts: We ruthlessly prioritise what really, really matters and so do fewer things brilliantly. We set clear and stretching goals and recognise maximum performance impact. It is not about reducing ambition or effort or running after the ‘new and shiny’
Care deeply: We care deeply about how consumers experience our brands every day, everywhere; about our people's growth and development, and our impact on the planet. We care about our performance, to a point where it hurts when we don't win. It is not just about being nice or avoiding honest conversations about performance and opportunity.
Stay 3 steps ahead: We think boldly and creatively to make breakthroughs in performance. We are always curious and confident – anticipating and staying ahead of consumer needs and external trends to be the competition. It is not taking our eye off the ‘here and now’.
Deliver with excellence: We deliver everything we do with excellence and pace. We take personal ownership and hold each other to account – always finding a way to do what we said we will do. It is not about analysing the inevitable roadblocks, admiring the problem or tolerating mediocrity.