Quality Specialist (Nights)

JOB TITLE: Quality Specialist (Nights)

LOCATION: Independence, MO

HOURS: D Shift night schedule: 7:00 PM – 7:00 AM, Wed-Sat on long weeks and Thu-Sat on short weeks.

This role is onsite. Hybrid and remote options, relocation or international assignments are not supported.

Earlier this year (March 2026), Unilever announced an agreement to separate our Foods business. Our Foods business, including brands such as Hellmann's and Knorr, will join forces with McCormick to become a global flavour leader, with leading positions across spices, seasonings, condiments and complementary food categories, supported by a strong retail and foodservice platform. McCormick has 135+ years of heritage, a presence in 150+ countries and territories, and a portfolio of trusted brands. The transaction remains subject to consultation, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions with a targeted deal close of mid-2027.

JOB PURPOSE

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to be part of a winning team? Unilever is recruiting for a Quality Specialist to join our Independence Team on D Shift (nights). The Independence Site is primarily a dry savory operation producing Knorr and Lipton products that also has a Tea production operation. Every day is a new adventure as the site continues to grow and improve. 

On any given day, two billion people use Unilever products to look good, feel good and get more out of life. With more than 400 brands focused on health and wellbeing, no company touches so many people’s lives in so many ways. Our portfolio ranges from nutritionally balanced foods to indulgent ice creams, affordable soaps, luxurious shampoos and everyday household care products. 

This is a backfill for our current D Shift Quality Specialist and will provide dedicated Quality coverage and front-line leadership across the overnight window — the hours when real-time decisions keep product safe, compliant, and moving.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Senior Quality Manager, the D Shift Quality Specialist is the on-shift Quality authority for the overnight team. This person upholds factory specifications, standards and the Quality Management System (QMS), with responsibility for ensuring compliance with Sanitation requirements, Quality Specifications, Food Safety Requirements, and current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), as well as applicable regulatory requirements. This key Quality role makes real-time Quality decisions, navigates upset events, manages Holds and deviations, supports the Quality Lab Technicians, and provides front-line Quality leadership when the majority of salaried support is off site. 

This person will work with the on-shift Quality Technicians, production teams, and shift leadership to identify and execute process and material improvements, and will hand off cleanly to day-shift Quality Systems Specialists to close the loop. This role will report on shift Quality performance to the Quality Manager. 

Core On-Shift Responsibilities 

·         On-Shift Quality Decisions: Serve as the empowered, real-time Quality decision-maker on shift — dispositioning product, authorizing release/rework, and making stop/go calls that protect consumer safety and product conformance. 

·         Compliance Assurance: Ensure on-shift compliance with Sanitation requirements, approved Quality Specifications, Food Safety Requirements, cGMPs, site standards, and applicable regulatory requirements; identify, correct, document, and escalate compliance gaps promptly. 

·         Hold Management: Own Hold identification, blocking, investigation, and disposition on shift; place material to Hold in SAP/QualityOne, initiate E-Incidents, and coordinate next steps and final disposition with Operations and Planning per the site Hold Process. 

·         Deviations & Non-Conformances: Identify, document, and drive deviations and non-conformances (SNCR) to closure; ensure root-cause capture and CAPA hand-off, and escalate appropriately when specifications are not met. 

·         Upset Event Navigation: Lead the Quality response during upset events, technology gaps, and abnormal conditions — triage impact, contain product, direct rework/dispositioning, and partner with Operations on RCA with the teams. 

·         Quality Lab Tech Support: Provide technical guidance and coverage for on-shift Quality Lab Technicians — support analytical testing, troubleshooting, method execution, and lab decisions; verify results are actioned and gaps are closed. 

·         Front-Line Leadership for Quality: Act as the front-line Quality leader for the shift — set priorities, coach and develop on-shift Quality Technicians, represent Quality in Tier meetings, and hold all levels accountable as Quality champions. 

·         Shift Handover & Continuity: Deliver a clean, data-driven handover into and out of D Shift so priorities, open Holds, deviations, and upset-event status carry forward without loss. 

WHAT MAKES YOU A FIT?

·         You’re a strategy guru: you have a knack for linking tactical on-shift activities to program progression plans to sustainably meet or exceed performance targets. 

·         You’re a dot connector: you thrive on problem-solving and getting things done in collaboration with all departments, especially at night when you are the point of contact. 

·         You love to win, and have fun doing it: you bring your authentic self to the job and lift others up through your successes. 

·         You’re a story teller: you bring others on the Quality improvement journey, celebrate the wins, and help others learn from the opportunities. 

·         You’re a changemaker: you drive a step change in Quality by inspiring all levels down to the shop floor. 

·         You’re a paradox navigator: you hold all levels of the organization accountable to be Quality champions. 

REQUIRED SKILLS

·         Bachelor Degree, preferably in Biology, Food Sciences, Regulatory Sciences, or Chemistry. 

·         Minimum two years of quality related experience, preferably in a food environment. 

·         Experience with HACCP Plans, FSMA, and USDA preferred. 

·         Comfortable making independent, real-time Quality decisions and leading during upset events with limited on-site salaried support. 

·         Strong analytical skills; ability to translate data into action and follow-through. 

·         Excellent math, written and verbal communication skills, including clear shift-to-shift handover. 

·         Team leadership / front-line supervisory experience preferred; ability to coach and direct on-shift Quality Technicians and Lab Techs. 

·         Computer proficiency, esp. Excel, Word, PowerPoint, EWM, SAP (incl. SAP QM), and QualityOne; ability to provide input and deploy/train new digital quality systems. 

·         Basic knowledge of dry savory composition, sanitation principles, microbiology, and quality assurance policies and regulations. 

·         Experience with lean manufacturing principles and statistical analytics platforms preferred. 

·         Applied knowledge of dry food manufacturing equipment and digital systems preferred. 

·         Willing and able to work the D Shift night schedule: 7:00 PM – 7:00 AM, Wed-Sat on long weeks and Thu-Sat on short weeks. 

Pay: The pay range for this position is $59,300 to $88,900. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs. 

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible. 

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible. 

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents. 

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Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities.

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If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.

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