SUMMARY
The Vice President of Food Safety and Quality plays a pivotal role in our mission to create the Best Cheese in the World. This leader will drive a quality-focused culture grounded in our values of commitment, integrity, and excellence. The Vice President will lead, enhance, and sustain best-in-class food safety and manufacturing quality programs that exceed customer expectations and meet our high standards for safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. Leveraging SQF, GFSI, and our Global Quality Policy, this role ensures adherence to global regulations and champions initiatives that drive continuous improvement. Success is achieved through strategic leadership, the development and training of team members, and a culture of accountability. This leader will embed quality accountability at every level, ensuring our commitment to delivering excellence and exceeding customer expectations.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
* Team Leadership: Lead through Sartori’s values to develop and engage a dynamic team of quality, food safety, laboratory, and regulatory team members, fostering a culture of development, integrity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
* Customer Leadership: Develop relationships with key customers, building confidence in Sartori food safety and quality programs. They will coach others to proactively align communications with our customers' food safety and quality counterparts, ensuring a consistent and best-in-class approach. This role significantly enhances customer relationships and strengthens our brand reputation.
* Strategy Development: Collaborate with manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, and R&D to develop, implement, and communicate a clear strategic vision and maximize resource alignment to ensure the best food safety and quality outcomes for our customers.
* Budget Management: Oversee the food safety, quality, and regulatory budget, ensuring proactive planning for continuous improvement through investments in equipment and team development.
* Capital Project Leadership: Provide leadership for the food safety and quality elements of capital projects, ensuring all processes maintain and/or improve our standards.
* KPI and Dashboard Development: Lead the creation and implementation of management reporting dashboards and key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and optimize our food safety and quality programs.
* Food Safety, Manufacturing Quality, and Regulatory Monitoring: Stay abreast of emerging trends and concepts for food safety, quality, and regulations. Continuously evaluate and improve the organization's tools, processes, and methodologies to perform best in class.
* Data-Driven Decision-Making: Drive the team's adoption of data and science-based decision-making to achieve superior performance. Analyze non-compliance, first-pass quality, and testing results and develop a plan for actions to improve.
* Continuous Improvement: Create an environment of continuous improvement by using and championing continuous improvement tools and techniques.
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
* 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 10 years’ relevant experience working with food safety and quality programs in a food or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. Experience in dairy preferred.
* A minimum of 5 years of experience leading a team of quality professionals.
OTHER KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
* 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).
* Strategic Vision: Possesses a strategic mindset with the ability to translate business goals into an actionable framework for manufacturing operations.
* Leadership and Influence: Proven ability to lead and influence teams and stakeholders, driving a culture of accountability across the organization.
* Coaching: Effectively coaches and mentors others, providing guidance that enhances performance and facilitates development while building confidence.
* Customer Focus: Anticipates and meets the needs of internal and external customers by delivering high quality service and fostering strong relationships.
* Relationship Building: Builds and maintains trusting relationships and alliances both inside and outside the organization, fostering collaboration.
* Analytical Problem Solver: Applies strong analytical skills to identify, assess, and solve complex challenges. Uses data and systematic reasoning to uncover root causes and develop effective solutions, anticipating potential impacts and proactively addressing issues.
* Decision Quality: Makes informed and timely decisions using a blend of analytical insights, experience, and sound judgment.
* Innovative: Drives creative thinking and continuous improvement by exploring new ideas and solutions. Challenges the status quo, embraces change, and adapts to evolving needs to advance processes, products, or services.
* Results Driven: Leverages a collaborative approach to achieving results that promotes business acumen.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS
* SQF, HACCP and PCQI Certification, required
* Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, preferred
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, use hands to handle or feel, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands or arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required in this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision and the ability to adjust focus.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally be exposed to non-weather related cold, heat, wet and/or humid conditions, moving mechanical parts, caustic sanitation chemicals and manufacturing cellulose powder. The noise level in the work environment is occasionally loud.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by Team Members assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. Sartori Company reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational and business needs, as necessary.
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