DIRECTOR OF QUALITY & FOOD SAFETY

About the role

The Director of Quality & Food Safety is the senior, on-site quality leader for a single dairy manufacturing facility, responsible for driving daily execution and long-term performance of food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance programs.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary food safety and quality authority for the plant, providing real-time decision-making support to Operations and Plant Leadership
• Actively participate in daily plant activities including Gemba walks, production meetings, shift handoffs, changeovers, and troubleshooting
• Drive a culture of open communication, accountability, and shared ownership of food safety and quality across all departments and shifts
• Maintain clear, frequent, and effective communication with Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, R&D, Maintenance, and Customer Service to quickly address quality concerns and operational risks
• Translate customer requirements, complaints, and quality expectations into actionable plant-level controls and process improvements
• Enable faster, data-driven decision-making by ensuring timely escalation, alignment, and closure of quality and food safety issues
• Partner with plant leadership to balance customer responsiveness, operational flexibility, and food safety risk management
• Own and administer the site Safe Quality Food (SQF) program, ensuring sustained certification and audit readiness
• Ensure compliance with FDA, Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs), Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), customer standards, and internal requirements
• Lead regulatory inspections, customer audits, internal audits, and corrective action follow-up
• Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement
• Work closely with the Site Lean/Six Sigma Champion to reduce process variation, quality defects, and food safety risks
• Participate in Kaizen events and continuous improvement initiatives focused on throughput, quality, and waste reduction
• Lead cross-functional root cause analysis and Corrective/Preventive Action (CAPA) activities using structured problem-solving methodologies
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and Procurement to ensure raw material quality, supplier compliance, and effective issue resolution
• Support supplier corrective actions and risk assessments as needed
• Customer Issues, Risk & Crisis Management
• Act as the site technical lead for customer complaints, quality concerns, and food safety issues
• Ensure thorough investigations, root cause identification, and timely, effective corrective actions
• Support product holds, withdrawals, recalls, and crisis response efforts when required
• Data, Metrics & Performance Monitoring
• Track, analyze, and communicate quality and food safety KPIs to plant leadership
• Use Quality Management System (QMS), Laboratory Information Systems (LIMS), and quality data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities
• Promote transparency and shared understanding of quality performance across departments
• Team Leadership & Capability Development
• Lead and develop the site Quality & Food Safety team
• Ensure effective onboarding, training, coaching, and performance management
• Train plant personnel on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), food safety expectations, quality standards, and customer requirements

Qualifications & Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field
• 7–10 years of progressive experience in food quality and food safety within manufacturing, with direct experience in dairy processing strongly preferred
• 5+ years of on-site quality leadership experience (Manager, Senior Manager, or Plant QA Director equivalent)
• Required certifications: HACCP SQF Practitioner Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI)
• Strong working knowledge of dairy operations, food microbiology, food pathogens, PMO, CFRs, and FDA regulations
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with: Root cause analysis and CAPA Process validation and change management Gemba-based problem solving
• Experience working with Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies; collaboration with site CI teams required
• Proficiency with LIMS, QMS, and quality data systems
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence operators, supervisors, and plant leadership
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with daily operational execution