Food Safety & Quality Director

Job Description

Job Description

The Food Safety & Quality Director is responsible for leading and overseeing all food safety, quality assurance, sanitation, documentation, labeling, and regulatory compliance programs as well as audit readiness and facility food safety training programs with a strong focus on USDA requirements and applicable third-party standards. This role ensures that all products meet or exceed USDA, FDA (FSMA), customer, and company standards for food safety and quality. This role also leads the Food Safety & Quality Technicians and the Documentation and Labeling Specialist. This role will be responsible for training and development of the team and procedures. 

The Director serves as the primary facility lead and liaison for all food safety regulatory agencies, including USDA inspectors, FDA/FSMA representatives, state and local regulatory authorities, customer auditors, and third-party audit agencies, ensures compliance with daily inspection requirements, and leads the development and execution of food safety systems. This role also provides leadership to the Food Safety & Quality team and drives continuous improvement across production, sanitation, documentation, labeling, training, audit readiness, and operational processes.

Essential Responsibilities:

1. Lead and maintain USDA-compliant food safety programs, including HACCP plans, SSOPs, GMPs, and prerequisite programs
2. Serve as the primary facility lead and point of contact for all food safety regulatory agencies, including USDA inspectors (FSIS), FDA/FSMA, state and local authorities, and customer or third-party audit representatives
3. Ensure compliance with all USDA regulations, including labeling, processing, sanitation, and documentation requirements
4. Oversee implementation and continuous improvement of food safety systems including HACCP, SQF, FSMA, GMP, SSOP, and prerequisite programs
5. Maintain facility compliance with SQF and other applicable outside or third-party auditing agency standards
6. Maintain and update HACCP plans, hazard analyses, and critical control point monitoring systems
7. Own and oversee the facility sanitation program, including SSOP execution, pre-operational inspections, sanitation verification, corrective actions, and sanitation documentation
8. Ensure sanitation programs (SSOPs) are properly executed, documented, verified, and effective in maintaining facility compliance
9. Lead investigations into non-conformances, deviations, sanitation deficiencies, audit findings, and customer complaints; implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA)
10. Oversee product labeling accuracy and regulatory compliance, including USDA label approvals, ingredient statements, allergen declarations, claims, and customer requirements, as applicable
11. Lead internal audits and manage external audits, including USDA reviews, FDA/FSMA interactions, SQF audits, customer audits, and third-party inspections
12. Ensure full traceability and oversee mock recall and recall readiness programs
13. Confirm the facility is compliant with all required food safety training, including GMP, HACCP, allergen control, sanitation, food defense, SQF, and role-specific regulatory training

Required Skills and Abilities:

1. Strong knowledge of USDA (FSIS) regulations and inspection processes
2. Advanced understanding of HACCP, SSOPs, GMPs, SQF, FSMA, sanitation programs, and food safety systems
3. Experience working in USDA-regulated environments (e.g., meat, poultry, or prepared foods)
4. Experience maintaining SQF or other GFSI-recognized food safety certification standards
5. Experience leading regulatory, customer, SQF, and third-party audit programs
6. Strong leadership and team development capabilities, including experience managing Food Safety & Quality Technicians and documentation/labeling personnel
7. Ability to work effectively with USDA inspectors and other food safety regulatory personnel
8. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including root cause analysis and CAPA implementation
9. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced production environment
10. Strong understanding of facility sanitation programs, SSOP verification, and food safety training compliance
11. Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, SharePoint)
12. Experience with ERP or traceability systems

Key Competencies:

1. Leadership and team management
2. Regulatory expertise and compliance mindset
3. Audit readiness and SQF/third-party standards ownership
4. Sanitation program oversight and verification
5. Documentation, labeling, and training compliance management
6. Strong communication and interpersonal skills
7. Attention to detail and organizational effectiveness
8. Problem-solving and continuous improvement orientation
9. Ability to influence cross-functional teams

Physical Requirements:

1. Ability to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods
2. Frequent presence on the production floor
3. Ability to work in refrigerated or temperature-controlled environments
4. Exposure to food production environments including noise and food allergens
5. Ability to wear required PPE (hairnets, gloves, smocks, safety glasses, etc.)

Environmental Conditions:

Work is performed in both office and USDA-inspected food manufacturing environments. The role includes exposure to cold environments, production noise, and food allergens. The role also requires routine interaction with production, sanitation, regulatory, and audit environments to verify compliance and maintain inspection readiness.

Work Schedule: Full-Time: some flexibility may be required depending on project timelines and production schedules.

Required Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
2. 5-8+ years of experience in food safety, quality assurance, sanitation, regulatory compliance, or food manufacturing
3. Minimum 2-3 years of experience in a USDA-regulated facility required
4. Prior leadership or supervisory experience managing Food Safety & Quality Technicians, QA staff, or documentation/labeling personnel preferred
5. HACCP certification required (or ability to obtain)
6. Strong working knowledge of USDA (FSIS), FDA/FSMA, GMP, SQF, sanitation, labeling, and food safety regulations
7. Experience leading USDA audits and regulatory interactions
8. Experience maintaining SQF, GFSI, customer, or third-party audit standards required or strongly preferred
9. Experience overseeing sanitation programs and verifying food safety training compliance in a food manufacturing environment preferred
10. SQF Practitioner, PCQI, or similar food safety certification preferred