Director of Quality Assurance

Position Summary

Experienced, quality and food safety systems leader that builds systems to meet or exceed both customer and regulatory requirements. This highly visible post forms part of Marathon’s leadership team and reports directly to the VP of Operations.

This quality and food safety professional should have corporate and manufacturing experiences preferably in highly sensitive food, agriculture, food processing or other USDA/FDA regulated industries. Self-motivated, highly agile and adaptable to a rapidly changing landscape, with the ability to excel in a fast-moving, goal-oriented environment.

Essential Functions Statement(s)

Reasonable Accommodations Statement: To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to help enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Maintain a robust quality, food safety, and regulatory strategy and successfully gain buy-in across a geographically dispersed team and plant locations.
• Represent Marathon Cheese as the face of product quality and food safety with key customers and regulators, including but not limited to the USDA and FDA.
• Oversight and management of all Company programs and systems designed to manufacture product that meets or exceeds internal quality standards, customer expectations and regulatory compliance. Knowledge of SAP is a plus.
• Work directly with and be a resource to Operations, Sales/Marketing, Legal, Risk Management and other departments to develop, implement and improve quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance programs and procedures.
• Closely monitor and evaluate new developments, anticipated changes, and innovative methods in quality, food safety, and regulatory. Proactively recommend how Marathon Cheese should prepare and respond.
• Lead and coordinate Regulatory Recall and Traceability official exercises. Lead teams in managing all Company recall protocols.
• Provide support and oversight to QA Service Coordinator in conducting customer-required Mock Recall Exercises. Establish and conduct regular as well as unannounced audits, and tests at the Company’s plants.
• Drive continuous improvement through the management and oversight of the customer complaint program.
• Educate and coach team and colleagues on quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance matters.
• Function as point of contact and subject matter expert relative to customer requests and communication for all aspects of quality.
• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time.

Required Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry or other science related field plus 8 years of progressive experience in food manufacturing
• Certifications in HACCP and PCQI
• Engagement that is consistent with company’s core values
• Quickly develop relationships and trust with all stakeholders
• Strong knowledge of plant operations and related equipment and systems
• Strong oral / written communication skills
• Strong conflict management / resolution skills
• Demonstrated effective cross functional collaboration
• Knowledge of KPI reporting
• Operates with a sense of urgency
• A strategic orientation
• Proven grasp of CI principles and acts opportunistically within the context of business structure