Quality Graduate Job Details

Quality Associate

2026 Graduate Programme

Onsite Working – Kilkenny

Tirlán

Tirlán, is a world-class food and nutrition co-operative, with a diverse portfolio of quality ingredients, leading consumer and agri brands.

Tirlán owns leading brands such as Avonmore, Kilmeaden Cheese, Millac, Solmiko, Truly Grass Fed, Premier Milk, Wexford, and GAIN Animal Nutrition.

We nurture a talented team across Ireland, the US, MEA and China, delivering annual revenues of over €3 billion, and over 2,300 people to manage our network of 11 processing plants and 52 agri branches. Our purpose is to nourish the world, while safeguarding our environment for future generations.

Role Profile

Our Graduate Programme is designed to take you through a series of real-world learning experiences, helping you build confidence in your abilities, and flourish in your career.

We are looking for people who care about the world and each other, who want to build their career with likeminded and passionate people. So if you want a career where you can truly make a difference, then we'd like to hear from you

Tirlán is offering a unique opportunity for a graduate to join our Quality team as a Quality Associate. This role will be onsite.

Located at one of our state of the art facilities, this role reports to the Site Quality Head and supports the delivery of our Quality functions. A key deliverable of Quality is reducing the occurrence of defects against the Quality Standard across all functions. The opportunity will involve working as part of a Quality team in driving a 'Right First Time' culture and performance in a plant environment by ensuring that processes and operations meet customer requirements. You will be working in a fast-paced, innovative environment where the focus is on continuous improvement and the challenge to make it better.

Responsibilities

• Adhering to the implemented site-wide KPIs relating to quality, continuous improvement, regulatory compliance
• Supporting the quality team to drive a strong quality culture on site
• Ensuring that all processes within the quality Operations remit comply with the Quality Management System through the provision of quality data
• Playing a key role in planning and participating in audits with customers and other third parties
• Working collaboratively with the Production Manager and wider team to ensure quality operations requirements are fully resourced at a shift level to deliver on plant in process, sampling and testing schedules
• Overseeing and supporting the site /area RCAs for all process deviations
• Ensuring effective CAPA implementation and verification
• Maintaining customer product specifications / certifications and support final product grading
• Supporting audit quality practices and processes within the site focusing on the prevention of deviations
• As part of the Tirlán Quality community, inputting to on-going development of best in class standards across the organisation

Requirements

• High academic record to date and expected minimum of a 2.2 honours degree in relative discipline
• Record of high achievement and delivery
• Strong problem solving skills
• Proven self-starter with the drive and desire to succeed
• Ability to work effectively in a team and independently
• Excellent leadership and communication skill
• Must have access to car to get to our site

We offer

• 2 year structured graduate development programme
• Site or team rotations as part of the programme
• Year on year salary increment
• Free parking incl. EV charging – where applicable
• Bike to work scheme
• Work/life balance and collaborative work culture
• Career progression opportunities

About us

Through our expertise in research and development, customer insights, food safety and state-of-the-art manufacturing we bring innovative food and nutrition solutions to a global market. Our new and vibrant headquarters in Kilkenny City operates as a collaboration hub where multi-functional teams come together in a hybrid work environment.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

We believe in the value of difference. We know that different perspectives, life experience and backgrounds can drive innovation and deliver growth.

We welcome people from all walks of life without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, or disability status.

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Tirlán is a Values Based Organisation
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