Director of Quality Assurance & Food Safety

Amylu Foods is hiring a Director of Quality Assurance & Food Safety to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for all quality and food safety programs across Amylu Foods’ two manufacturing facilities in Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Amylu Foods is a Female founded, high-growth, natural CPG company with over a century of tradition rooted in using fresh ingredients and hand-crafted recipes.

As the pioneers of chicken sausage, we blend innovation with experience, bringing bold, fresh flavors to the table.

From our Chicago roots, we've grown into a passionate, dedicated team of food enthusiasts, leading the category with our creative recipes, small-batch production, and constant flavor innovation.

Celebrating over 100 years of culinary craftsmanship, we're expanding our offerings and distribution nationwide, launching new and exciting products that continue to redefine the protein category.

The Director of Quality Assurance & Food Safety provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all quality and food safety programs across Amylu Foods’ two manufacturing facilities in Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This senior leader develops, implements, and continuously improves comprehensive product assurance programs designed to prevent or eliminate defects in new and existing products, while ensuring full compliance with all applicable food safety regulations and standards at both sites.

This is a multi-site leadership role requiring regular travel between the Chicago and Milwaukee plants.

The Director will ensure consistent QA and food safety standards, systems, and culture across both facilities, while adapting programs to each site’s specific operational needs.

The role partners closely with Plant Managers, Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, and senior leadership to embed a culture of quality and food safety excellence throughout the organization.

• Develop, implement, and maintain a unified Quality Management System (QMS) across both the Chicago and Milwaukee facilities, aligned with GFSI-recognized standards (SQF, BRC, or equivalent).
• Establish and monitor key quality metrics at each plant; analyze cross-site trends and drive continuous improvement initiatives to achieve consistent standards across both operations.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (CAPA) processes for quality deviations, customer complaints, and non-conformances at either facility.
• Evaluate reports from Plant QA Managers at each site and collaborate with senior management to formulate and manage the multi-site QA fiscal budget.
• Ensure standardization of QA procedures, documentation, and training materials across both Chicago and Milwaukee plants while accommodating site‑specific operational differences.

• Serve as the company-wide PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) and oversee development and maintenance of site‑specific HACCP/HARPC plans for both the Chicago and Milwaukee facilities in compliance with FDA FSMA regulations.
• Ensure all food safety prerequisite programs (PRPs) – including sanitation, pest control, allergen management, environmental monitoring, and supplier controls – are implemented consistently and effectively at both plants.
• Direct recall readiness and crisis response protocols across both facilities; lead multi‑site mock recall exercises and coordinate actual recall events if needed.
• Ensure compliance with USDA/FSIS regulations applicable to prepared meat products, including HACCP regulations (9 CFR Part 417), at each manufacturing location.

• Serve as the primary contact for regulatory agencies (USDA/FSIS, FDA) during inspections and audits; manage responses to 483 observations, NOIEs, and NRs.
• Prepare for and manage third‑party food safety certification audits; maintain certifications required by retail and food service customers.
• Monitor and interpret regulatory changes and industry developments; update programs proactively to maintain compliance.

• Develop and manage the supplier quality…