Senior Director Food Safety, Quality and Vendor Assurance

Due to our rapid growth, our success is directly dependent on attracting and retaining the best possible talent across our teams. To this end, we are posting for a Senior Director of Food Safety Quality and Vendor Assurance This role will be based in our Norwood, MA manufacturing facility.  

OVERVIEW OF ROLE:  

The Senior Director of Food Safety, Quality, and Vendor Assurance provides strategic direction and leadership to Home Market Foods’ Food Safety and Quality Systems. They will develop and implement food safety and quality assurance strategies, programs, policies, and procedures to ensure the highest levels of food safety at our plant and various contract manufacturers’ locations. The Senior Director manages the quality assurance, food safety, and vendor assurance functions and staff, makes decisions on workforce planning, and ensures products are manufactured on a timely basis within quality assurance company standards and regulations. This person will be expected to work with cross-functional leadership to align efforts and measure performance in product quality, food safety, vendor assurance, sanitation and more. This role also influences new product development, including feasibility for equipment, packaging, regulations, cooking processes and labeling.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

Business Process Excellence 

• Ultimate accountability for Home Market Foods’ Quality and Food Safety systems programs’ design and compliance.
• Lead and develop plans to standardize quality systems and food safety personnel and programs. 
• Actively participate and serve as the senior authority on quality, food safety, product safety, and regulatory compliance, with responsibility for advising senior leaders on all issues affecting product and process quality, food safety, product safety, and food regulatory compliance 
• Serve as the point person for product investigations that have the potential to lead to external actions, such as marketplace withdrawals or product recalls; oversee a crisis management committee and decision-making in such matters while reporting to senior management. 
• Provide input to research and development teams and plant personnel in connection with the design and development of new products or changes to existing portfolios and processes that conform to established company standards. 
• Provide guidance and leadership to comply with regulatory, internal, and external audits such as Safe Quality Food (SQF) Food Safety and Quality framework. 
• Develop food safety plans and training programs to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act, supervise regulatory, food safety and quality leaders in the FDA regulated business operations and, where necessary interpret food safety policies, procedures, and FDA regulations for such leaders. 
• Provide guidance and oversight for supplier activities relating to quality, food safety, and product safety matters; set standards for supplier qualification, purchasing of raw materials and selection of contract manufacturers.
• Develop benchmarking and metrics for company food safety and quality assurance performance through leveraging external industry standards.
• Establish guidelines and train team on formal product recall, withdrawal process and communication.
• Be a subject matter expert and establish external expert network on behalf of the organization for food safety and quality compliance issues
• Ensure new manufacturing equipment design and installations meet sanitary standards.
• Lead product testing protocols; protect the brands through Continuous Improvement in compliance with food safety, quality, and corporate standards
• Ensures Product Tracking/Traceability program is managed and measured along the supply chain, from raw material/ ingredients’ suppliers, through processing, to final point of sale. Leads for any product recall proceedings 

Compliance & Regulatory Affairs  

• Provide leadership in all Food Safety and Quality Assurance areas including Plant program coordination/ decision-making, common customer communication, and management updates. 
• Serve as a key resource for operational quality and food safety professionals overseeing preoperational or operational inspections from FDA and USDA regulatory agencies.  
• In connection with proposed acquisitions, oversee the due diligence review of the target’s regulatory, quality and food safety practices and programs. 
• Perform customer audits and participate in safe quality food audits. 
• Proactively address key customers' needs to improve internal and external client satisfaction. 
• Oversee shelf-life studies for the business to ensure consumer expectations are met every time. 
• Develop and maintain HACCP plan and train personnel on quality programs. 
• Oversees the sanitation program to ensure all processes and procedures meet USDA requirements. 

 
Budget Analysis & Organizational Planning 

• Define and approve budgets for expenses or capital investments for own department and influences others when connected to food safety programs improvement. 
• Develop organizational strategies and apply total quality management tools and approaches to analytical reporting processes including KPIs and actions to deliver safe quality products and drive continuous improvement year over year. 

People Development & Cross Functional Partnership  

• Has direct oversight and responsibility to hiring, training, managing, developing, and leading the following functions: Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, and Vendor Assurance departments.  
• Act as the organizational leader to consistently optimize the organizational structure to meet objectives. 
• Responsible for talent development, including performance reviews, training, coaching as well as succession planning. 
• Provide FSQA updates to Operations Management, Executive Leadership team (ELT) and other support departments on FSQA key initiatives, challenges, failures, and improvements. 
• Collaborate closely with key functional groups (HR, Talent Acquisition, R&D, Operations, Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, and Procurement) to drive company-wide or cross-functional initiatives.  
• Align with Sales, Operations, & product Development to ensure the commercial process is efficient and effective for new products. 
• Provide technical support to Operations to continually improve product quality and line efficiencies. 
• Promote Continuous Improvement on FSQA processes to achieve stronger alignment between departments and the company overall process. 
• Provide technical assistance to R&D in developing, evaluating, and documenting new and improved products. 
• Participate in the short and long-range planning of new product opportunities to ensure complete quality and food safety risk analysis. 

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:  

Qualifications & Requirements:  

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in quality assurance and/or food safety management systems, including significant leadership roles relating Corporate Food Safety or Quality Assurance, Plant Quality Assurance, and Plant Operations with demonstrated expertise managing food safety and quality initiatives in Food/Beverage Industry 
• Bachelor’s degree in food science, food chemistry, biology, engineering, chemistry or microbiology required; a combination of education and experience will be considered, provided that the candidate has demonstrated proficiency in food processing technology and food quality and regulations, standards and policies 
• Knowledge of quality control processes related to the food processing industry, sanitary design, and total quality management principles or Quality Management System techniques. 
• Must have experience and understanding of industry-pertinent USDA and FDA standards and regulations 
• Must have food manufacturing experience 
• Master of Science Degree in Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, or another related field preferred. 
• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certified, Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certified, Safe Quality Food Certified 
• First-hand knowledge of Sanitation Standard Operation Procedures (SSOP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Clean-in-place, Statistical Process Control (SPC), and related food safety standards