Head of Food Safety and Quality

Position Summary:

The Head of Food Safety and Quality is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing comprehensive food safety and quality assurance programs across all manufacturing operations. This role ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, customer expectations, and industry certifications. The person will lead cross-functional teams to drive continuous improvement, regulatory readiness, and a culture of quality and safety.

Key Essential Functions/Duties:

Strategic Leadership

• Drive the Food Safety First mindset throughout the organization and execute a food safety and quality strategy aligned with business goals and regulatory requirements.
• Provide leadership to plant-level quality teams and ensure alignment with corporate objectives.Work cross-functionally and directly with Plant Directors to hold team and employees accountable for having a food safety first mindset and demonstrating food safety first behaviors.

Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management

• Stay current with regulatory changes and ensure that the company’s food safety and quality practices comply.
• Develop and manage risk assessment programs to identify and mitigate potential food safety hazards.
• Lead the company’s response to food safety incidents, including root cause analysis, corrective action implementation, and communication with relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with FSMA, HACCP, GMP, GFSI, and other applicable standards.
• Monitor regulatory updates and communicate changes to plant leadership.

Food Safety Program Oversight

• Oversee site security, vendor validation, and risk identification in production processes.
• Lead the development and maintenance of HACCP flow diagrams and critical control point (CCP) monitoring .

Quality Assurance & Auditing

• Conduct monthly GMP audits.
• Ensure corrective actions are documented and communicated effectively.
• Lead internal and external audits, ensuring proactive resolution of non-conformances.
• Address any customer audit findings and act quickly to resolve any issues arising from a customer audit. Be proactive in being prepared for customer visits.

Training & Team Development

• Ensure all staff involved in regulatory processes receive documented training.
• Lead and support the Food Quality Team in developing and maintaining the Food Quality Plan.
• Build and lead a high-performing food safety and quality teams, promoting Roskam’s Foods Safety First Culture.

Sanitation

• Oversee the development and implementation of comprehensive sanitation programs that will be used across sites.
• Ensure all facilities adhere to rigorous sanitation standards to prevent contamination and ensure product safety.
• Sanitation reports into Operations, but the expectation is this role will monitor and audit sanitation processes and procedures, implementing improvements as necessary.

Incident Management

• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions in response to food safety incidents.
• Notify SQFI and certification bodies within 24 hours of regulatory warnings or events

Education/Experience/Skills/Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• Minimum 10 years of experience in food safety and quality leadership roles.
• HACCP certification required; SQF Practitioner preferred
• Strong knowledge of FDA, USDA, and international food safety regulations.
• Proven leadership in managing audits, regulatory inspections, and cross-functional teams.