HEAD OF FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY ASSURANCE
About the role
JBS Prepared Foods is seeking an accomplished and strategic Head of Quality Assurance & Food Safety to lead all aspects of quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across the Prepared Foods business unit.
Responsibilities
Develop and execute the strategic vision, goals, and roadmap for Quality Assurance and Food Safety across the Prepared Foods organization.
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of quality and food safety professionals while fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
Partner with executive leadership to align quality and food safety initiatives with overall business objectives.
Provide leadership and direction for cross-functional initiatives involving Operations, Engineering, R&D, Procurement, and Supply Chain.
Serve as the company's senior subject matter expert on quality and food safety matters.
Establish, maintain, and continuously improve quality systems, product specifications, standards, and procedures for products, ingredients, and packaging.
Oversee inspection, sampling, analytical testing, and verification programs to ensure compliance with company, regulatory, and customer requirements.
Monitor and report Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and quality metrics to drive performance improvements and informed decision-making.
Ensure effective corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes are implemented throughout the organization.
Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing enhancement of food safety programs, including:
- HACCP
- Sanitation Programs (SSOPs)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
- Environmental Monitoring Programs (EMPs)
- GFSI-recognized certification schemes
Ensure compliance with USDA, customer, and other applicable regulatory requirements.
Maintain readiness for regulatory, customer, and third-party audits across all facilities.
Lead responses to food safety incidents, product quality concerns, recalls, and crisis management activities when necessary.
Utilize data analytics and trend analysis to identify opportunities for quality, food safety, and operational improvements.
Drive enterprise-wide continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing defects, improving process control, and strengthening food safety culture.
Stay current on emerging regulations, technologies, industry trends, and best practices to continuously evolve quality systems and programs.
Support innovation and commercialization efforts by ensuring quality and food safety requirements are incorporated into new product development processes.
Serve as the primary liaison with USDA, state regulatory agencies, industry associations, and other external stakeholders.
Maintain productive relationships with key customers, suppliers, auditors, and regulatory officials.
Represent JBS Prepared Foods at industry events, professional organizations, and customer engagements as needed.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, Quality Assurance, or a related field strongly preferred.
10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Quality Assurance and Food Safety within the food manufacturing industry required.
Minimum of 5 years of senior leadership experience managing multi-site quality and food safety programs strongly preferred.
Deep knowledge of USDA, HACCP, GMPs, SSOPs, environmental monitoring programs, and GFSI standards.
Demonstrated success leading regulatory inspections, customer audits, and third-party certification programs.
Experience leading quality and food safety programs within a multi-plant prepared foods or protein manufacturing environment.
Strong leadership, organizational, and change management capabilities.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
Able to travel up to 75% of the time to plants and HQ.
Additional Responsibilities
Other duties as assigned.
Pay
Base salary range of $175,000-$200,000
Schedule
Not specified