Vice President of Quality - Food Manufacturing
Based: Los Angeles, California OR Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
Onsite / Full-Time
$200,000 - $250,000
Bonus
401K
Healthcare Benefits
About our Client: Kinetica are partnered with a rapidly growing fast-paced food manufacturer on a new Vice President of Quality position. The Senior FSQ leader will foster a quality-driven culture rooted in our core values of commitment, ownership, and excellence. As Vice President, they will oversee, elevate, and sustain world-class food safety and manufacturing quality programs that surpass customer expectations and uphold our rigorous standards for safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. Success will be achieved through strategic leadership, empowering and training team members, and cultivating a culture of accountability, whilst championing continuous improvement. This leader will create an environment of ownership at every level, reinforcing dedication to excellence and consistently exceeding customer expectations.
Key Responsibilities:
- Customer Leadership: Build strong relationships with key customers, fostering confidence in food safety and quality programs. Coach team members to proactively align communication strategies with customers’ food safety and quality counterparts, ensuring a consistent and best-in-class approach. This role plays a critical part in strengthening customer relationships and enhancing brand reputation.
- Team Leadership: Inspire and guide a dynamic team of quality, food safety, laboratory, and regulatory professionals by embodying GWFG’s core values. Foster a culture of development, integrity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Strategic Planning: Partner with manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, and R&D teams to create, implement, and communicate a clear strategic vision. Align resources to achieve optimal food safety and quality outcomes for customers.
- Budget Oversight: Manage the food safety, quality, and regulatory budget with a focus on proactive planning. Prioritize investments in equipment and team development to drive continuous improvement.
- Capital Project Guidance: Lead the integration of food safety and quality requirements into capital projects, ensuring processes meet or exceed established standards.
- KPI and Dashboard Implementation: Develop and deploy management dashboards and key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and enhance food safety and quality programs.
- Monitoring and Compliance: Stay informed of emerging trends and developments in food safety, quality, and regulatory standards. Regularly assess and refine tools, processes, and methodologies to uphold best-in-class performance.
- Data-Driven Leadership: Promote the use of data and science-based decision-making within the team. Analyze non-compliance issues, first-pass quality results, and testing data to develop actionable improvement plans.
- Continuous Improvement: Cultivate a culture of continuous improvement by utilizing and advocating for advanced tools and techniques to drive innovation and excellence.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in food science, microbiology, life sciences or related equivalent professional experience required. Master’s degree in related field is preferred.
- A minimum of 15 years’ relevant experience working with food safety and quality programs in a food manufacturing environment.
- A minimum of 10 years of experience leading a team of quality professionals.
- Knowledge of food safety and quality principles, FDA regulations, including FSMA and the Code of Federal Regulations.
- Knowledge in food safety and quality management systems such as HACCP, SQF, SSOP, and GMPs.
- Knowledge and understanding of Lean manufacturing principles (e.g. 5S, Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis).
- SQF, HACCP and PCQI Certification (required)
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (preferred)
