VP, Food Safety & Quality

Winland Foods•Oak Brook, IL

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President, Food Safety & Quality provides enterprise-wide leadership for food safety, quality, and supplier quality. This role owns the corporate food safety and quality strategy, establishes standards and expectations across all manufacturing sites, and ensures strong, consistent execution through robust quality systems. The VP serves as the executive authority on food safety risk, external regulatory matters, and customer expectations. They partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, and Commercial teams to embed food safety and quality into business decisions and long-term growth plans.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
15+ years of progressive leadership experience in food safety and quality within food manufacturing.
Demonstrated success leading enterprise or multi-site food safety and quality organizations.
Deep knowledge of HACCP, GFSI, preventive controls, supplier quality systems, and regulatory compliance.
Experience serving as the senior food safety authority with regulators, customers, and third-party auditors.
Proven ability to lead through influence, build strong systems, and drive change across complex organizations.
Strong business acumen with the ability to balance compliance, risk, and growth.
Willingness and ability to travel up to 50%.

Responsibilities

Set and lead the company-wide food safety and quality strategy, aligned with Winland’s Mission, Vision, and Values.
Establish clear standards, policies, and expectations across all manufacturing locations to ensure consistency and accountability.
Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on food safety risk, emerging issues, and strategic priorities.
Build and sustain a strong food safety and quality culture at every level of the organization.
Provide executive oversight for food safety and quality across all manufacturing locations, ensuring compliance and continuous improvement.
Own the design, deployment, and effectiveness of enterprise quality management systems, including audits, corrective actions, and performance metrics.
Ensure readiness for regulatory inspections, customer audits, and third-party certification across the network.
Lead continuous improvement efforts to reduce risk, improve capability, and strengthen performance.
Set the corporate direction for supplier quality management, ensuring domestic and international suppliers meet Winland’s food safety and quality standards.
Oversee supplier approval, monitoring, auditing, and risk assessment programs.
Act as the executive point of contact for key external partners, including regulators, customers, laboratories, sanitation and pest control providers.
Monitor emerging food safety, regulatory, and supply chain risks and lead proactive mitigation strategies.
Ensure full compliance with applicable food safety laws, regulations, and customer requirements across all regions.
Lead crisis preparedness, incident response, and traceability programs.
Provide expert guidance on complex or high-risk food safety and quality issues.
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Food Safety & Quality leadership team.
Coach and mentor leaders to strengthen technical expertise, decision-making, and influence.
Ensure strong training and capability development across plants, including GFSI, GMP, HACCP, PCQI, and regulatory requirements.
Model inclusive leadership behaviors that reflect Winland’s Values.
Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, Finance, and Commercial teams to align food safety and quality priorities with business objectives.
Establish clear governance, reporting, and performance measures.
Own functional budgeting and resource planning to support current and future business needs.