Executive Vice President, FSQR

MDVA•Herndon, VA

6d•$275,000 - $330,000

About The Position

Why you will love working at Maola®: Built on over a century of dedication, Maola is always looking ahead—investing in our people, strengthening our communities, and securing fresh, local dairy for the future. Join a farmer-owned cooperative rooted in integrity, sustainability, and a passion for providing fresh, high-quality Maola dairy products. We prioritize your well-being with competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package, including Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k) with employer match, Life Insurance, paid time off, and more—available within your first month. Our employees are an integral part of who we are — what you do and what you think matters. Starting Annual Salary Range: $275,000 - $330,000 SUMMARY The Executive Vice President, FSQR will oversee FSQR strategies, policies, and initiatives across multiple divisions or regions. Their role involves setting the overall direction for FSQR efforts, aligning them with business objectives, and ensuring consistency and excellence in FSQR practices throughout the organization. The Executive Vice President, FSQR will work closely with the CEO and other executives to ensure that FSQR considerations are integrated into overall business strategies. They will represent the organization externally on FSQR-related matters, engage with regulatory agencies and industry stakeholders, and champion FSQR as a core value of the organization. The Executive Vice President, FSQR will provide strategic direction for company-wide Food Safety and Quality programs and systems. They will work with functions such as operations, human resources, and marketing to ensure implementation and adherence to these programs and systems. They will work in conjunction with all departments to provide a best-in-class food safety culture and quality focus, as well as equivalent guidance throughout the Food Supply Chain system. They will provide support with membership, customer requirements, supplier management, communications, and resolution of issues.

Requirements

Ability to communicate and interact with all levels of the organization, including executives, senior management, along with customers, consumers, and regulatory officials.
Expert knowledge in GFSI, HACCP, PCQI, etc.
Expert knowledge of FDA regulations.
A working knowledge of USDA and CFIA regulations would be a plus.
Strong working knowledge and experience with Lean process/culture.
Demonstrated leadership experience and a sense of urgency with the drive to make continuous improvements.
Must understand change management and how to drive positive change throughout the organization as it relates to food safety and quality.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate a team.
Demonstrated ability to make and act on decisions while balancing speed, quality, and risk.
Demonstrated ability to develop and lead food safety culture initiatives.
At least bachelor’s degree in food science, Microbiology, Engineering, or related field.
SQF practitioner certification.
Valid Driver’s License.
At least 8 years of experience in a leadership role in quality and food safety.
At least 15 years of industry experience in Food Manufacturing or related field.
Ability to travel up to 50% as needed to support our operations.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Preference is to have specific experience with USDA manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Responsible for the strategic direction and effective execution of food safety and quality programs, policies, and actions.
Monitors progress using effective leading and lagging indicators and spends the appropriate amount of time with manufacturing plants to observe and coach on FSQR matters.
Responsible for the strategic direction of the food safety culture at the Company, collaborating with leaders throughout the organization to for example, implement project plans, educate, and train employees and ensure that food safety accountability is integrated into goals and objectives.
Able to effectively collaborate with executives for example the manufacturing and human resource leaders to align on FSQR strategy and execution and drive change where needed with a sense of urgency.
Drives the development and implementation of best practices in food safety and quality across common food manufacturing platforms.
Serves as the leader and subject matter expert on behalf of the organization for food safety, quality, FSMA, GFSI, company FSQR policies/procedures. Also responsible for ensuring that all regulatory requirements are understood and acted on by responsible functions.
Provides direction, development, and oversight of the FSQR team, empowering the FSQR team and holding them accountable for results.
Ensures (and is directly involved when required) the effective management of key customer FSQR relationships in conjunction with sales personnel and inspires customer confidence.
Represent the FSQR function to all business teams and serve as a conduit for information.
Improve visibility to food safety and quality performance across the organization.
Provide FSQR guidance to CEO, Executive Team, Functional leadership e.g., Plant Management and Plant Quality Assurance personnel.
Development of working relationships with appropriate regulatory agencies and work as senior liaison regarding Food Safety and Quality matters.
Development of metrics and benchmarking for Company FSQR performance through interaction with industry peers.
Provides guidelines and procedures to manufacturing plant sanitation departments.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate quality and food safety principles into the product development process.