Food Safety & Quality Director

Universal Corporation•Lancaster Township, PA

15h

About The Position

Universal Ingredients is seeking a Food Safety & Quality Director to lead its Quality, Food Safety, and Regulatory functions. The role establishes and strengthens quality systems across the organization, ensures regulatory and food safety compliance, and partners with Operations, Commercialization, R&D, Procurement, and Commercial teams. The ideal candidate combines technical expertise with practical manufacturing leadership and a record of building a preventive, accountable quality culture focused on getting things right the first time. Universal Ingredients is a global supplier of plant-based specialty ingredients for human and pet consumption, serving food and beverage manufacturers worldwide. Its products include fruit and vegetable juices and concentrates, dehydrated ingredients, botanical extracts, flavors, and beverage systems. The company also has aseptic beverage processing and flexible packaging capabilities, as well as an Application Capabilities Lab that supports product development, flavor analysis, sensory testing, and commercialization. The employer notes that products at Shank’s Extracts include major food allergens and other ingredients, and that exposure through skin or odor contact cannot be guaranteed against. It states that employee health and safety is a priority and that it will make reasonable accommodations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field.
Progressive Quality, Food Safety, and/or Regulatory leadership experience in food, beverage, flavors, ingredients, or related manufacturing.
Experience in aseptic process manufacturing.
Strong knowledge of FDA food regulations, FSMA, GMPs, HACCP, supplier quality, sanitation, traceability, and recall management.
Experience leading audits, inspections, investigations, root-cause analysis, and CAPA.
Strong manufacturing orientation and demonstrated ability to partner effectively with plant operations.
Excellent leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

PCQI/HACCP certification.
GFSI lead auditor certification.
Experience in flavors, extracts, food ingredients, or complex food manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Lead the overall Quality, Food Safety, and Regulatory strategy for Universal Ingredients.
Establish consistent quality standards, systems, policies, and performance expectations across the organization.
Ensure compliance with applicable FDA, FSMA, GMP, HACCP, SQF/GFSI, labeling, and customer requirements.
Strengthen root-cause analysis, CAPA, change control, SOP/SSOP, and audit processes.
Partner with Operations to improve first-pass quality and reduce complaints, deviations, holds, rework, and recurring quality issues.
Lead customer complaint management, regulatory inspections, certification audits, and customer audits.
Oversee supplier quality, regulatory documentation, specifications, labeling, and product compliance.
Support new product commercialization by embedding Quality and Regulatory requirements early in the process.
Maintain strong traceability, recall preparedness, and crisis-management processes.
Develop and lead a high-performing Quality and Regulatory organization while fostering shared accountability for quality and food safety across the business.