Associate Director of Ingredient Quality & Continuous Improvement

Associate Director of Ingredient Quality & Continuous Improvement (North America)

Location:

NYC, Toronto, Chicago, Phoenix (with travel required)

We are looking for a high-impact leader to bridge the gap between Quality data and Operational execution. This is not a "desk job." As the Associate Director of Ingredient Quality & CI, you will be the chief architect and project owner for North American quality standards. You will be responsible for identifying systemic failures and then leading the development and implementation of solutions through our entire supply chain, from suppliers through our operations and right to our customers' doorstep.

You are successful only when the metrics move, which requires staying with a project from the initial data deep-dive through to final staff training and process adoption.

• Own the Implementation Lifecycle:
  Lead the end-to-end development and execution of our quality programs. You don't do band-aid fixes, and you are able to sort signal from noise. You don't just identify the root cause; you partner with all stakeholders to re-engineer the process and stay on-site until the defect rate drops.
• Architect the NA Meal Kit Quality Program:
  Develop a unified quality focus strategy for our North American network. This involves creating the standards, building the systems & process, and setting up the automated tracking of the execution to ensure consistency across all sites.
• Drive Operational Accountability:
  Act as the "boots on the ground" leader who translates quality KPIs into actionable SOPs for our Distribution Centers. You will manage the process implementation to ensure new quality initiatives are adopted, sustained, and reflected in the data.
• Advanced Quality Reporting:
  Own the North American quality reporting suite. You will evolve our real-time data capabilities to provide the business with predictive insights rather than just post-mortem reports.
• Cross-Functional Leadership:
  Serve as the primary quality liaison for Product, Procurement, Operations and Logistics. If they are hearing about problems, you are their first call to help fix it.
• Continuous Improvement Mentality:
  Apply Lean or Six Sigma methodologies to eliminate waste and reduce ingredient damage, directly impacting the bottom line.
• Build and Mentor a High-Performance Team:
  Recruit, train, coach, and manage a team of quality professionals and continuous improvement specialists across North America, fostering a culture of accountability, data-driven decision-making, and excellence.
• Drive Organizational Change:
  Champion quality-first thinking throughout the organization, influencing leaders and inspiring team members at all levels to adopt new processes and standards.

• An Operator at Heart:
  You understand that a quality program is only as good as the operator's ability to execute it. You enjoy being on the ground, walking the lines, and solving problems in real-time.
• A "Finisher":
  You have a proven track record of seeing complex projects through to completion. You don't "throw ideas over the fence"; you jump the fence and help build the solution.
• Strategic & Tactical:
  You can present a 3-year quality roadmap to a boardroom in the morning and troubleshoot a conveyor belt/packaging interface with a floor lead in the afternoon.
• Influential:
  You can convince Ops leaders to change their processes by proving that higher quality standards lead to higher efficiency and lower costs.
• A Talent Developer:
  You are a dedicated mentor who takes pride in developing the next generation of quality and operational leaders, providing clear career paths and constructive feedback.
• An Influential Communicator:
  You effectively communicate complex quality initiatives, process changes, and performance results to diverse audiences, from associates in our sites to execs in a meeting room.

• Experience:
  
  8+ years in Food Safety, Quality, or Operational Excellence. You have a history of managing teams and large-scale projects in a high-volume manufacturing or logistics environment.
• Education:
  
  Bachelor's Degree in Food Science, Supply Chain, or Engineering. (Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt highly…