Senior QA Specialist
Would you like to play a key role in strengthening food safety and quality across a global production environment? At Palsgaard, we are on a journey to further embed a strong quality culture—and we are looking for a Senior QA Specialist who can help drive this forward.
In this role, you will act as a key culture carrier and trusted expert, working closely with production and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure high standards in food safety and quality. You will combine deep technical expertise with a hands-on, operational approach—translating requirements into practical, value-adding solutions.
About the Role
You will be part of a strong QA team, working closely together to ensure robust food safety and quality processes across our operations.
Palsgaard is certified according to FSSC 22000, ISO 9001, RSPO (Mass Balance and Segregated Palm), and SEDEX. Our global management system (PQMS) is continuously developed to support both internal processes and evolving external requirements.
As Senior QA Specialist, you will play an active role in shaping and improving our management system and driving continuous improvements across the organization.
The position is based in Juelsminde with flexible working conditions, and you will report to the Global QA Director.
Primary Responsibilities
You will take ownership of key QA and food safety processes and drive continuous improvements across the organization. Your responsibilities will include:
Leading and developing the HACCP production group, ensuring strong standards and effective documentation
Driving food safety culture initiatives in close collaboration with production, including facilitation, dialogue, and engagement at all levels
Ensuring effective implementation and continuous improvement of prerequisite programs (PRPs)
Acting as a key driver in our deviation management process, ensuring strong root cause analysis, corrective actions, and data-driven follow-up
Overseeing PRP/OPRP verification activities and ensuring compliance with internal and external requirements
Contributing to the development and optimization of our global management system (PQMS), including structured workflows in IPW
Candidate Profile
You have a background as an engineer, food engineer, or similar within food, ingredients, chemistry, or biotechnology.
You bring solid experience within QA and food safety—ideally 5+ years in a similar role in the food industry—and have a strong understanding of HACCP, PRPs, and quality management systems.
To succeed in this role, you:
Act as a subject matter expert and confidently guide stakeholders across functions
Have experience working with structured problem solving, data analysis, and follow-up (e.g., Power BI)
Bring experience with auditing, facilitation, and process improvement
Have experience with IPW or similar workflow/process management tools (considered a strong advantage)
Are able to translate requirements into practical solutions that work in an operational environment
You are a strong communicator who can engage both operators and managers, and you are comfortable balancing compliance with pragmatic decision-making.
You work in a structured and proactive manner, take ownership, and have a strong drive to create results and continuous improvements.
Fluency in Danish and English is required.
What We Offer
At Palsgaard, you will join a company with strong values and a long-term perspective. We offer:
Attractive working conditions, including a 7th week of vacation, health insurance, massage scheme, canteen, and active employee association
Profit sharing through an additional pension scheme
Strong opportunities for professional and personal development
An international working environment with global stakeholders
A collaborative and informal culture in beautiful surroundings at Palsgaard Estate
We look forward to hearing from you:
If this position sounds like something for you, we would very much like to hear from you as soon as possible, as we review applications and invite candidates for interviews on an ongoing basis.
If you have any questions about the position, you are welcome to contact Laura Schmitt at: +45 61971025
Emulsifiers. It’s our whole world.
At Palsgaard, our world is plant-based emulsifiers. We’re proud to play a small but crucial role in delivering delicious foods to a growing population, and also offer our custom-tailored solutions to non-food markets such as polymers and personal care.
A century of emulsifier expertise
Ever since our founder Einar Viggo Schou invented the plant-based emulsifier in 1917, an agile and entrepreneurial spirit has powered our company forward. Today our experts collaborate with customers globally to produce foods with a longer shelf-life while using fewer resources, and support foods with leaner labels, less fats, salt and sugar, and free from allergens.
More than food
Our dual-use emulsifiers also serve as plant-based personal care ingredients and polymer additives, which are rapidly emerging as effective, safe, and sustainable alternatives to conventional additive chemistry.
Committed to responsibility
In 1908, long before Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) was ever a thing, our founder established a culture of responsibility, loyalty and respect at Palsgaard. This meant making business personal and taking good care of customers, colleagues and our local communities.
We are actively involved in initiatives tackling food waste, safety and scarcity, and our full range of food emulsifiers is available with RSPO SG certification.
Owned by Schou-Fondet (the Schou Foundation), and with more than 800 colleagues in 20 countries as well as six factories on four continents, we reported a turnover of 314 million EUR (2.3 billion DKK) in 2024.
