Quality Assurance and Safety Specialist

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, Traveller, Garavogue, Paddy and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Svedka, Wheatley, BuzzBallz, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka.

Located in the heart of County Sligo, Hawk's Rock Distillery began producing new-make spirit in January 2020. Now part of the Sazerac Company, one of the world’s leading spirits businesses, the distillery is entering an exciting new phase of growth and development. This integration offers a unique opportunity to align our Quality, Health, Safety, and Environmental (QHSE) processes with Sazerac’s global standards—enhancing efficiency, consistency, and excellence across all operations.

We are seeking a Quality Assurance and Safety Specialist to lead the development and implementation of quality, health, safety, and environmental (QHSE) processes across our site operations. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring that all site activities comply with government regulations, company policies, and industry standards.

You will play a key part in driving continuous improvement in quality and safety performance by developing procedures, conducting audits, and supporting teams in maintaining a safe and compliant workplace.

• Support all Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental (QHSE) activities across the site, ensuring compliance with Irish and EU regulations including COMAH, EPA, and HSA.
• Assist in maintaining and improving quality and safety systems, including ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, and FSSC 22000 standards.
• Help prepare the site for audits and inspections, maintaining accurate documentation and supporting internal audit schedules.
• Monitor incidents, near misses, and environmental issues, supporting root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Provide training and guidance to colleagues to promote safe work practices and awareness of quality standards.
• Maintain and update QMS and EMS documentation, including SOPs, non-conformance reports, and supplier approvals.
• Work closely with the Quality Manager and Operations teams to identify improvement areas and support process changes.
• Contribute to continuous improvement projects that enhance food safety, product quality, and workplace safety.

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Key Skills and Attributes:

• Proven experience in quality assurance, health & safety, and environmental management within food and beverage or distillery operations.

• Proactive, self-motivated, and adaptable, able to manage multiple priorities and thrive in a fast-paced, evolving site environment.

• Comfortable tackling complex challenges, including adapting US-based corporate systems to European standards, with strong problem-solving and analytical skills.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal abilities, capable of engaging effectively with site teams, corporate stakeholders, and US-based contacts.

• Skilled at clearly explaining processes and procedures to colleagues at all levels.

• A collaborative team builder who enjoys mentoring others, structuring small teams, and fostering strong cross-functional relationships.

• Strong planning, organizational, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate confidently across all levels of the organization.

• Demonstrated ability to develop compliance solutions that satisfy both government regulations and company standards.

Technical Competencies:

• Hands-on experience with Food Safety Systems such as FSSC 22000, ISO, and HACCP implementation and management.

• Solid background in lab or quality control operations and quality system implementation.

• Proven ability to lead and support change management initiatives in a dynamic environment.

Preferred:

• Experience with client inventory and software distribution systems
• Demonstrated sensory aptitude
• Supervisory experience