Sr. Director, Food Safety & Quality
Our client in the consumer food manufacturing space is seeking a Senior Director of Food Safety & Quality to lead and further develop its food safety, quality, and regulatory programs.
This individual will provide both strategic leadership and hands-on operational support, partnering closely with plant operations and senior leadership to ensure food safety and quality systems are effectively designed, implemented, and executed. The role will initially maintain a close connection to day-to-day plant activities while building systems and processes that can scale across an expanding manufacturing footprint and portfolio of brands.
Responsibilities
- Lead the organization’s overall Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory strategy, ensuring programs support both operational execution and long-term business objectives.
- Provide leadership and oversight for plant-level food safety and quality programs, standards, procedures, and systems.
- Partner closely with plant leadership and frontline teams to ensure food safety expectations are effectively translated into daily operating practices.
- Develop, maintain, and continuously improve food safety and quality systems across manufacturing operations.
- Ensure compliance with applicable FDA, USDA, state, local, customer, and other regulatory requirements, as applicable.
- Oversee regulatory and compliance-related documentation, recordkeeping, specifications, and reporting.
- Provide leadership around product labeling, packaging claims, ingredient declarations, specifications, and regulatory compliance.
- Lead and support internal, customer, third-party, and regulatory audits, including preparation, corrective actions, and ongoing audit readiness.
- Develop and oversee supplier quality and food safety programs, including supplier qualification, auditing, performance management, and corrective action processes.
- Establish consistent standards, policies, metrics, and best practices that can scale across multiple manufacturing locations.
- Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on food safety, quality, regulatory risk, and emerging industry requirements.
- Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, Procurement, Commercial, and other teams to support new products, suppliers, processes, and business initiatives.
- Lead root cause analysis, CAPA, continuous improvement, and preventative initiatives related to food safety and product quality.
- Build organizational capabilities through training, coaching, talent development, and clear accountability for food safety and quality performance.
- Support future acquisitions, new facilities, brands, or manufacturing capabilities by integrating and standardizing food safety and quality programs.
Desired Skills and Experience
- Significant progressive leadership experience within food manufacturing Food Safety, Quality, and/or Regulatory functions.
- Demonstrated experience leading food safety and quality programs within a manufacturing plant environment.
- Experience operating at a senior leadership level while remaining comfortable working directly with plant teams and addressing operational issues.
- Strong knowledge of food safety systems, regulatory compliance, quality management systems, and industry best practices.
- Experience with areas such as: o HACCP / HARPC and preventive controls o GMPs and sanitation programs o FDA and/or USDA regulatory requirements o GFSI-recognized food safety standards o Supplier quality and auditing o Product labeling and claims o Specifications and regulatory documentation o Corrective and preventive action programs
- Experience supporting or leading food safety and quality across multiple manufacturing locations is preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to build scalable systems and processes within a growing or evolving organization.
- Strong cross-functional communication skills with the ability to influence plant leadership, executive teams, and external partners.
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related discipline preferred.
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