Director Of Quality & Food Safety

Director Of Quality & Food Safety

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. This role is highly operational and hands‑on, serving as a process authority and technical leader within the plant while actively participating in plant activities and continuous improvement initiatives.

The Director partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, R&D, and the Site Lean/Six Sigma Champion to integrate food safety and quality into manufacturing processes, eliminate variation, and strengthen risk‑based decision‑making. This position leads the site Quality team and ensures the facility consistently produces safe, compliant, and high‑quality dairy products.

• 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
• 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
• Serve as a process authority for new equipment, process changes, line modifications, and new product introductions
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Perform other plant‑related responsibilities aligned with business objectives

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field
• 710 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…