Senior Director of Manufacturing Quality and Food Safety

Senior Director of Manufacturing Quality and Food Safety

Location - High Hybrid

This is a hybrid role, which means that you will have the flexibility to work both onsite and at a distance. You will collaborate onsite at our Cashton, WI office for 4-8 days per month, and the rest of the time you can choose to work remotely or onsite.

Employee Type - Salaried

Bonus - This position is eligible for a 15% annual incentive bonus based on cooperative and individual performance.

Safety Sensitive - No

Summary of Role

The Sr. Director of Manufacturing Quality & Food Safety will oversee, govern, and lead the FSQA operations across Organic Valley's Manufacturing footprint and Supplier Network. This role will be a critical contributor in developing and implementing the Food Safety and Quality Assurance strategy across the business, while providing technical leadership to the Manufacturing and Supply Quality Teams. Through value driven servant leadership, the role partners with Operations, Supply Chain, Product Development, and Commercial teams to ensure quality and food safety are embedded into all facets of Organic Valley culture, Manufacturing Network, and suppliers.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Enterprise Food Safety & Quality Strategy Leadership - 30% of time

o Lead & govern the development of FSQA strategy across Organic Valley's Manufacturing operations and Supplier Network.

o Develop and socialize FSQA KPIs and Goals ensuring clear direction and data driven decision making.

o Build a comprehensive approach to technical development within FSQA Manufacturing Quality Team.

o Champion and institutionalize a strong food safety culture, embedding accountability and proactive risk recognition across all facilities and co-manufacturers.

o Provide guidance and expertise for the implementation and optimization of HACCP/HARPC, Food Safety Plans, PRPs, CCPs, Food Defense, and traceability.

o Drive transformation and continuous improvement of manufacturing quality systems to enhance performance and reduce risk.

o Support the development and execution of testing programs, including finished product and ingredient testing.

o Actively engage industry associations, regulatory forums, and key conferences to monitor emerging risks, influence industry direction, and continuously enhance enterprise food safety and quality systems.

o Develop, mentor, and lead quality and food safety teams, building technical capability, accountability, and a strong food safety culture.

Regulatory Compliance, Quality Systems & Risk Management - 20% of time

o Lead the development of CROPP/Organic Valley's approach to regulatory compliance within our manufacturing and supplier network.

o Govern compliance with applicable federal, state, and customer requirements, including FDA, USDA where applicable, PMO-related expectations, FSMA, and recognized certification standards such as SQF, BRCGS, or equivalent schemes.

o Lead the development of quality and food safety standards used to drive continuous improvement and calibration within CROPP Organic Valley FSQA manufacturing.

o Enable and guide the transformation of manufacturing quality systems to improve efficiency, consistency, and effectiveness.

o Identify, advance and innovate FSQA methods to reduce quality and food safety risks and provide value throughout CROPP/Organic Valley business.

o Provide vocal and clear leadership communicating quality and food safety risks to the Executive team, while presenting well developed solutions and remediations.

o Support the progression of quality system strategy and development of internal enablement tools such as LIMS, WMS, SAP, CAPA, and training programs.

Food Safety Programs & Manufacturing Quality Excellence -30% of time

o Provide technical direction and foundational approach to the development and maintenance of food safety plans, including risk assessments associated with raw materials and finished goods.

o Identify and develop monitoring tools for quality and food safety performance metrics, including customer complaints, nonconformances, holds, deviations, corrective actions, audit findings, sanitation effectiveness, and product disposition trends.

o Establish governance and ensure enterprise compliance with GMPs, sanitation, hygiene, foreign material control, and biosecurity programs.

o Develop sanitation strategy, standards, and program governance ensuring reduced food safety risks and proactive risk management.

o Build and improve plant laboratory operations driving efficiency, and capability improvements.

o Act as the forward-facing communicator for FSQA priorities to Senior Leadership and the executive team ensuring alignment across CROPP/Organic Valley aligning expectations while driving continuous improvement.

o Establish governance over specification compliance, testing programs, and supplier CAPA processes.

o Lead the develop of EMP standards and provide technical guidance for the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) to ensure it generates outcomes that reduce food safety risks.

o Partner strategically with Supply Quality and Quality Systems to align onboarding, specifications, and documentation requirements.

o Set and drive processes for effective complaint investigation and response, ensuring timely resolution and risk mitigation.

o Function as a technical resource providing FSQA guidance to the Product Development and Commercial teams on new product and process commercialization.

Supplier Food Safety & Quality -20% of time

o Provide governance and leadership over supplier quality programs, ensuring compliance with food safety, regulatory, and certification requirements.

o Develop and guide supplier performance management systems, including scorecards and KPI tracking.

o Identify & govern methods and tools that standardize quality and food safety systems across co-manufacturing partners supporting egg, culture, and powder categories.

o Set priorities and strategies that drive performance improvement across co-manufacturers through reduced food safety risks and improved quality management.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

o Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

o Expert knowledge of food safety systems (HACCP/HARPC, GMP, CCPs, PRPs, Food Defense)

o Strong understanding of FDA, USDA, FSMA, and GFSI requirements

o Deep expertise in manufacturing quality systems and operational risk management

o Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional influence skills

o Ability to drive strategy, establish governance, and lead transformation at an enterprise level

o Self-directed and willing to work under minimum supervision

o Knowledge of the PMO

o Knowledge of 21 CFR Part 117

o Knowledge of FSMA

o Knowledge of Unique State Dairy Requirements

o Knowledge of Microsoft Office Programs

o Expert Knowledge of HACCP/HARPC and GMP

o Knowledge of SAP

o Excellent verbal and written communication skills

o Strong research skills

o Ability and willingness to provide on-call support 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, including holidays, to address critical food safety, quality, and operational issues

o Demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize business-critical issues in real time, ensuring timely resolution and escalation when needed including night, evening, weekends and holidays

Qualifications

o Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred)

o 10+ years of progressive experience in food safety and quality within manufacturing

o 5+ years of progressive leadership roles with multi-site or enterprise responsibility

o Experience in fluid dairy, cheese, dairy powder, or related processing environments strongly preferred

Base salary wage range: $174,803.20 - $233,084.80 per year This salary/hourly wage range is exclusive of fringe benefits. The compensation package may also include incentive compensation opportunities in the form of discretionary bonuses. If you are hired at CROPP, your final base salary wage compensation will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/or experience. Additionally, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider the internal equity of our current team members as a part of any final offer. Please keep in mind that entry-level candidates to this role should expect to be at the lower end of the salary wage range and hiring at the maximum of the salary wage range is not typical.

Benefits

We believe when our people are strong, our mission is strong. Therefore, we offer a comprehensive and holistic Total Rewards package meant to strengthen employees' and their family''s total wellbeing. Here are some of the great benefits offered:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance - Choice of plans for you and your family, including some that can be paired with an HSA (which CROPP contributes to on your behalf)
• Supplemental insurances: we offer accidental insurance, critical illness insurance, and hospital indemnity insurance.
• Time Off - 136 hours in the 1st year of employment prorated by start date. Plus 9 paid holidays, plus one floating holiday to use at will.
• 6 Weeks Paid Parental Leave - For all gendered partners in childbirth or adoption.
• Vision & Dental Insurance - Free annual eye exam, discounts on glasses/contacts, flexible dental network, adult ortho.
• 401k - We match 100% up to the first 3% of an employee's contribution, and then 50% for 3.1%-5.0% of employee contributions.
• Free services at five local Neighborhood Family Clinics.
• Tuition Reimbursement - Up to $1,500 per year to support continuing higher education.
• Life Insurance - $50,000 policy funded by CROPP for each employee. Supplemental voluntary coverage available for employees, spouses, and children.
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability/AD&D Insurance - $50,000 of life insurance coverage of $50,000 of AD&D coverage funded by CROPP for each employee.
• Employee Assistance Program - Free and Confidential for employees, spouses, and dependents.
• Free onsite fitness centers available 24/7
• Free biometric screenings (cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure) and health coaching.
• Financial advisors and seminars
• Annual $360 Lifestyle Spending Account
• Flexible Scheduling
• On-site all-organic cafeterias