Quality Assurance Technician

Role overview

Ornua is looking for a Quality Assurance Technician to join its operations team in Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland. This position sits at career level P1 and reports to the Quality Assurance Manager.

Ornua is a major dairy co-operative that markets premium dairy products worldwide for its member co-operatives, Irish dairy processors, and Irish dairy farmers. The group generates revenues of €3.4 billion, employs around 2,800 people globally, and operates across 10 business units with 12 production sites in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Africa.

The business also commercialises consumer brands such as Kerrygold, supports markets through local sales and marketing teams across multiple regions, and manages dairy procurement, ingredients sales, and trading strategies to reduce market risk.

Why this position matters

The technician is central to protecting food safety, product quality, and compliance for finished goods produced in the facility. The role works closely with operations, maintenance, and quality colleagues to make sure HACCP controls, site procedures, and work instructions are followed consistently.

Core duties include monitoring hygiene standards, carrying out laboratory testing on incoming raw materials and finished products, addressing quality issues, managing supplier and factory non-conformances, supporting audits, and helping with staff training and competency checks. The role also contributes to health and safety activities and continuous improvement across the production environment.

Key responsibilities

• Partner with operations and maintenance teams to maintain food safety and product quality on shift, while ensuring HACCP controls, procedures, and work instructions are fully followed.
• Confirm that all finished products meet the required specifications.
• Ensure shift records are completed accurately and in full.
• Maintain plant hygiene so it meets or exceeds the standards set by the Department of Agriculture, BRC, and customers.
• Verify that cleaning standards are achieved after scheduled cleaning through visual inspections, ATP swabbing, and microbiological swabbing.
• Work with shift operations and maintenance teams to address non-conformances, identify root causes, agree preventive actions, and close issues out, while keeping an accurate log of factory non-conformances on shift.
• Handle supplier non-conformances during the shift and compile relevant information for the quality coordinator.
• Deliver training and competency checks for production and maintenance staff on CCPs and quality procedures, and maintain versatility charts for shift personnel.
• Test incoming raw materials such as cream and bulk butter in the laboratory using appropriate analytical methods.
• Test buttermilk before dispatch using the required laboratory methods.
• Support Department of Agriculture, BRC, and customer audits.
• Assist the quality team with customer complaints, specification changes, product trials, and related tasks as needed.
• Support site health and safety initiatives.

Requirements

• A certificate, diploma, or degree in Food Science, Science, Quality, Nutritional, or a related discipline.
• HACCP training is preferred.
• Between 6 and 12 months of experience in a technical, quality assurance, manufacturing, or laboratory role; dairy experience is ideal, although food or beverage experience may also be considered.
• Working knowledge of BRC or a similar standard, along with retail requirements in a production environment, is an advantage.
• Ability to manage deadlines and stay effective under pressure.
• Strong problem-solving ability, with a disciplined approach to gathering information and supporting root-cause analysis for non-conformances.
• A flexible, committed attitude and a willingness to take initiative.
• Ability to work independently and also integrate effectively with operations colleagues.
• Good IT skills, including Word, Excel, and database use.
• Genuine interest in food, quality, science, and continuous learning.
• Availability to work rotating day and night shifts.
• Behavioural strengths including ownership, teamwork, strong communication, and solid professional expertise in planning, analysis, and decision-making.

Additional information

This is a full-time onsite role based in Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland. The position requires flexibility for a rotating shift pattern covering both days and nights.

No salary or stipend details were provided.

No vacancy count, start date, or application deadline was specified.

No internship duration applies to this role.