Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance

Unified Talent Group is exclusive in a search for a Director of Food Safety & Quality north of Lexington KY. In this role, you’ll lead food safety and quality programs across distribution operations. You’ll ensure regulatory compliance, maintain product standards, oversee supplier quality, and drive continuous improvement across the organization.

This is an opportunity for an experienced leader who enjoys developing teams, strengthening processes, and building a strong culture of food safety and quality.

What You’ll Do

Food Safety & Compliance

• Develop and maintain Food Safety Plans, Food Defense Plans, policies, procedures, and supporting documentation.
• Ensure compliance with FSMA, HACCP, GMPs, SOPs, SSOPs, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Monitor food safety controls throughout warehousing and distribution operations.
• Serve as a liaison with regulatory agencies, auditors, and inspection authorities.
• Maintain required licenses, certifications, records, and documentation.

Product Safety & Quality

• Lead product holds, investigations, corrective actions, withdrawals, and recalls.
• Conduct food safety inspections at distribution and supplier facilities.
• Ensure products meet established quality standards and specifications.
• Investigate and resolve product quality issues, supplier concerns, and field complaints.
• Monitor quality data and trends to identify risks and improvement opportunities.

Supplier Management & Collaboration

• Support supplier qualification, auditing, monitoring, and performance evaluations.
• Partner with internal teams on supplier evaluations, product testing, and quality initiatives.
• Build productive relationships with suppliers, distributors, and internal stakeholders.
• Communicate audit findings and corrective action requirements.

Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Lead, coach, and develop team members.
• Promote consistent food safety and quality practices across operations.
• Lead training and awareness initiatives.
• Drive cross-functional continuous improvement efforts.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 7 years of relevant food safety or quality assurance experience.
• Experience leading or implementing GFSI certification.
• Knowledge of GMPs, FSMA, and HACCP requirements.
• PCQI certification preferred, or willingness to obtain.
• SQF and/or applicable GFSI Auditor Certification preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Why Join Our Client?

You’ll have the opportunity to lead a critical function with a direct impact on food safety, product quality, and operational excellence while helping strengthen programs and processes across the organization.