Quality Technical Manager

Regional Technical ManagerMake a Difference in YOUR Career! Our vision is both simple and ambitious: to put our drinks on every table. We are the leading global independent beverage solutions provider. We serve a broad range of national and international retailers as well as Global, National and Emerging (GNE) brands. Our products are distributed worldwide from our production sites in Europe, North America, and Australia. Although our own branding may not appear on the labels of the beverages we produce, there is a good chance you are reading this while sipping one of our drinks. Our ambition is to continually improve and it's what keeps us at the top of our game. We are solutions-based. We are innovative. We seek out new challenges and conquer them. This is our company ethos, but it's our people's too: Refresco is at the cutting edge of a fast-moving industry because we have passionate people pushing the boundaries of what's best. Stop and think: how would YOU put our drinks on every table?Reporting to the Senior Regional Technical Manager, the Regional Technical Manager provides multi-site technical leadership and hands-on support across an assigned region, with primary focus on end-to-end process auditing, QMS execution, process performance, sanitation, water treatment, startups, and sustainable corrective action. The role partners with Quality, Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Corporate teams to verify that required controls and testing are executed as designed, solve recurring manufacturing issues, close audit findings, improve process capability, and build plant capability through training and standardization.Essential Job Functions:Regional Technical Support: Provide hands-on technical support across assigned plants and prioritize work based on food safety, quality, customer, operational, and financial risk. Lead complex root-cause investigations and corrective actions for recurring or high-impact technical issues. Partner with plant teams, Engineering, suppliers, and OEMs to implement sustainable technical solutions and standardize best practices.Food Safety & SQF Support: Support site SQF Practitioners and HACCP teams in the validation and verification of prerequisite programs, process controls, sanitation systems, water systems, and significant process changes. Has authority to escalate food safety and quality risks and recommend stopping production, placing product on hold, or delaying startup when technical controls are not capable, not validated, or not being executed as designed.Process Audits & QMS Compliance: Plan, schedule, and conduct comprehensive end-to-end process audits at all assigned plants, covering receiving; raw-material and ingredient storage; water treatment; batching and blending; processing; filling; packaging; in-process and finished-product testing; palletizing; warehousing; and shipping. Verify, through direct observation, record review, and independent checks, that operators and technicians complete required inspections, tests, sampling, measurements, documentation, verification, and escalation in accordance with QMS requirements, approved procedures, product specifications, regulatory requirements, and customer standards. Document objective evidence, identify control gaps and systemic risks, communicate results to plant and regional leadership, and establish clear ownership and due dates for corrective action.Audit Findings & Corrective Action: Partner with plant leadership and functional owners to develop, implement, and close corrective and preventive actions arising from process audits, internal audits, certification audits, customer audits, regulatory inspections, and other assessments. Evaluate root-cause and action-plan adequacy; track actions and due dates; verify implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability; and escalate overdue or high-risk findings.Process: Lead root-cause analysis for filling, blending, and processing systems and recurring plant losses. Troubleshoot fill control, carbonation, Brix, pH, thermal processing, mixing, flow, pressure, and package-performance issues. Use process data and trends to reduce variability, improve First Time Right, increase yield, reduce waste, and minimize downtime.Sanitation: Lead and support CIP/COP validation and sanitation-effectiveness verification across regional plants. Evaluate cleaning critical factors including time, temperature, chemical concentration, flow/turbulence, cleanability, and hygienic design. Support investigations of microbiological excursions, biofilm, and recurring sanitation failures and verify corrective actions.Water Treatment: Provide technical support for chlorination, media filtration, GAC, RO, UV, ozone, and treated-water storage/distribution systems. Troubleshoot water chemistry, microbiological control, membrane performance, scaling/fouling, and treatment-system efficiency. Support online monitoring, manual verification, calibration, data integrity, trending, and validation of new or modified water systems.Startups, Trials & Change Management: Support new lines, major equipment installations, product trials, launches, and significant process changes. Participate in technical risk assessments and readiness/Go-No-Go reviews; verify process, sanitation, water, and testing controls before commercialization. Provide on-site technical support during startup and stabilization and document lessons learned.Technical Training & Standardization: Partner with plant leadership and subject-matter experts to identify training needs and develop and deliver required classroom and hands-on training for operators, technicians, supervisors, and Quality personnel. Coach plant teams at the point of execution and conduct follow-up observation and verification to confirm processes are consistently followed and improvements are sustained. Develop and standardize SOPs, work instructions, troubleshooting guides, qualification materials, and technical training; share proven solutions and lessons learned across the network.Required Skills:Strong knowledge of beverage processing and packaging systems, including filling, blending, carbonation, thermal processing, and process controls.Strong working knowledge of CIP/COP, sanitation validation, microbiological controls, cleanability, and hygienic design.Working knowledge of SQF food safety systems, HACCP principles, prerequisite programs, validation, verification, and corrective-action expectations.Strong working knowledge of beverage water-treatment systems, including GAC, RO, UV, chlorination/oxidation, storage, distribution, and online instrumentation.Excellent root-cause problem-solving, process troubleshooting, data analysis, and trend/SPC skills.Proficient in SAP, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and technical data tools; able to interpret process flow diagrams, P&IDs, and equipment documentation.Competencies:Leadership - Foster a culture of empowerment by building relationships based on trust, lead courageously on a day-to-day basis, and inspire growth with a clear and ambitious vision that guides the collective effort toward success.Behavioral Flexibility – Shows openness to change in terms of attitude and reactions, when the situation calls for it.Influence & Partnership - Demonstrated ability to build credibility and effectively influence plant-level leaders through technical expertise, clear communication, collaboration, and sound recommendations, without direct reporting authority.Strong auditing, communication, training, facilitation, coaching, and influencing capabilities across plant and corporate functions.Demonstrated ability to plan and conduct end-to-end manufacturing process audits, evaluate execution against QMS requirements, and translate findings into effective, sustainable corrective and preventive actions.Education and Experience:BS Degree in Engineering, Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related technical field.Minimum of 5 years of technical, engineering, quality, or manufacturing experience in food or beverage manufacturing; multi-site support experience preferred.Demonstrated experience with end-to-end process auditing, corrective-action and effectiveness verification, process troubleshooting, CIP/sanitation validation, water treatment, and equipment or line startups.HACCP trained/certified required; working knowledge of SQF, cGMPs, FDA/CFIA requirements, and GFSI schemes required. SQF Practitioner training is preferred.Working Conditions:Physical - Regularly works in manufacturing environments requiring standing, walking, and plant-floor inspections.Visual/Sensory - Requires close attention to process conditions, product attributes, equipment performance, and technical data.Work environment - May include wet areas, elevated temperatures, noise, chemicals, moving equipment, and required PPE.Mental Stress - Pressure from urgent technical issues, startups, travel, and deadlines.Travel Requirements: 50%-75% or more within the assigned region and other North American locations, including frequent overnight travel and extended plant support as business needs require.Other Duties: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.A Career with Refresco Refresco is passionate about empowering leaders who reflect our core values and live by our leadership behaviors. These behaviors encourage effective leadership within the business, and focus on leading courageously, empowering individuals, and driving company growth as one team. Joining our team as a people manager means you'll be encouraged to evolve as a leader who prioritizes the success of both you