Director, FSQA - Meat Manufacturing

Director, Food Safety Quality Assurance leads Kilcoy Global Foods North America’s Quality and Food Safety programs. The role is accountable for building, maintaining, and continuously improving systems that ensure products meet internal standards, customer expectations, and all applicable regulatory and certification requirements (e.g., USDA, SQF/BRC). This position is the primary decision‑maker during quality and food safety incidents and ultimately accountable for finished product quality.

Job Type
Full‑time

Key Responsibilities
Quality & Food Safety Leadership

Set the strategy and execution plan for quality and food safety improvements across the operation.

Lead the development, maintenance, and enforcement of all Quality/Food Safety policies, procedures, programs, and documentation.

Serve as the escalation point and final decision‑maker for product disposition and quality/food safety‑related incidents.

Drive a culture of proactive food safety, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Program Development & Continuous Improvement

Design and implement programs to improve processes, compliance, and finished product quality.

Develop and enhance programs to meet or exceed certification standards (e.g., SQF Level 3 and/or BRC), including readiness planning and audit support.

Ensure programs evolve as industry standards, customer requirements, and business needs change.

Perform deep‑drive reviews of daily Quality department activities to improve execution, reduce waste, and lower the cost of poor quality.

Regulatory & Certification Compliance

Maintain regulatory compliance and ensure production operates in accordance with USDA requirements and applicable food safety regulations.

Support audit preparation and ongoing adherence for SQF/BRC and internal/customer audit expectations.

Maintain oversight of foundational food safety systems and prerequisite programs (e.g., HACCP, GMPs).

Sanitation & Customer Interface

Partner with Operations and Finance to negotiate sanitation contracts and ensure sanitation services support food safety outcomes and cost targets.

Develop and continuously improve customer visit procedures to ensure a consistent, professional, and compliant customer experience.

Other Duties

Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements
Preferred Qualifications & Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or a related field.

10+ years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance within food manufacturing.

Strong working knowledge of quality system requirements in a regulated environment.

Demonstrated knowledge of GMPs, SPC, HACCP, OSHA, and USDA regulations.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).

HACCP certified (required).

SQF and PCQI training (preferred/required based on site need).

Core Competencies, Knowledge & Skills
Successful candidates are self‑starters with strong ownership, a high work ethic, and the ability to prioritize work to drive timely issue resolution.

Communication

Communicates clearly and candidly (written and verbal) to support effective teamwork and decision‑making.

Treats others with respect, listens actively, and ensures people feel valued.

Elevates communication appropriately when customer impact or food safety risk is present.

Time Management & Organization

Prioritizes efficiently, manages competing deadlines, and adapts to shifting priorities and schedules.

Demonstrates attention to detail, a sense of urgency, and the ability to multitask effectively.

Team Commitment

Addresses conflict professionally to build trust and collaboration.

Understands cross‑functional needs and supports enterprise and team decisions.

Problem Solving

Anticipates issues when information is incomplete; uses data, observation, and available resources to investigate.

Understands how processes connect and applies logical reasoning to identify root causes and implement sustainable corrective actions.

Food Safety
All team members are responsible for food safety and quality requirements. Team members are regularly informed, trained, and held accountable for managing food safety and regulatory expectations within their work areas. Team members notify their department management about any food safety issues or concerns to be adequately addressed.

#J-18808-Ljbffr