Vice President, Food Safety & Quality

International Fresh Produce•Washington, DC

52d•Remote

About The Position

The Vice President, Food Safety & Quality is the go-to scientific contact for industry members and other stakeholders seeking technical support, education, and insight related to all aspects of produce safety, quality, and related aspects of production (including field and indoor), and pre- and post-harvest quality. The individual serves as the association’s subject matter expert on microbiological and chemical hazards that impact fresh produce safety and quality. The incumbent will lead industry-wide AI efforts for knowledge transfer and root cause analysis. The incumbent works in tandem with the Vice President of Food Safety/Regulatory Affairs to contribute expertise and perspective. While this is a highly technical, scientific position, the role requires one to exercise an expansive “soft” skill set grounded in communication, trust, and agility. The Vice President is a trusted source of information in this highly visible role where short-term requests and crises need to be balanced with long term strategies and objectives. The position contributes to the bottom line of the association through member recruitment and retention, education, training, and other initiatives. The incumbent contributes to the success of cross-functional Sustainability, Technology and Supply Chain teams within the SciTech portfolio. This role is also responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with researchers and academicians working closely to address challenges and scientific knowledge gaps for the industry.

Requirements

D. (or comparable) degree in microbiology, public health, food science, agriculture, or related scientific field with specific course work in food microbiology is required.
Demonstrated agility and adaptability in a fast-paced, feedback-driven environment.
Strong self-direction and accountability for deliverables with minimal supervision.
Excellent communication and emotional intelligence skills — ability to read context, adjust tone, and build consensus across diverse stakeholders.
Proven ability to translate complex scientific or technical concepts into actionable guidance for non-technical audiences.
Experience leading or contributing to multi-stakeholder projects involving industry, academia, and regulators.
Strong conflict resolution and team leadership skills, including the ability to hold others accountable while maintaining trust.
Familiarity with AI and data-driven systems for risk analysis, surveillance, or member resource curation (experience working with technical teams on AI projects is acceptable).
Demonstrated success in developing business or strategic plans aligned with organizational strategy.
Proven ability to author or oversee scientific white papers, best practice guidance, or industry standards documents.
Technological proficiency: must be comfortable using project management systems (e.g., Wrike, Asana, or Smartsheet) and CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce); demonstrated ability to learn new digital tools quickly and integrate them into daily workflow.
At least 10 years relevant technical and leadership experience in produce safety/quality in industry or regulatory. Academic experience alone is not sufficient for this position.
Well versed in the hazards and risks associated with various production systems (pre-harvest, post-harvest, organic, controlled environment, etc.)
Comprehensive understanding of the elements of produce production, handling, and distribution that impact product quality and safety, such as the role of transportation, organic production, etc.
Familiarity with the FDA processes
Direct experience handling recalls, outbreaks, and related crises.

Nice To Haves

Bioinformatics/ biostatistics, genomics, molecular biology, post-harvest physiology, organic, are a plus.
Bi or multi-lingual, especially Spanish fluency, is a plus, but not required.

Responsibilities

Provide support to the Food Safety Council by leading assigned subcommittees, technical work groups and taskforces on a variety of activities including the development of practical, science-based “best practice” guidance documents. Identify and execute strategies to raise awareness of such resources within the industry as well as other stakeholder communities.
Serve as a technical ambassador/liaison of the industry and association to government food safety agencies (FDA, FSIS, CDC, SENESECA, EFSA), academia and the media, coalitions, technical committees.
Provide support to the Vice President Food Safety Regulatory Affairs to evaluate and comment on the scientific and technical aspects of regulatory policies, assist in preparing public comments for regulatory agencies.
Develop and propose to the Chief Science Officer long-term strategies for the association’s global food safety and quality priorities based on horizon scanning of trends and industry knowledge gaps.
Provide vision and direction to, and serve as a resources and catalyst to multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring alignment of food safety goals with the IFPA Strategic Plan and execution against annual business plans
Lead with adaptability, leveraging digital tools (Wrike, Teams, AI platforms) to plan, track, and communicate progress.
Model self-awareness, professionalism, and openness to feedback in a feedback-rich environment, building trust and cohesion among diverse teams.
Mentor, coach, and develop direct reports and high-potential staff to strengthen the food safety leadership pipeline.
Leverage AI and data-analytics platforms to deliver scalable, timely, and accurate responses to member needs.
Provide direct responses to individual member inquiries on all technical aspects of fresh produce safety and quality during production, processing, and handling throughout the supply chain. Document outcomes to ensure transparency and service consistency.
Analyze trends in technical requests to inform the development of approaches to meet members’ food safety, quality, and other technical needs in a way that is efficient and scalable, and recommend outputs and projects based on the member inquiries data.
Connect industry members with practical, science-based services and solutions, either at the commercial or developmental phase.
Support the review of members food safety plans (e.g., hazard evaluations, environmental monitoring programs, etc.) and provide technical input.
Lead global food safety education and outreach partnerships, developing and executing a strategy that ensures training programs remain current with science, regulations, and industry needs.
Serve as a subject matter expert, providing technical content and review for educational initiatives, with the support of the Manager, Food Safety Programs.
Deliver training in formats assisted by modern technology and through partnerships on food safety and quality
Coordinate the creation and evaluation of technical resources with the education, marketing, and analytics teams to measure impact and inform continuous improvement.
Translate research outcomes into practical tools, guidance, and communication materials for members within defined timelines.
Advocate for the produce industry’s research needs by aligning IFPA priorities with public and private funding opportunities and championing projects that advance food safety, quality, and innovation.
Serve as a liaison between academia, industry, and internal departments to ensure research findings inform policy, education, and advocacy initiatives.
Leverage digital databases and AI tools for horizon scanning and evidence synthesis.
Provide technical consultation and insight to research and service providers.
Other duties as assigned.