Corporate Quality Lead

Position Overview:

The Corporate Quality Lead will be joining a private equity business with iconic brands, strong retail presence, and outstanding manufacturing capabilities. The Corporate Quality Lead is responsible for ensuring that all suppliers, contract manufacturers, and third-party warehouses meet the company's quality standards and regulatory requirements. This includes managing the quality performance of suppliers that provide raw materials, ingredients, and packaging components. This role ensures suppliers meet rigorous food safety and thermal processing standards required for shelf-stable production. This role manages supplier qualification, performance monitoring, and corrective action processes to ensure consistent delivery of safe, high-quality raw materials, ingredients, and packaging components.

Responsibilities:

• Ownership of the Supplier Approval Program, providing support and guidance for company suppliers to ensure required documentation is in place for GFSI, USDA and FDA compliance.
• Assess risks of raw materials, ingredients, and packaging utilizing Codex HACCP and FDA HARPC principles.
• Assess the risks of suppliers based on performance, history, food safety and quality programs and procedures.
• Promote quality awareness and ownership across the supply chain.
• Ownership of the Allergen Management Program for all raw materials, ingredients, and packaging utilizing the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system to document and maintain an allergen matrix each plant.
• Perform data entry, verification and validation of specifications in company PLM system.
• Evaluate and approve supplier documentation including but not limited to HACCP/HARPC plans, Process Authority filings, GFSI certifications, allergen control, and packaging specifications.
• Maintain supplier quality records and systems.
• Conduct quality and food safety audits and assessments of the plant, suppliers, contract manufacturing, and third-party warehouses.
• Establish, manage and/or maintain corporate programs and policies designed to ensure that the Company remains in compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations in the areas of food safety and quality.
• Assist with resolution of food safety and quality issues at both a corporate, plant, and contract manufacturing level utilizing tools such as root cause analysis.
• Monitor emerging food safety concerns, scientific developments, industry codes of practice, risks to authenticity of raw materials, and relevant legislation.
• Assist with maintaining company registrations and certifications.
• Cross-functional collaboration with Plant Quality, Regulatory, R&D, Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, and Operations.
• Assist with maintaining company registrations and certifications including but not limited to USDA Organic, Non-GMO, Kosher, Fair Trade, etc.
• Position can be based in Chicago, IL or Toledo , OH
• Will need to travel as requested, less than 30%.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in food science, biology, chemistry, or engineering
• 4 + years' experience in Quality, Food Safety and/or Regulatory Compliance.
• Required food safety experience in GFSI, Codex HACCP methodology as well as PCQI certification.
• Strong understanding of Food Hazards.
• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time.
• A working knowledge of FDA and USDA regulations, including cGMPs, FSMA, FSVP, etc.
• Experience with GFSI schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000) and audit procedures.

Personal Characteristics:

• Excellent trouble-shooting and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent organizational skills applying to people, projects, or data.
• Self-motivated and works independently with minimal supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.