FSQA Director

The Opportunity:

The Director, Food Safety and Quality Assurance is accountable for the execution of the Food Safety, Quality and Technical Services long term strategy within Maple Leaf Foods (MLF) vision to Raise the Good in Food. The Director is accountable to adhere to and execute the MLF Food Safety and Quality Management System (FSQMS) across several food production facilities and for driving continuous improvement in a fast-paced and demanding environment.

Additionally, the Director will support the establishment and maintenance of positive and collaborative relationships with other functions throughout the organization, regulatory authorities, customers and other external contacts.

Any MLF team member interested in being considered for this role are encouraged to apply online by February 10. Applications received beyond that date are not guaranteed consideration.

Reason for vacancy:
Existing Headcount Snapshot of a Day-in-the-Life:
Food Safety
Drive execution of and compliance to all food safety programs at assigned plants, including but not limited to:

• Accountability to lead, support, and communicate the MLF FSQATS strategy and drive FSQ performance metrics targets
• Guide teams towards meeting MLF’s standards within the FSQATS management system
• Oversee compliance of the HACCP system to meet FSEP and other regulatory requirements where applicable (i.e. USDA, FDA)
• Continuous improvement of FSQ programs to enable adherence to Internal Audit and BRC/SQF requirements
• Pathogen Control programs such as EMP testing and oversight and review of related Seek & Destroy activities, pathogen surveillance, etc. including trend analysis of results in Prepared Meats facilities
• Coach and educate teams via deep understanding of the EMP Standards and SOP
• Oversight and approval of construction protocols at plant level as they impact FSQ
• Lead the review of the Food Safety and Quality Risk Assessment as a key element of the product development (Get-To-Market) process both before and after Decision-To-Launch
• Review and approve all FSQ risk assessments conducted by assigned plants
• Review and approve plant responses to SIP Regulatory Non-Conformances from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Collaborative interaction with other Directors, FSQA in support of information sharing, program improvements and consistency within all manufacturing facilities and distribution centres
• Thought leadership to continuously improve on the MLF FSQA Management System or its effective execution
• Focus effort to reduce waste from the FSQA Management System via Six Sigma methodology
• Strong leadership and support of manufacturing facilities and corporate FSQ team
• Build strong relationships with other functions that enable positive engagement and results
• Active role in new builds, redesign on current manufacturing processes to ensure Food Safety is built in during design

Quality
Drive execution of and compliance to all quality programs and requirements (QMS – Quality Management System) at assigned plants, including but not limited to:

• Adherence to the QMS standard, guidance to other functions
• Adherence to specifications
• Establishing, assuring adherence and continuous improvement to QMS governance in the responsible plants
• Complete and thorough understanding of QMS
• Trend Analysis of QMS performance (CQPs, CTQs, etc.) to identify, enable and support implementation of process improvements as defined within QMS governance

Talent Development

• Develop FSQA personnel at assigned plants including succession planning
• Utilize the FSQA Competency Model to hire, coach and mentor and seek opportunities to develop and execute training
• Provide guidance and direction on training of hourly and salaried FSQA plant staff to assure compliance to Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Compliance
• Participate in talent planning - short and long term
• Completion of hiring waivers, salary reviews, performance discussions including performance assessments and development action plans, performance improvement plans, business objectives, and terminations (as required)

External Customer
Manage customer requirements including but not limited to:

• Oversight of plant BRC/SQF certification and compliance
• Li…