Sr Director, Food Safety & Quality ...

SR DIRECTOR, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY ASSURANCE QUALITY BOLINGBROOK, IL FULL-TIME $185,000 – $210,000 BASE SALARY The Real Good Story Real Good Foods started with a pretty simple idea: food should taste great and be made better. Today, we’re building something bigger around that belief—challenging the status quo with real ingredients, more protein, fewer carbs, and food people genuinely crave. Through it all, we keep it real: real food, real ingredients, and really good taste. Because eating well shouldn’t be complicated. It should be Real Good. As a Real Good Senior Director of FSQA you will own food safety and quality at Bolingbrook and lead the plant quality team. This is a hands-on role. The standard is set on the floor and kept there by HACCP, SSOPs, complete records, and a steady working relationship with FSIS. The person in this seat is preventive and polished: present in the operation, clear with inspectors and customers, and disciplined with data. Problems get raised early and fixed in process. Lasting change depends on bringing Operations, Maintenance, and R&D with you. Bolingbrook is an FSIS-inspected further-processed establishment. The plant produces heat-treated, not-ready-to-eat (HTNRTE) frozen protein products. The consumer completes the cook. On Your Plate Leadership and Culture — Lead food safety culture through daily presence on the floor and direct work with the operation. — Build a plant where issues are raised without hesitation and corrected in production, not found in finished goods. — Partner with Operations, Maintenance, and R&D. Use facts and data to set direction, including leading indicators and supplier performance. Food Safety Program — Own the site food safety system: HACCP, SSOPs, sanitation performance standards, prerequisite programs, environmental monitoring suited to an HTNRTE plant, allergen and gluten-free control, foreign-material control, temperature and freezer control, NRTE labeling and cook instructions, traceability and recall, and SQF. — Keep the establishment inspection-ready every day. FSIS inspection and third-party audits should be met from the daily system, not from a pre-audit scramble. — Manage the site FSIS relationship: daily inspection, noncompliance response, retained product, and factual communication. — Keep HACCP matched to the process on the floor, including the heat-treat step and the NRTE hazard analysis. Reassess when formula, batter or breading, equipment, process, or suppliers change. — Run sanitation as a verified program: pre-op, operational sanitation, and records that prove the room is ready. — Own foreign-material control on a breaded protein line, including metal detection and in-process checks. Quality, Data, and Disposition — Own in-process and finished-product quality against approved specification and label, including gluten-free and other on-pack claims. — Use complaints, process data, environmental results, holds, and incoming failures as leading indicators. — Keep CCP, SSOP, allergen, environmental, calibration, and supplier records current enough that a disposition decision will stand in an audit. — Make hold, rework, dump, and retained-product calls against defined criteria, consistently across shifts. — Drive CAPA to root cause and to a control that prevents repeat. Supplier and Incoming Quality — Own incoming quality: specification, approval, receiving inspection, and COA verification. — Hold suppliers to spec and work with Procurement so nonconforming material does not enter the building. Put repeat performance on a scorecard. Team — Lead and develop the plant quality team, including QA managers and technicians. — Build SQF Practitioner and PCQI depth on the team through hiring and development. — Get the team applying disposition criteria the same way on every shift. Cross-Functional Partnership — Bring food safety and quality into product and process work as a partner in trials, formula reviews, and new product development. — Keep the site ready for GFSI and customer food safety audits that come with national retail distribution. — Partner cross-functionally to drive business results and execute against company priorities — Identify opportunities to improve processes, solve problems, and create real good outcomes Recipe for Success — Problems are caught in process. Finished-goods surprises drop. — The plant is inspection-ready on a normal day. FSIS responses are timely and accurate. The SQF edition transition lands on schedule. — Disposition is consistent across shifts and documented. — Incoming failures show up at receiving. CAPA stops repeats. — Pre-op, CCP verification, holds, and inspector support can run without the Director on every call. — Bring a proactive, ownership mindset to your work and help move projects forward — Contribute to a collaborative, high-accountability team culture Essential What You Bring to the Table — Proven leadership of a plant quality team, with the standard set in person on the floor. — USDA/FSIS experience in a meat or poultry establishment, including HACCP, SSOPs, and in-plant inspection. — A record of building prevention into the process, not only catching failures after the fact. — Sound product-disposition decisions against defined criteria and data. — Ability to read process data as leading indicators and act before the issue reaches finished goods. — 12+ years in food manufacturing food safety and quality, including leading and developing people. — Works across the floor, the leadership team, FSIS, and customers. Can set direction with incomplete information. Preferred (Strong pluses; not required) — HTNRTE or other further-processed protein, especially breaded poultry or beef. — SQF Practitioner and command of the current SQF edition. — PCQI and HACCP certification. — Bachelor’s or Master’s in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, or a related field. — Experience taking a food safety program from reactive to preventive in a high-growth plant. — Comfort with a quality management system and plant process data. — Experience working in high-growth or entrepreneurial environments. — Demonstrated ability to drive results through collaboration and influence. Why Our Employees Are Full Because work should feel good, too. At Real Good Foods, employees can make an impact at a company that's redefining what's possible in frozen food. We're building a brand that helps people eat better without sacrificing the foods they love, and we know that starts with great people. Upon Joining Real Good Foods, You'll Find — A mission-driven company focused on improving lives through better nutrition — A culture that values ownership, action, and fresh thinking — Real growth and the chance to help shape the future of a category-leading brand — Competitive Compensation And Benefits — Paid time off, company holidays, and work-life balance initiatives Equal Opportunity Employer Real Good Foods is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Employment decisions, including final compensation package, are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. Like any good recipe, this job description includes the key ingredients, but it may not capture every responsibility, duty, qualification, or opportunity that comes with the role. As Real Good Foods continues to evolve, new challenges are added to the menu. If you meet many, but not every, qualification and are excited about making an impact, we encourage you to apply. READY TO JOIN THE REAL GOOD MOVEMENT? Apply today or reach out with resume to RealGoodTalent@realgoodfoods.com