Director, FSQA

RUPRECHT CO•Mundelein, IL

13d

About The Position

This role provides strategic direction and hands-on leadership for Kilcoy Global Foods North America’s Quality and Food Safety programs. The Director, Food Safety Quality Assurance 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 is ultimately accountable for finished product quality.

Requirements

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).
Successful candidates are self-starters with strong ownership, a high work ethic, and the ability to prioritize work to drive timely issue resolution.
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.
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.
Addresses conflict professionally to build trust and collaboration.
Understands cross-functional needs and supports enterprise and team decisions.
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.
Ruprecht has adopted the SQF System for food safety management and is under continuous USDA meat & poultry jurisdiction. All Ruprecht team members are responsible for food safety and quality requirements. Team members will be regularly informed, trained, and held accountable for managing food safety and regulatory expectations within their work areas. Team members should notify their department management about any food safety issues or concerns to be adequately addressed.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or a related field.
10+ years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance within food manufacturing.
SQF and PCQI training (preferred/required based on site need).

Responsibilities

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.
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-dive reviews of daily Quality department activities to improve execution, reduce waste, and lower cost of poor quality.
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).
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.
Perform other duties as assigned.