Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance

Ready Foods • Denver, CO

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Ready Foods is a family-owned custom food manufacturer based in Denver, Colorado, established in 1972. They specialize in producing a wide range of ready-to-eat and ready-to-use products such as soups, sauces, salsas, beans, and regional specialties for foodservice operators. The company is dedicated to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and serving as a solutions partner. This role is not a traditional QA position; it requires a leader who integrates quality into systems and processes from the outset, rather than relying on post-production inspection. The Director will be responsible for leading and enhancing the Food Safety & Quality Management System (FSQMS), collaborating across departments to develop processes that prevent defects, minimize variation, and ensure consistent, high-volume product quality. The Director of FSQA reports directly to the COO.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Engineering, or related field required.
• 8+ years of leadership experience in food manufacturing, FSQA, or quality systems.
• Proven capability to influence cross-functional leaders and drive change without relying on authority alone.
• Ability to translate strategy into practical, sustainable systems that improve execution at the front line.
• Track record of developing leaders and building organizational capability—not just managing a function.
• Deep knowledge of regulatory and food safety requirements (FDA, USDA, FSMA, GFSI).
• Proven ability to build and improve quality systems—not just maintain compliance.
• Strong systems thinking and cross-functional leadership skills.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree preferred.
• Experience in Lean or continuous improvement environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and continuously improve the Food Safety & Quality Management System (FSQMS) in alignment with FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI standards.
• Partner cross-functionally to embed quality into daily operations, process design, and new product development.
• Drive audit readiness and lead all regulatory, customer, and third-party audits.
• Utilize data, root cause analysis, and Lean tools to reduce variation and improve process capability.
• Build and develop a high-performing FSQA team while strengthening a company-wide culture of food safety and quality.
• Own and maintain site food safety plans and prerequisite programs (HACCP), ensuring effective hazard analysis, validations, verifications, and recordkeeping.
• Lead sanitation, environmental monitoring, allergen control, and GMP programs to proactively prevent contamination and ensure quality at the source.
• Establish and manage supplier approval, incoming material controls, specifications, and risk-based monitoring to protect product integrity from farm-to-fork.
• Own the management of quality incidents, customer complaints, holds, and product disposition; lead traceability, mock recalls, and recall readiness.
• Lead food defense and food fraud vulnerability assessments and mitigation plans, strengthening facility security and ingredient authenticity controls.
• Define and review FSQA KPIs and management review routines; communicate trends, risks, and priorities to plant and executive leadership with clear countermeasures.
• Strengthen document control, product specifications, label/claim compliance, and training systems.

Benefits

• Commitment to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and building systems that make great work easier.
• Part of a leadership team focused on long-term capability.
• Culture where food safety and quality are owned by everyone.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director