Director, Supplier Quality & Food Safety

Description

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At Lactalis in the USA, we’re committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive—whether you’re just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani
® Italian cheeses and ricotta,
Président
® specialty cheeses and butters,
Kraft
® natural and grated cheeses,
Break stone’s® cottage cheese,
Cracker Barrel
®,
Black Diamond
® cheddar, and Parmalat
® milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s®,
Stonyfield Organic
®,
Brown Cow
™ ,
Oui
®,
Yoplait
®,
Go-Gurt
®, :ratio
®,
Green Mountain Creamery
®, and Mountain High
®, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun
®,
Gopi
®, and Arz
®.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values—
Ambition
, Engagement
, and Simplicity
. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY
, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy.

Lactalis USA, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Director of Supplier Quality and Food Safety in Buffalo, NY.

As a Supplier Quality and Food Safety Director LUSA, the role will carry out responsibilities such as but not limited to securing food safety & compliance of all LUSA suppliers (Raws & Packages, Co-Manufacturers) with the Group QFS standards & FDA standard; to ensure Business Continuity & Reputation. Lead the transformation of Q&FS roadmap (WINSUP project) established by Corporate. Leverage the talent of existing Resources in LUSA to build a strong and efficient Quality Upstream team to deliver a solid QFS Supplier management program.

The role includes leading the transformation of the Food Safety Quality program for all upstream suppliers and Co-Manufacturers, driving synergies between internal resources across divisions. Additionally, the Supplier Quality and Food Safety Director LUSA will collaborate with Supplier quality corporate in Laval and network, Procurement team LUSA, R&D LUSA, suppliers, co-manufacturers and co-packers, quality manager of factories in LUSA to align duties with the company's goals and values.

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the corporate Supplier Quality Department (SDQ); share audit reports; manage auditor qualifications; and ensure "no spec no buy" implementation in sourcing.
• Manage raw/packaging specifications, including validation, improvement, and annual risk assessment with stakeholders.
• Oversee supplier documentation, plan/prioritize audits based on risk, coordinate auditors, and conduct audits according to Group rules.
• Track QFS performance using KPIs; conduct performance reviews; collaborate with stakeholders to resolve issues; and validate traceability systems.
• Contribute to strategic initiatives like dual sourcing; maintain updated supplier lists; and ensure regulatory compliance and anticipation of new regulations.
• Provide expertise and support on non-compliance, including root cause analysis and problem-solving, and approve suppliers on quality and food safety.
• Ensure full compliance with FDA and Lactalis SQMP standards; cultivate win-win relationships with suppliers; and maintain a robust QFS supplier management program focused on key metrics.
• Apply Group Supply Criticality and Food Fraud protocols; participate in creating supply specifications and defining analytical criteria; and develop/implement initiatives to enhance QFS culture.
• Manage crisis/alert and incident/withdrawal/recall procedures; establish an integrated QFS management system; and…