Sr. Director of Food S&S

OSI Careers•Aurora, IL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is responsible for providing OSI manufacturing plants, internal customers, and assigned customers with focused, senior technical level food safety and quality support. This position serves as a food safety and quality subject matter expert, actively participates in developing FSQA strategy, builds awareness of regulatory requirements in all product categories, and advises others involved in developing and manufacturing products. The position develops and delivers food safety plans, governance, and validation guidance. It directs and leads the food safety science team and collaborates with other zone and global functional department heads to set food safety priorities. The role effectively collaborates with product development and process teams throughout the product lifecycle. It also develops and maintains relationships with industry working groups, academic organizations, and other subject matter experts that impact the food safety science programs.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in related field is preferred.
Operational food safety and food processing experience.
Prior HACCP and PCQI certification.
Thorough knowledge and implementation of risk assessment, HACCP principles and current food safety practices- ideally across different product categories.
Thorough knowledge and in-depth understanding of various regulatory frameworks (USDA, FDA, CFIA, EFSA, CODEX).
Thorough knowledge and in-depth understanding of Good Manufacturing Practices- Pathogen Environmental Monitoring- and Facility / Equipment Design.
Experience with microbiology laboratory techniques and rapid test methods.
Awareness and understanding of quality systems/processes (ISO- Six Sigma etc.).
Effective communication skills (presentation- report writing- teaching/training).
Work experience in team-oriented functions as well as individual contribution.
Action oriented with good project management skills.
Experience and proficiency with digital food safety and quality platforms.

Nice To Haves

PhD or equivalent is preferred.

Responsibilities

Manages a team, has authority to hire and performance-manage the team.
Leads/supervises/manages 1-5 employees.
Independently and proactively identify food safety risks to the business and define risk reduction strategies.
Using current scientific and regulatory food safety principles to ensure emerging issues are identified, provide technical expertise and actionable advice to internal and key customers regarding food microbiology, toxicology, food safety principles and general food science.
Proactively and independently recognize and prevent potential non-conformances or deficiencies in processing, food safety and quality systems or programs.
Guide OSI’s implementation of best-in-class food safety policies using public health principles.
Collaborate with zone and global colleagues to establish and proactively review food safety programs, including audits, to meet assigned customer requirements, organization standards, and government regulations.
Define requirements for and conduct validation of processes related to lethal/kill steps including thermal, chilling, formulation, or novel technologies for products and/or processes.
Assess validity of current lethality processes to ensure critical limits are consistently met.
Define requirements for consistency in HACCP and food safety plan decision-making.
Define requirements for and maintain the system of records for food safety science at the zone and plant level.
Review application of challenge studies, shelf-life studies, and process control validation studies to ensure critical limits for critical processes are appropriate.
Manage OSI spend on laboratory services across the North America plant network, define testing requirements, manage internal and third-party laboratories.
Define methods and evaluate proficiency of laboratory work.
Strengthen corporate FSQA linkage to facility FSQA leadership by establishing and implementing training and development in food safety risk assessment.
Direct and evaluate gap analysis of regulatory updates, report on KPI metrics for compliance programs, access/direct the cross functional development of policies for multiple OSI programs to ensure organizational alignment.
Play an active role in assigned trade group organizations and committees.
Serve as a technical resource to the OSI crisis management team.
Reconcile company data, or industry research into refined message for review by OSI technical leadership.
Serve as the dedicated corporate food safety and quality assurance representative to assigned customers.
By maintaining a presence in OSI manufacturing locations, be able to apply in-depth knowledge and understanding of food manufacturing to introduce innovative solutions to quality issues before they occur and in response to unforeseen situations.
Conduct reviews and analysis of customer complaints related to product food safety or quality for the Corporate Insurance department when necessary.
Provide a formal response to the customer based on analysis and work with facility QA Manager to develop and implement corrective actions.
Demonstrate situational awareness and practical solutions provided considering the business requirements in the manufacturing facilities.
Understand and place in practice appropriate safety procedures. This responsibility is achieved through education, training, use of protective equipment (as applicable) and by following safety policies, regulations, standards, and laws.
Perform other duties as assigned.