Senior Consultant, Select Services - Quality

Select Milk Producers•Coopersville, MI

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Senior Consultant, Select Services – Quality serves as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert in Food Safety and Quality Systems for Select Services clients and affiliated companies. This role provides consulting, assessment, training, implementation support, and continuous improvement guidance across food manufacturing, processing, warehousing, distribution, and supply chain environments. The Senior Consultant works directly with client leadership teams to strengthen food safety culture, enhance regulatory and GFSI compliance, improve operational performance, prepare for audits, and implement sustainable food safety and quality systems. The position combines technical expertise, practical problem solving, and strong relationship management skills to help clients reduce risk, improve compliance, and achieve operational excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Dairy Science, Animal Science, Quality Assurance, Engineering, or related field required.
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, or quality systems leadership.
Experience supporting multiple facilities or business operations preferred.
Prior consulting, advisory, customer-facing, or technical services experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success leading food safety and quality improvement initiatives in food manufacturing or related industries.
Strong knowledge of: FSMA and Preventive Controls, HACCP principles, GFSI certification programs (SQF, BRCGS, FSSC 22000), GMPs and sanitation systems, Environmental monitoring programs, Allergen management, Food defense and food fraud programs, Traceability and recall readiness, Regulatory compliance requirements, Root cause analysis and CAPA processes, Quality management systems and continuous improvement methodologies.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.
HACCP Certified
Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI)
SQF Practitioner or equivalent GFSI certification
Certified Internal Auditor
FSVP Training
Lean Six Sigma Certification (preferred)

Responsibilities

Conduct food safety and quality assessments for clients and operating facilities.
Evaluate food safety management systems and provide recommendations for improvement.
Support implementation and enhancement of HACCP, Preventive Controls, GMP, Sanitation, Environmental Monitoring, Allergen Control, Food Defense, and Recall Programs.
Assist clients with developing, reviewing, and updating food safety plans, SOPs, policies, and quality documentation.
Provide guidance on regulatory compliance requirements including FDA, USDA, FSMA, state regulations, and customer standards.
Support development of food safety culture initiatives and operational engagement programs.
Lead or support pre-assessment activities for SQF, BRCGS, FSSC 22000, and other GFSI-recognized certification programs.
Prepare facilities for customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
Conduct internal audits and gap assessments.
Assist clients with corrective and preventive action (CAPA) development, implementation, and verification.
Support audit response management and continuous compliance initiatives.
Facilitate root cause investigations related to food safety incidents, customer complaints, audit findings, product quality concerns, and operational deviations.
Recommend practical solutions that improve compliance, consistency, efficiency, and product quality.
Support sanitation optimization, hygienic design reviews, process validation, verification activities, and risk assessments.
Assist with traceability exercises, mock recalls, and crisis management preparedness.
Develop and deliver food safety and quality training programs for management and frontline employees.
Provide coaching and mentorship to quality professionals and operational leaders.
Facilitate workshops related to food safety, quality systems, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement.
Develop educational materials and best-practice resources for clients and internal stakeholders.
Serve as a trusted advisor to clients and business partners.
Build and maintain strong client relationships through responsive service and professional expertise.
Participate in client meetings, technical presentations, business reviews, and consulting engagements.
Identify opportunities to expand consulting support and value-added services.
Manage multiple consulting engagements simultaneously while meeting deadlines and client expectations.
Prepare project plans, status updates, reports, recommendations, and executive summaries.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Procurement, Regulatory Affairs, Commercial, and Executive Leadership.
Support business development activities as requested.
This role does not have direct supervisory responsibility initially. The position may provide functional guidance, coaching, project support, and process direction to quality team members, site personnel, or client-facing project teams as assigned. Supervisory responsibilities may evolve as the Select Services Quality Division grows.