VP of Quality -Food Manufacturing

Vice President of Food Safety & Quality Assurance

Location: Atlanta, GA, US

Salary: $200,000 - $250,000 per year

We are seeking a strategic and hands‑on Vice President of Food Safety & Quality Assurance to lead and elevate our FSQA function across multiple manufacturing facilities. This role will be responsible for setting the enterprise‑wide strategy, ensuring regulatory compliance, and fostering a culture of quality and food safety excellence. This is a high‑impact leadership role blending executive strategy with operational execution—ideal for a senior leader ready to drive transformation across a growing platform.

• Strategic Leadership & Culture:
  • Define and implement company‑wide food safety and quality strategy
  • Champion a quality‑first culture across all facilities
  • Serve as a key member of the senior leadership team
• Multi‑Site Operational Oversight:
  • Oversee FSQA across multiple manufacturing plants
  • Standardize and integrate HACCP systems, SOPs and quality systems, regulatory and customer audits (FDA, USDA, etc.)
  • Ensure all products meet or exceed quality and safety standards
• Systems, Compliance & Continuous Improvement:
  • Develop and implement KPIs and quality metrics across facilities
  • Lead supplier quality programs and risk assessments
  • Oversee sanitation, environmental monitoring, and validation programs
  • Manage customer and consumer complaint processes and drive improvements
• Cross‑Functional & External Leadership:
  • Partner with operations, plant leadership, and supply chain teams
  • Act as the primary point of contact for quality‑related customer discussions
  • Provide quality oversight on capital projects and facility design
• Team Leadership:
  • Lead and develop plant QA leaders
  • Drive alignment and best practices across all locations
  • Build scalable systems and organizational structure

• 15+ years of progressive experience in Food Safety & Quality Assurance
• 5+ years in a leadership capacity within food manufacturing or pet food manufacturing

• HACCP (certification required)
• FDA / USDA regulations
• Multi‑site manufacturing environments
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or related field (Master’s preferred)
• Experience with SQF systems (Practitioner certification preferred)
• Proven ability to translate technical risk into executive‑level decisions
• Strong leadership, communication, and change management skills

• Oversight of 3 manufacturing facilities with established QA teams
• Approximately 4 direct reports / 20+ indirect reports
• High level of autonomy to build and structure the function
• Open to candidates at the Director level ready to step into a VP role

We are a rapidly growing, private equity‑backed food manufacturing company operating in the refrigerated, ready‑to‑eat and prepared foods space. With multiple production facilities across the Southeast and a national customer base, our products are distributed to tens of thousands of retail locations weekly. Our business is built on quality, innovation, and customer partnership developing customized food solutions, refining formulations, and delivering consistent, high‑quality products h a strong growth trajectory and an anticipated future liquidity event, we are entering a pivotal stage of expansion and operational evolution.

• Executive‑level visibility reporting directly to the CEO
• Opportunity to own and build the entire Food Safety & Quality function across multiple plants
• Board exposure and interaction with private equity stakeholders
• Participation in a high‑growth environment with a potential exit event (sale bonus upside)
• Ability to shape company‑wide quality culture and systems from the top down
• Lead a multi‑site operation with full autonomy to implement best practices
• Competitive compensation package including strong bonus structure and relocation support