Director Food Safety Operations

Sargento Foods • Elkhart Lake, WI

16d

About The Position

You will be responsible for leading and overseeing all aspects of food safety and regulatory compliance across the company’s manufacturing facilities. This role ensures that all products meet or exceed food safety standards, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations. You will develop, implement, and maintain robust food safety systems and lead cross-functional teams to foster a culture of food safety excellence. You will plan, coordinates, and directs food safety programs and systems designed to ensure continuous production of safe, quality and legal products. You will be responsible for ensuring a food facility adheres to food safety regulations and standards. You will provide oversight to sanitation, developing and implementing safety programs, and managing team of food safety professionals. At Sargento, you work for a company you believe in, with a family of people who believe in you.  Our culture stems from a simple premise: Hire good people and treat them like family.  At Sargento, you can make decisions based on how they affect people as well as the long-term health of our company.  You will be encouraged to make a meaningful difference in the community, in the company and in your career.  With diverse experiences and tools to learn and develop, you can transform your aspirations into reality.  If you’re ready for the right place to belong and grow your career, you can find it here.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (B.S.) required and Master’s Degree (M.S.) strongly preferred in a field related to food microbiology or other biological sciences.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in a food safety risk management role.
• Requires up to 25% of travel.

Responsibilities

• Execute the company’s comprehensive food safety and sanitation strategies in alignment with business goals.
• Serve as the subject matter expert on food safety regulations, trends, and best practices.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, GFSI (SQF/BRC), and other applicable regulations and standards.
• Oversee the development and implementation of food safety programs, including HACCP, allergen control, sanitation, traceability, and recall procedures.
• Maintain and improve food safety documentation and record-keeping systems.
• Lead and mentor a team of food safety and quality professionals.
• Develop and deliver training programs to ensure employee awareness and compliance with food safety protocols.
• Conduct risk assessments and root cause analyses for food safety incidents.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance food safety performance and reduce risk.
• Partner with R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, and Procurement to ensure food safety is integrated into all processes.
• Collaborate with suppliers and co-manufacturers to ensure food safety standards are upheld throughout the supply chain
• Designs experiments and analyzes statistical data to assist the organization.
• Leads development of IT systems designed for efficient utilization of data by quality systems users.
• Directs internal consultants for SAP-QM, DevEx, Intellex, and Laboratory Information Management systems.
• Acts as chief liaison with outside Process Authority and third-party laboratories in the development of challenge studies.
• Develops knowledge partnerships with external content experts in food safety (e., FDA, USDA, NFPA, CDR, IDFA, FRI, etc.)
• Work closely with FSQ Commercialization Team as consultant to guide food safety, quality, sanitation and hygienic design efforts into commercialization of new products for Sargento Foods.
• Prepare and present reports to senior management on food safety initiatives, progress, project milestones, metrics, food safety compliance, ongoing issues and outcomes
• Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including customers, partners, and industry influencers
• External monitoring of relevant regulation impacts and streamlining of internal communication needs and action plans, including identification of emerging risks
• Reviews technical publications, articles, and abstracts to stay abreast of technical developments in industry.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical including Fertility, Adoption benefits, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Remote ½ day Fridays
• Onsite Health & Wellness Center
• Employer 401K contribution in the top 1% of the nation
• Relocation Assistance
• Tuition Assistance
• Access to Employee Store

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees