Director of Food Safety and Quality Systems

Shamrock Foods•Phoenix, AZ

About The Position

The Director of Food Safety and Quality Systems directs and continually develops, enhances, and maintains enterprise food safety and quality programs, including FSMA, HACCP, SQF, and GMP. The role works with division quality leaders to develop and implement policies and procedures that ensure continued compliance with regulatory, FSMA, PMO, CFR, SQF certification, third-party, and customer requirements. It also partners with cross-departmental operational groups on process improvement and lean manufacturing initiatives. The Director develops food safety plans and preventive controls, maintains current good manufacturing practices, and serves as a subject matter expert on mandated food safety regulations. The role leads enterprise audit readiness and coordination, serves as a multi-facility SQF Practitioner, maintains quality management and vendor management systems, and develops FSQA training. It collaborates with R&D, IT/IS, division QA leaders, suppliers, and internal and external partners to support regulatory compliance, operational alignment, and continuous improvement. Travel of 20% or more is required, and the position may require work evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field.
At least 10 years of experience in food safety and quality assurance.
At least 3 years of direct management experience.
Working knowledge of USDA, FDA, CFR, and PMO regulatory compliance, and experience implementing and managing third-party auditing schemes such as GFSI and SQF.
Demonstrated expertise in dairy, meat, seafood, and edible-oil manufacturing and processing, including UHT manufacturing.
Ability to review regulatory requirements and evaluate compliance, with experience in regulatory inspections.
Ability and willingness to meet the department’s work demands, which may include evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Ability to travel 20% or more.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.

Responsibilities

Develop Food Safety Plans by conducting and documenting facility hazard evaluations and analyses, implementing preventive controls, and verifying plan effectiveness against FSMA requirements.
Maintain compliance with current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs).
Stay current on food safety regulations, laws, policies, and procedures and serve as a division subject matter expert on FDA and USDA requirements under PMO, CFR, and FSMA.
Ensure all Shamrock divisions are audit-ready and co-host regulatory inspections.
Serve as a multi-facility SQF Practitioner, developing and validating SQF program procedures and policies.
Simplify and standardize audit processes and execution across the enterprise to ensure compliance with new and emerging regulatory standards and requirements.
Coordinate regulatory, customer, and third-party audits.
Visit and consult with ingredient and packaging suppliers about vendor quality standards, and ensure the vendor management program reviews quality and food safety for all materials.
Work with R&D on new product formulations and label compliance reviews.
Establish and maintain enterprise quality management systems, policies, and procedures that support regulatory compliance and current regulatory expectations.
Develop and maintain FSQA training, including annual training requirements and frequencies.
Develop and maintain the vendor management program and policies, including auditing, performance monitoring, and inspection-readiness programs.
Work with division QA leaders to align goals and objectives, support compliance, and realize systems-related best practices.
Partner with IT/IS to develop and integrate a scalable QMS roadmap that supports continued compliance and business growth.
Provide expertise, support, and guidance to internal and external partners resolving complex food safety and product quality challenges and potential compliance risks.
Participate in monthly Quality Management Review meetings to review quality and compliance metrics, assess state of control, and drive targeted continuous-improvement actions.
Perform other duties as assigned.