Sr. Quality Improvement Leader; North York

Overview

Join Riverside Natural Foods Ltd., a $300 million+ Canadian-based, family-owned, and globally operating business, committed to leaving the world better than we found it. As a B-Corp certified, Triple-Bottom Line company, we proudly manufacture nutritious, 'better-for-you' snacks such as Made Good and GOOD TO GO. We value teamwork, humility, respect, ownership, adaptability, grit, and fun.

We are on an ambitious mission to double our business by 2027, and we need talented individuals to help us reach new heights. This role offers opportunities to contribute to Riverside’s success while growing your own career. The company emphasizes values, continuous improvement, and a proactive approach to problem solving.

The position ensures ongoing improvement of Riverside's Food Safety and Quality Assurance System by providing leadership through strong knowledge and experience in managing food safety and quality incidents, conducting root cause analysis, risk assessment, CAPA programs, and meeting food safety and quality targets. You will lead initiatives to enhance the food safety and quality performance of products and processes within Riverside Natural Foods Ltd.

This role supports Riverside's values and purpose, focusing on problem solving, food safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

• Demonstrate and uphold Riverside Natural Foods' core values
• Manage food safety and quality incidents (including consumer and customer complaints, product holds, internal non-conformances) through investigations, RCA, data collection, and ensuring product safety and quality
• Take ownership of leading investigations and RCA to identify issues affecting food safety and quality; place necessary products on hold in SAP systems
• Review and analyze data from food safety records and quality verification checks to identify trends and implement corrective action
• Lead cross-functional teams to identify opportunities for improvement, write incident reports, and ensure comprehensive action plans are implemented and completed to prevent recurrence
• Collaborate with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance, Engineering, Facility, R&D, and other departments to implement and sustain food safety and quality improvements
• Ensure consistent execution of current Food Safety and Quality Management Programs, internal procedures, and compliance with BRC requirements
• Establish, develop, implement and monitor food safety and quality improvement strategies, plans and KPIs; communicate progress and results to stakeholders
• Use statistical methods, data analysis and sampling plans to track product and process performance; build run charts for CTQs/CTPs and support control chart development with R&D and production
• Develop, update, and implement improvement policies, procedures, and the Food Safety and Quality plan
• Identify training opportunities and train employees in food safety and quality improvement methodologies, including root cause analysis, risk assessment, and CAPA development
• Promote a culture of excellence and improvement awareness across the organization
• Develop innovative solutions to food safety and quality issues and provide status reports to senior leadership
• Adapt to different shifts when needed
• Maintain a positive, engaging work atmosphere
• Be a Riverside Brand Ambassador by staying close to consumers and representing the brand in every interaction, protecting product quality, availability, and experience
• Other duties as assigned to support FSQA programs

Reports directly to the Plant FSQA Leader. Plant FSQA leaders report to corporate. There are no direct reports.

• Diploma in Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Chemistry, Microbiology, or related disciplines
• Minimum of 5 years of FSQA experience in food manufacturing and relevant food safety and quality programs
• Experience with highly automated food manufacturing lines for continuous and batch processes
• Strong understanding of hazards analysis, HACCP, GMPs, FM prevention, microbiology, pest control, and other food safety programs
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification and experience in quality improvement within production environments
• Strong understanding of statistics, product sampling, SPC, and experience with SPC tools (e.g., Minitab)
• Knowledge of commercialization processes and their impact on food safety and quality
• Experience in investigation processes, root cause analysis methodologies and CAPA

• Persuasive, assertive, and collaborative with diverse teams
• Exceptional time management, organizational, and implementation skills
• Self-starter with initiative and adaptability
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with follow-through
• Analytical with strong problem identification and problem-solving abilities
• Passionate, curious, and committed to Riverside's core values
• Respect for Riverside's values and ability to operate in a dynamic environment
• Bold and courageous: challenge status quo, act with…