Overview
The Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) at Echo Lake Foods provides strategic leadership for all food safety, quality, and regulatory programs across the organization. This role is accountable for protecting the consumer, the customer, and the Echo Lake Foods brand while enabling operational excellence and future growth.
The Director of FSQA leads the development of robust food safety systems, strengthens quality culture, and partners with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to ensure food safety and quality are embedded into how the business operates—not inspected in at the end.
This role is both strategic and hands-on, focused on building capability, standard work, and disciplined execution across multiple facilities.
Essential Functions
Food Safety & Regulatory Leadership
Own and lead the enterprise food safety strategy for Echo Lake Foods, ensuring compliance with FSMA, FDA, USDA, and customer requirements.
Serve as the Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and ensure HACCP / Food Safety Plans are effective, current, and consistently executed.
Act as the primary point of contact for regulatory agencies, third-party auditors, and key customers related to food safety and quality matters.
Lead responses to regulatory inspections, audits, recalls, and food safety incidents, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
Quality Systems & Standardization
Establish and maintain standardized FSQA systems, policies, and procedures across all Echo Lake Foods facilities.
Drive continuous improvement of quality management systems, including document control, corrective actions, change management, and verification programs.
Ensure strong supplier quality and ingredient approval programs aligned with operational risk and customer expectations.
Operational Partnership & Risk Management
Partner closely with Operations and Engineering to ensure food safety and quality are built into equipment design, capital projects, process changes, and daily execution.
Identify and mitigate food safety and quality risks through data-driven analysis, root cause problem solving, and preventive action.
Support plant leadership in building accountability for food safety and quality performance at all levels of the organization.
Culture, Training & Capability Building
Lead the development of a strong food safety and quality culture across Echo Lake Foods.
Build FSQA knowledge and capability through effective training, education, and coaching at both the plant and leadership levels.
Ensure frontline teams understand why food safety matters—not just what the rules are.
Data, Metrics & Performance Management
Establish meaningful KPIs and dashboards to monitor food safety and quality performance.
Use data to move the organization from reactive problem solving to proactive risk prevention.
Provide clear, executive-level reporting on food safety risks, trends, and performance.
Team Leadership & Development
Lead, develop, and mentor the FSQA organization, including site-level and corporate FSQA leaders.
Ensure the FSQA team is structured, trained, and resourced to support current operations and future growth.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the FSQA team.
Core Competencies
Enterprise mindset with the ability to balance risk management and business growth
Strong communicator who can translate technical food safety requirements into clear operational expectations
Decisive, calm leader during high-pressure situations (audits, recalls, incidents)
Builder of systems, people, and culture—not just compliance
Ability to travel regularly to production sites in WI, IN, and KY
Supervisory Responsibility This position is responsible for the direction, coordination, and evaluation of the facility while on shift. This position carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Work Environment The work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to work independently as well as with and around others. There are frequent verbal and face-to-face contacts. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Sensory and Physical Demands The sensory and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to engage their sensory functions. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Although this job is primarily sedentary and requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time, employees may be regularly required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. Occasionally employees may be required to bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, lift, carry, pull, push and/or move objects weighing up to 20 pounds.
Intellectual Demands While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to read, write, and interpret a variety of instructions. Employees will work under significant time constraints, apply memorization, analysis, judgment, and manage time in completing assignments. The employee is required to use decision-making skills, solve problems, and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations with limited standardization, communicate effectively, articulate ideas, respond to inquiries, handle conflict situations, perform mathematical calculations reasonably necessary to satisfactorily perform job duties, and make decisions based on department and organizational goals.
Expected Hours of Work This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are dependent on operational needs and may vary, Monday through Sunday. The employee is required to be available as scheduled and may be required to be available for extended hours. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.
Required Education and Experience
Bachelor's degree in food science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or related field
10+ years of progressive experience in Food Safety and Quality leadership within food manufacturing
Proven experience leading multi-site FSQA programs
Deep knowledge of FSMA, HACCP, preventive controls, and GFSI standards
Strong ability to influence operations and senior leadership without direct authority
Advanced degree or professional certifications (PCQI, SQF Practitioner, etc.)
Experience supporting capital projects, equipment upgrades, or ERP/data system implementations
Background in continuous improvement or lean manufacturing environments
Other Duties Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Additional duties may be described and assigned as appropriate by management; employees are expected to perform these as well regardless of job title or routine duties.
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The Director of FSQA leads the development of robust food safety systems, strengthens quality culture, and partners with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to ensure food safety and quality are embedded into how the business operates—not inspected in at the end.
This role is both strategic and hands-on, focused on building capability, standard work, and disciplined execution across multiple facilities.
Essential Functions
Food Safety & Regulatory Leadership
Own and lead the enterprise food safety strategy for Echo Lake Foods, ensuring compliance with FSMA, FDA, USDA, and customer requirements.
Serve as the Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and ensure HACCP / Food Safety Plans are effective, current, and consistently executed.
Act as the primary point of contact for regulatory agencies, third-party auditors, and key customers related to food safety and quality matters.
Lead responses to regulatory inspections, audits, recalls, and food safety incidents, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
Quality Systems & Standardization
Establish and maintain standardized FSQA systems, policies, and procedures across all Echo Lake Foods facilities.
Drive continuous improvement of quality management systems, including document control, corrective actions, change management, and verification programs.
Ensure strong supplier quality and ingredient approval programs aligned with operational risk and customer expectations.
Operational Partnership & Risk Management
Partner closely with Operations and Engineering to ensure food safety and quality are built into equipment design, capital projects, process changes, and daily execution.
Identify and mitigate food safety and quality risks through data-driven analysis, root cause problem solving, and preventive action.
Support plant leadership in building accountability for food safety and quality performance at all levels of the organization.
Culture, Training & Capability Building
Lead the development of a strong food safety and quality culture across Echo Lake Foods.
Build FSQA knowledge and capability through effective training, education, and coaching at both the plant and leadership levels.
Ensure frontline teams understand why food safety matters—not just what the rules are.
Data, Metrics & Performance Management
Establish meaningful KPIs and dashboards to monitor food safety and quality performance.
Use data to move the organization from reactive problem solving to proactive risk prevention.
Provide clear, executive-level reporting on food safety risks, trends, and performance.
Team Leadership & Development
Lead, develop, and mentor the FSQA organization, including site-level and corporate FSQA leaders.
Ensure the FSQA team is structured, trained, and resourced to support current operations and future growth.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the FSQA team.
Core Competencies
Enterprise mindset with the ability to balance risk management and business growth
Strong communicator who can translate technical food safety requirements into clear operational expectations
Decisive, calm leader during high-pressure situations (audits, recalls, incidents)
Builder of systems, people, and culture—not just compliance
Ability to travel regularly to production sites in WI, IN, and KY
Supervisory Responsibility This position is responsible for the direction, coordination, and evaluation of the facility while on shift. This position carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Work Environment The work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to work independently as well as with and around others. There are frequent verbal and face-to-face contacts. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Sensory and Physical Demands The sensory and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to engage their sensory functions. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Although this job is primarily sedentary and requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time, employees may be regularly required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. Occasionally employees may be required to bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, lift, carry, pull, push and/or move objects weighing up to 20 pounds.
Intellectual Demands While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to read, write, and interpret a variety of instructions. Employees will work under significant time constraints, apply memorization, analysis, judgment, and manage time in completing assignments. The employee is required to use decision-making skills, solve problems, and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations with limited standardization, communicate effectively, articulate ideas, respond to inquiries, handle conflict situations, perform mathematical calculations reasonably necessary to satisfactorily perform job duties, and make decisions based on department and organizational goals.
Expected Hours of Work This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are dependent on operational needs and may vary, Monday through Sunday. The employee is required to be available as scheduled and may be required to be available for extended hours. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.
Required Education and Experience
Bachelor's degree in food science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or related field
10+ years of progressive experience in Food Safety and Quality leadership within food manufacturing
Proven experience leading multi-site FSQA programs
Deep knowledge of FSMA, HACCP, preventive controls, and GFSI standards
Strong ability to influence operations and senior leadership without direct authority
Advanced degree or professional certifications (PCQI, SQF Practitioner, etc.)
Experience supporting capital projects, equipment upgrades, or ERP/data system implementations
Background in continuous improvement or lean manufacturing environments
Other Duties Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Additional duties may be described and assigned as appropriate by management; employees are expected to perform these as well regardless of job title or routine duties.
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