Job Description:
This role provides technical leadership and quality expertise to ensure Mars Snacking delivers high-quality products consistently across categories such as chocolate, gum, mints, fruity confections, cereals, meals, and snacks. The position leads the Product Quality, Sensory, and Visual Product Quality (VPQ) conformance program across the LATAM region, supporting manufacturing sites in meeting Mars Global Standards and FSSC 22000 requirements. As the regional lead for Sensory and VPQ, this role works closely with site quality teams, regional QFS teams, and global experts to drive compliance, provide training, and promote best practices across the region. The role also coordinates Global Product Quality Audits in LATAM, ensuring product samples and data are collected, submitted, and reviewed, while supporting improvement actions identified through the audit process. As a member of the Global Core Quality Team, this position represents LATAM in global quality initiatives, sharing regional opportunities and challenges while supporting broader business priorities. In addition, the role is responsible for analyzing and reporting consumer feedback trends, identifying risks and opportunities, and driving continuous improvement initiatives across the region.
Overall, this position champions product quality, supports operational excellence, and helps strengthen quality culture across all levels of the organization.
What will be your key responsibilities?
- Assess the current Mars Snacking LATAM Sensory Conformance program, through contact with the manufacturing site sensory leads and assessment against the latest Global Sensory Standard.
- Provide Technical direction to Mars Site Sensory Technicians and ensure the requirements of the Global Sensory Standard are fully understood, compliance is assessed consistently and deployment roadmaps are maintained and followed.
- Conduct annual internal audits (remote where required) of Quality Conformance and On-line sensory programs
- Curate and Deploy Global VPQ Standard and act as Regional Lead for ECE, and as the POC for other Regions.
- Provide Technical direction to Mars Site VPQ Technicians and ensure the requirements of the MW Global VPQ Standard are fully understood, compliance is assessed consistently, and deployment roadmaps are maintained and followed.
- Conduct annual internal audits (remote where required) of Conformance and On-line VPQ programs
- Develop and execute Conformance Technician’s calibration, round robin exercises to test sensory /VPQ accuracy.
- Assess needs and develop protocols to ensure in-process associates and conformance panels maintain skill level and are calibrated across panels.
- Collate and support Regional escalations (to Regional and Global QFS) relating to the Sensory compliance roadmap (e.g. resource or prioritization constraints).
- Leads fact-based escalation sessions if a sensory / VPQ issue is identified during factory conformance sessions (which requires additional technical support) and aligns recommendations on next steps with senior leaders (RD, Sensory, Factory)
- Work closely with the Global Principal Scientist Quality associate to ensure updates or guidance related to the Global Sensory Standard/Program are cascaded across the LATAM Region and deployed.
- Facilitate a Sensory / VPQ Conformance ‘Community of Practice’ where site-based Sensory Technicians can join to share challenges, best practice and develop their functional and technical competencies.
- Facilitate Sensory / VPQ Trainings: new site technicians, site associates, internal and external suppliers (on an ‘as needed’ basis).
- Act as regional representative for Global Core Quality Team.
- Act as regional single POC for Product Quality Audits, bridging Global and manufacturing sites.
- Support LATAM units’ sensory leads, in case of a new product (or process) or continuous improvement projects to assess product quality attributes and the process parameters ensuring product quality in alignment with Global Specification and consumer needs.
- Support incidents related to Quality deviation to the manufacturing sites or market units in LATAM. Escalate to Global when needed.
- Report on consumer contacts and deep dive analysis of data on an ‘as needed’ basis, acting as a guardian of consumer complaint metrics working in collaboration with the LATANM units to drive continuous improvement
- Champion and engage with Product Quality opportunities to ensure all Mars actions have a Quality focus.
What can you expect from Mars?
- Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
- Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
- A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
- An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
