QA Director I - Prepared Foods

JBS Foods • Columbia, MO

1d

About The Position

JBS Prepared Foods is seeking a strategic quality and food safety leader to oversee quality assurance, food safety, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across its Prepared Foods business unit. The role develops and executes enterprise-wide strategies to meet regulatory and customer requirements, protect company brands, and support operational excellence. It partners with Operations, Engineering, R&D, Supply Chain, Sales, Procurement, and executive leadership, and serves as a senior subject matter expert on quality and food safety.

The position may be based near one of the listed facilities—Council Bluffs, Iowa; Ottumwa, Iowa; Moberly, Missouri; Columbia, Missouri; Elkhart, Indiana; Booneville, Mississippi; Tupelo, Mississippi; Ankeny, Iowa; or Perry, Iowa—or at the JBS Corporate Office in Greeley, Colorado. Travel to plants and headquarters may reach 75%.

The role leads quality and food safety professionals and oversees quality systems, product specifications, inspection and testing, performance metrics, and corrective and preventive actions. It directs food safety programs, including HACCP, sanitation programs (SSOPs), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), environmental monitoring programs (EMPs), and GFSI-recognized certification schemes. The position also maintains audit readiness, leads incident and recall responses when necessary, and drives data-informed improvement and innovation across facilities.

The successful candidate will build relationships with customers, suppliers, auditors, regulatory officials, and industry stakeholders, and represent JBS Prepared Foods as needed. The position is salaried and may require travel to other facilities, Company events, or other locations as business needs dictate. Applicants must be able to perform the job's functions with or without reasonable accommodation.

Requirements

• At least 6 years of progressive leadership experience in Quality Assurance and Food Safety within the food manufacturing industry.
• Deep knowledge of USDA requirements, HACCP, GMPs, SSOPs, environmental monitoring programs, and GFSI standards.
• Demonstrated success leading regulatory inspections, customer audits, and third-party certification programs.
• Strong leadership, organizational, and change management capabilities.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Able to travel up to 75% of the time to plants and headquarters, and willing and able to travel as business needs dictate.
• Able to perform the functions of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, Quality Assurance, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of leadership experience managing multi-site quality and food safety programs.
• Experience leading quality and food safety programs in a multi-plant prepared foods or protein manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the strategic vision, goals, and roadmap for Quality Assurance and Food Safety across the Prepared Foods organization.
• Lead, mentor, and develop quality and food safety professionals, fostering accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Partner with executive leadership to align quality and food safety initiatives with business objectives.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives involving Operations, Engineering, R&D, Procurement, and Supply Chain.
• Serve as the company's senior subject matter expert on quality and food safety.
• Establish, maintain, and improve quality systems, product specifications, standards, and procedures for products, ingredients, and packaging.
• Oversee inspection, sampling, analytical testing, and verification programs to meet company, regulatory, and customer requirements.
• Monitor and report quality KPIs and metrics to guide performance improvement and decision-making.
• Ensure effective corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes throughout the organization.
• Lead development, implementation, and enhancement of food safety programs, including HACCP, SSOPs, GMPs, EMPs, and GFSI-recognized certification schemes.
• Ensure compliance with USDA, customer, and other applicable regulatory requirements.
• Maintain readiness for regulatory, customer, and third-party audits across facilities.
• Lead responses to food safety incidents, product quality concerns, recalls, and crisis management activities when necessary.
• Use data analytics and trend analysis to identify quality, food safety, and operational improvement opportunities.
• Drive enterprise-wide initiatives to reduce defects, improve process control, and strengthen food safety culture.
• Monitor emerging regulations, technologies, industry trends, and best practices, and evolve quality systems and programs accordingly.
• Support innovation and commercialization by incorporating quality and food safety requirements into new product development.
• Serve as the primary liaison with USDA, state regulatory agencies, industry associations, and other external stakeholders.
• Maintain productive relationships with customers, suppliers, auditors, and regulatory officials.
• Represent JBS Prepared Foods at industry events, professional organizations, and customer engagements as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Vision, medical, and dental coverage begin after 60 days of employment.
• Paid time off, including sick leave, vacation, and 6 company-observed holidays.
• 401(k) with company match beginning after the first year of service, subject to the company vesting schedule.
• Base salary range of $130,000–$160,000.
• Eligible to participate in the Company's annual bonus plan, subject to the program's standard terms and conditions.
• Continuous learning opportunities and career-growth programs.

What This Job Offers

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