Director of Quality Assurance

Open to all internal candidates across all facilities.

Summary: Has primary responsibility for the company's quality assurance systems and product quality programs across multiple facilities (raw and cooked), including governance of finished product specifications, raw material/ingredient specifications, label compliance support, customer quality expectations, complaint/incident management, and QA verification programs from raw material receiving through finished goods shipping. Standardizes, deploys, verifies, and continuously improves QA programs, tools, training, and performance expectations to assure regulatory/customer compliance and product quality.

Partners cross-functionally with Food Safety/HACCP, Operations, Sanitation, R&D/Technical Innovation, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Customer Service, and Plant Leadership. Provides technical documentation support for new product/process start‑ups and changes. Serves as acting lead for Quality Assurance continuity as assigned. Designates the Director of Food Safety as deputy coverage, as assigned.

• Provides corporate governance and technical leadership for QA programs and verification systems across all facilities; ensures consistent execution and drives continuous improvement.
• Leads and standardizes finished product specification and technical documentation processes (customer specifications, ingredient specifications, product attributes, claims, and supporting records); ensures controlled document management and version control.
• Partners with Food Safety/HACCP leadership to ensure quality programs align with food safety, regulatory, and customer requirements; supports risk‑based decision making for deviations and disposition.
• Leads multi‑site customer and third‑party audit readiness for QA programs; standardizes evidence packages and ensures timely corrective and preventive action closure.
• Owns customer complaint/incident management governance (intake, investigation, root cause analysis, corrective action, and response quality); monitors trends and drives prevention plans.
• Establishes and deploys QA training (specifications, label support, quality systems, data integrity, customer portal requirements, and verification activities); ensures training effectiveness and compliance across sites.
• Provides QA leadership for new product introductions and process changes across sites, including initial production run evaluations, hold/release criteria, attribute verification, and start‑up support.
• Partners with Indirect Purchasing, Operations, and QA to ensure supplier documentation and approval/verification programs support quality requirements (COAs, specifications, allergen statements, nutritional information, and formulations), including Trace Gains governance where applicable.
• Defines and monitors QA KPIs and leading indicators; prepares enterprise reporting, trends, and action plans for leadership review.
• Conducts or leads internal audits and cross‑site assessments; identifies systemic gaps and drives standard work and corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Maintains corporate standards for customer documentation portals and ensures responsiveness and accuracy of posted QA information.
• Supports shelf‑life studies, customer‑required validations, and product data requests; ensures accurate records and timely communication.
• Develops policies, procedures, and quality training programs to be implemented throughout the company.
• Other duties will be assigned as needed.

• A minimum of a B.S degree in Animal Science, Meat Science or related field is preferred.
• A minimum of five years general FSQA/QA experience in meat processing preferred.
• A minimum of three years FSQA/QA management experience is required.
• Understanding of the USDA‑FSIS, FDA regulations, label requirements, GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) and good QA practices, processes, and requirements.

Travel expectation: up to 30%.

• HACCP Certified
• PCQI Certification (recommended)
• Food Safety and Handling certifications