Sr. Director of Quality & Research & Development

Branding Iron Holdings•Sauget, IL

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Director of Quality & Research & Development is an executive-level leadership role responsible for company-wide quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, and product innovation across all USDA-inspected manufacturing facilities. This role provides strategic direction, governance, and technical leadership to ensure consistent execution of food safety and quality systems while driving product development and continuous improvement initiatives across the enterprise. The Sr. Director leads and develops a team of plant-based Quality Assurance Managers and Research & Development Managers, ensuring alignment to corporate standards, customer requirements, and business objectives. This role encompasses enterprise oversight of all manufacturing plants, direct leadership of QA Managers and R&D Managers, and strategic ownership of food safety, quality systems, USDA/FSIS compliance, and product development.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in food science, Meat Science, Animal Science, Microbiology, or related discipline required
10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Quality, Food Safety, and/or R&D within USDA-regulated meat manufacturing
Proven multi-plant leadership experience
Demonstrated success leading QA and R&D teams in a corporate or enterprise structure
Extensive hands-on experience with USDA/FSIS regulatory oversight and audits
Strong background in meat product development and commercialization, preferably beef
Expert knowledge of USDA/FSIS regulations, HACCP systems, and food safety management
Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline
Ability to lead in high-risk, high-visibility situations with regulators and customers
Excellent communicator capable of influencing at executive, plant, and regulatory levels

Responsibilities

Establish, own, and continually improve the corporate Quality and Food Safety strategy across all facilities.
Ensure consistent implementation and governance of HACCP, SSOPs, GMPs, and USDA/FSIS regulatory requirements across all plants.
Serve as the corporate escalation point for regulatory matters, including USDA/FSIS enforcement actions, recalls, customer complaints, and food safety events.
Ensure all facilities always remain audit-ready, including USDA/FSIS, third-party, and customer audits.
Standardize key quality systems such as: Non-conformance and CAPA management, Consumer complaint investigations, Hold / release and disposition processes, Document control and record retention.
Define and track enterprise KPIs related to food safety, quality, customer complaints, audit performance, and cost of poor quality.
Provide strategic leadership for company-wide R&D activities, including product development, reformulation, cost optimization, and process improvement.
Oversee development and commercialization of beef patty products, including formulation, yield optimization, sensory performance, and shelf life.
Ensure effective execution of plant trials, scaleups, and commercialization, aligned with Operations and Quality.
Partner with Sales and Marketing to deliver customer-driven innovation, private-label programs, and differentiation strategies.
Monitor industry and technical trends related to meat science, ingredients, processing technologies, and regulatory changes.
Partner with Operations leadership to drive improvements in: Process control and consistency, Yield, labor efficiency, and waste reduction, Root cause analysis and corrective actions.
Ensure quality and R&D initiatives support operational excellence and financial performance.
Provide executive-level technical input for capital projects, process changes, and new equipment investments.
Directly lead and develop QA Managers and R&D Manager across all facilities.
Build a strong pipeline of talent with clear succession planning across Quality and R&D functions.
Establish standardized expectations, competencies, and performance metrics for Quality and R&D teams.
Foster a strong food safety and quality culture throughout the organization.
Drive collaboration and alignment across plants to eliminate silos and promote best-practice sharing.