Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance

Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance

Location: Walnut Creek, CA

A rapidly growing food and beverage manufacturer is seeking a Vice President of Food Safety & Quality Assurance to provide enterprise leadership for food safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and risk management programs. This executive-level position will play a critical role in supporting continued growth, innovation, and operational excellence while ensuring the delivery of safe, compliant, and high-quality products across the organization.

The successful candidate will partner closely with cross-functional leaders across Supply Chain, Operations, Product Development, Manufacturing, and Commercial teams to build scalable systems, strengthen quality capabilities, and protect brand integrity.

• Develop and execute enterprise-wide food safety and quality strategies aligned with business growth objectives.
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing Food Safety & Quality organization capable of supporting a rapidly expanding business.
• Establish performance metrics, governance processes, and reporting systems that drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the senior authority on food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and risk management matters.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, labeling, allergen management, and other applicable regulatory requirements.
• Lead crisis management, product incident response, and risk mitigation efforts to protect consumers and brand reputation.

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive food safety and quality leadership experience within food or consumer packaged goods manufacturing environments.
• Proven success leading enterprise-wide FSQA programs across multiple facilities, co-manufacturers, and supply chain partners.
• Deep knowledge of FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, GFSI standards, allergen management, sanitation, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams, influence executive stakeholders, and drive a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Strong strategic leadership, risk assessment, crisis management, and change management skills within a fast-paced growth environment.

• Opportunity to shape and lead the food safety and quality strategy for a growing national food manufacturer.
• High visibility and partnership with executive leadership.
• Significant influence on operational excellence, innovation, and business growth.
• Collaborative, entrepreneurial culture with a strong commitment to quality.
• Competitive executive compensation package, including bonus and long-term incentives.
• Comprehensive benefits and career growth opportunities.