VP of Food Safety & Quality

M&F Talent has a client that is a premium producer of fresh herbs and specialty herb products that needs to expand its team with a new VP of Food Safety and Quality. This position is fundamental in providing leadership, industry knowledge and direction for a diverse employee group in our client’s operation.

They are looking for a food safety and quality pro who will work hard to provide their customers with quality, safe, fresh produce. This position is largely remote, but requires frequent travel to locations such as Texas, New York, and Florida.

• Location: Remote + travel (TX, NY, FL)
• Employment type: Full-Time

Responsibilities:

• Lead the Food Safety and Quality team, ensuring all work activities of direct and indirect reports are performed with attention to the highest standards of food quality and safety.
• Oversee compliance with all appropriate legal requirements.
• Travel to key farm locations to help oversee and develop safe food handling and production practices.
• Lead all activities related to quality assurance and food safety processes. This includes but is not limited to the HACCP system, regulatory audits, quality systems review process (QSR), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s), incoming Raw material inspections, product scoring, Food Safety and GMP audits, Pest Control programs, customer and consumer complaint resolution, standardized work instructions.
• Monitoring all verification, and validation activities to ensure that all products leaving the facility meet the facility’s Food Safety and Quality Food Safe Standards.
• Manage finished product evaluation process and records.
• Provide guidance and oversight in situations where deviations have occurred or a potential risk has been identified related to food safety and/or quality attributes.
• Develop and maintain systems to assure the facilities meets all food safety and quality system requirements.
• Manage document control and records, equipment and environment specifications, maintaining food safety, verification, product identification, trace and recall, incident management, and food safety fundamentals.
• Continuously evaluate the Food Safety plan and SOPs, whenever there is an incident and/or change to the program, process, procedure, specification, equipment, industry philosophy, technology, etc.
• Direct interface and management of the sanitation department.
• Drive proper pre-operational procedures and environmental testing as required.
• Manage coordination and cooperation with on-site third-party audits performed, such as FDA, Primus and/or other regulatory agencies or approved inspectors.
• Oversee all product recalls and the associated SOPs, tracking and documentation.
• Responsible for monitoring quality control testing for raw materials, packaging materials, and/or finished product quality at the plant level.
• quality audit program for the production facility to ensure company and regulatory standards of product quality, sanitation, and process controls are met.
• Work with and support sales and customer communications regarding compliance issues, specifications, and quality issues.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of work experience in production operations roles with 2+ years managing teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in food science, microbiology, or related discipline preferred.
• Increasingly responsible experience in Quality Assurance/Quality Control. Previous experience in a QA/QC Management role preferred.
• Excellent leadership, communications and team-building skills to build high morale and group commitment to goals and objectives.
• Proven record of successful management of production scheduling.
• Knowledge of HACCP, GMP, Sanitation, and quality and food safety programs required.
• Understanding of plant operations and packaging environment.
• Ability to provide training, coaching, and feedback to provide sustainable productivity and quality from the plant.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Experience in the produce industry is highly preferred.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with diplomacy and tact to all levels of personnel at the plant.

 Contact us to learn more about the VP of Food Safety & Quality job or M&F Talent’s food manufacturing recruiting offerings.