General Manager - Quality

General Manager – Quality 
National food safety & quality leadership · Sydney Based
Specialty cheese manufacturing

About the company
Our client is a proud, 100% Australian-owned and operated specialty cheese manufacturer - one of the largest independently owned cheese processors in the country, employing 250+ staff across QLD, NSW and Victoria.

Their specialty cheeses are enjoyed across the retail and foodservice markets nationwide, and they're a supportive, values-driven business where food safety and quality are central to everything they do.

About the role
We're seeking an accomplished General Manager – Quality to lead the national food safety and quality agenda across the business.  Reporting to the GM Operations and leading a national quality team across multiple sites, you'll develop and deploy the food safety and quality assurance strategy, drive a positive and accountable quality culture, and keep the business audit-ready and compliant as it grows.

This is a hands-on senior leadership role that partners across the whole business - Operations, Commercial, NPD and Marketing - to build food safety and quality from concept to commercialisation.

What you'll be doing

• Developing and deploying best-in-class food safety and quality assurance systems, driving risk mitigation and enhanced quality across the group
• Leading, coaching and developing a motivated national quality team across multiple geographies — setting clear standards, building capability and fostering accountability
• Overseeing site certifications and accreditation audits (GFSI — BRC/SQF, Organic, NSW Food Authority, plus retailer, customer and regulatory standards)
• Ensuring compliance with dairy export requirements, including the Export Control (Milk Based Products) Rules 2021 and the site's Approved Arrangement
• Acting as a brand partner to customers — leading complaint-improvement plans, KPI delivery and a right-first-time, corrective-and-preventative approach
• Managing the quality department budget and driving continuous improvement across the function

About you

• Extensive experience in senior QA and Technical roles within food manufacturing (essential), with cheese or dairy experience highly desirable
• Proven leadership experience within an FMCG / manufacturing operation, including leading and developing teams
• A qualification in Food Science
• Detailed knowledge of modern manufacturing and quality-improvement techniques, GFSI standards and regulatory compliance
• A confident, resilient and caring leader who makes clear decisions, communicates expectations and stays composed under pressure
• Strong commercial judgement, excellent communication and a solutions-focused, right-first-time mindset

Why join
This is a genuine senior leadership opportunity with a proud, growing Australian-owned cheese business - a chance to own and shape the national quality function, sit at the leadership table and make a real impact on food safety, quality and culture across multiple sites.

How to apply
Apply now with your current resume, or send your resume and cover letter to Natasha Donaghy at Osborne Richardson: *******@osbornerichardson.com.au