QA Director

Location: Livingston, CA Salary: $150,000.00 USD Annually - $175,000.00 USD Annually Description This role oversees Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) operations for a fresh poultry processing facility, ensuring alignment with corporate food safety and quality policies, programs, procedures, and initiatives. Responsibilities include providing leadership and coordination in the development and execution of FSQA systems that support business objectives, customer requirements, regulatory compliance, and continuous quality improvement efforts across manufacturing operations. Essential Functions Lead and manage the FSQA team and programs within a fresh poultry processing facility. Collaborate in the development and effective implementation of corporate FSQA policies, programs, and procedures to ensure product safety and quality. Develop and monitor Food Safety and Quality Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), reporting progress toward organizational objectives and driving continuous improvement initiatives. Lead incident management activities, including product holds, deviations, foreign material control, and recall and traceability exercises. Ensure effective root cause analysis and implementation of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA). Provide technical support to corporate and facility personnel, customers, regulatory agencies, and industry representatives. This includes developing and delivering training programs to promote food safety, quality standards, and continuous improvement initiatives. Recruit, develop, and lead a diverse team of FSQA professionals, fostering strong performance, growth, and professional development. Develop and execute the organization's FSQA strategic vision to support business growth, customer expectations, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance. Ensure compliance with HACCP and other applicable food safety regulations and standards. Manage FSQA compliance with customer-specific requirements and audit expectations. Qualifications Bachelor of Science degree required; Master of Science or terminal degree preferred. Degree concentration in Food Science, Food Safety, Meat Science, Poultry Science, Microbiology, or a related field. Minimum of 5 years of management experience leading Food Safety and Quality Assurance teams (10 years preferred for candidates holding a Bachelor's degree only). Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Comprehensive knowledge of food safety principles, food manufacturing processes, FDA and USDA regulations, crisis management and prevention, quality systems, sanitary design and processing, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), meat and poultry science, food chemistry, food microbiology, continuous improvement methodologies, and statistical process control/data analysis. Demonstrated history of successful leadership and team development, including setting performance expectations, achieving business objectives, and coaching employees to higher levels of performance. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with cross-functional teams, customers, and regulatory authorities. Strong interpersonal, analytical, and critical-thinking skills are required. Proven problem-solving, project management, and team leadership skills with the ability to execute initiatives through successful completion. Ability to travel up to 10% as business needs require. #J-18808-Ljbffr