Director of Quality & Food Safety

AMERICAN POP CORN COMPANY CORP • Sioux City, IA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Lead American Pop Corn Company’s food safety, quality assurance, laboratory, and regulatory compliance programs. Establish and maintain effective systems that protect consumers, meet customer and certification requirements, and support the consistent manufacture of safe, high-quality popcorn products.

The role directs the BRCGS food safety certification program, HACCP plans, and FSMA compliance activities; oversees audits, corrective actions, specifications, traceability, and recall readiness; and leads the quality lab, supplier quality, sanitation and allergen programs. It also oversees product testing, shelf-life studies, quality metrics, nutritional profiles, ingredient statements, regulatory and labeling compliance, product certifications, customer documentation, and incident response.

The Director leads the Quality Supervisor and Product Development Specialist and collaborates with Product Development, Production, Marketing, sanitation leadership, suppliers, customers, and company leadership. The role promotes a proactive food safety culture through coaching, floor presence, and cross-functional training. Work takes place in both an office setting and a manufacturing facility; hours outside standard office hours may be required.

American Pop Corn Company describes its culture through the TACT values: Teamwork, Always Learning, Customer First, and Tenacious. Employees are expected to communicate openly, collaborate, maintain safety, quality, and sanitation standards, and look for opportunities to improve processes and efficiency.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, microbiology, chemistry, or a related discipline.
• Significant progressive experience in food manufacturing quality assurance and food safety, including people leadership.
• Hands-on experience with HACCP, FSMA/PCQI, and a GFSI-recognized certification program.
• Experience managing a quality laboratory, supplier quality, investigations, and audits.
• Strong leadership skills and a proven track record of leading teams and managing people.
• Ability to set clear expectations and guide department supervisors.
• Ability to identify and minimize company risks while ensuring safety compliance and adherence to legal and regulatory requirements.
• Excellent communication skills to engage employees at all levels and encourage collaboration.
• Sound decision-making skills to prioritize initiatives, assess risks, and make decisions aligned with the organization.
• Deep understanding of technical aspects related to APCC products.
• Strong problem-solving skills to address quality issues promptly and effectively.
• Analytical skills to evaluate data, processes, and systems and identify improvement opportunities.
• Ability to work in both an office and manufacturing facility environment and adapt to production demands.
• Ability to meet the physical demands of sitting, standing, and mobility throughout the workday; occasional lifting of supplies, typically not exceeding 20 pounds.
• Post-offer drug screen is required.

Nice To Haves

• BRCGS experience.
• Experience with shelf-stable snacks, fats and oils, or microwave products.
• International labeling experience.
• Kosher and halal experience.
• ERP, SPC, Power BI, Excel, and quality reporting tool experience.

Responsibilities

• Direct the BRCGS food safety certification program, HACCP plans, and FSMA compliance activities.
• Maintain and improve food safety plans, SOPs, SSOPs, records, training, verification activities, and audit readiness.
• Help lead internal, customer, regulatory, and certification audits; oversee corrective actions and timely closure of findings.
• Maintain product and ingredient specifications, quality databases, ERP traceability, and recall-readiness procedures; develop production BOMs in an ERP program and support production planning systems.
• Lead the Quality Supervisor and Product Development Specialist, setting priorities, training, performance expectations, and accountability.
• Oversee laboratory equipment, supplies, maintenance, methods, and quality-control testing and equipment.
• Assess slurry process deviations and misbatches and coordinate corrective formula decisions with Product Development and Production.
• Oversee sampling, analytical and microbiological testing, shelf-life studies, calibration, and reliable reporting of results.
• Track quality metrics, identify trends, and drive preventive and corrective improvements with Operations.
• Calculate nutritional profiles and develop FDA-compliant ingredient statements.
• Manage supplier and raw-material qualification, specifications, receiving and testing standards, and supplier corrective actions for ingredients, packaging, and co-manufacturers.
• Maintain allergen controls and the allergen matrix; partner with sanitation leadership on environmental monitoring and sanitation validation, including CIP and warewashing as applicable.
• Coordinate ingredient and packaging supplier issues, including flavors and microwave popcorn bags.
• Review ingredient declarations, allergen statements, labeling compliance, product claims, and export requirements with Marketing and Product Development.
• Maintain applicable kosher, halal, gluten-free, and other customer or product certifications.
• Investigate complaints, nonconforming product, and food safety incidents; direct holds, disposition decisions, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions within company authority.
• Maintain customer quality documentation and retailer portals, and communicate food safety risks promptly to leadership.
• Serve as the food regulatory resource for FDA changes, including labeling for the United States, Canada, and international markets.
• Partner with Product Development on safe product introductions, specifications, allergen review, and manufacturing handoffs.
• Build a proactive food safety culture through coaching, floor presence, and cross-functional training.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Supervisor.

Benefits

• Free family health insurance, including a major medical plan with full coverage.
• Free family dental insurance.
• Vision insurance.
• 401(k) with a 4% match.
• Six paid holidays.
• Paid Time Off (PTO).
• Referral bonus.

What This Job Offers

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