Job Description

The Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance requires an initiative-taking, well-organized person with excellent decision making, influence and time management skills. This position is responsible for the strategic and day-to-day performance of the quality, food safety, and connected sanitation departments it oversees. This position is a member of the Senior Leadership Team, partnering with other members of the research, product development and commercialization team members as well as manufacturing operations.

The Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance is a change maker who will work to cultivate a food safety culture, developing and maintaining strong relationships and trust at every level of the organization, translating stakeholder needs into dynamic safety programs, practices and procedures which drive total food quality impact across the Company. This role is a thought partner to the Executive Leadership Team and board investors as needed, and as such will ensure alignment, gain trust and present updates regularly on the quality performance of Shaw Bakers. A successful Director will be visible on the plant floors and among production manufacturing staff regularly to ensure all processes are adapted and being followed consistently.

Who You Are:

• A manager driven by root cause analysis, solutions and continuous improvement.
• A visible, passionate leader able to inspire, engage and mobilize the organization.
• Thrives in a dynamic environment and can work on various projects simultaneously, requiring strong organizational and time management skills.
• Visionary who can help see and create a future state company and define steps to arrive there.
• Encouraging, hands-on leader able to link cross functional teams together to inspire change.
• Highly competitive with a strong sense of curiosity and drive.
• Inclined to boldly take on issues and challenges; to comfortably confront and work through conflict; to communicate messages without hesitation; to deal promptly and fairly with employee relations issues.
• Self-aware; responsive to feedback; flexible and adaptable.
• Thrives in a dynamic environment and can work on various projects simultaneously, requiring strong organizational and time management skills.
• Fast paced but methodical player able to act nimbly in balancing short-term and long-term objectives while employing a bias for action.

What You’ll Do:

Leadership and Cross Functional Management

• Develop a SWOT analysis, assess Food Safety existing organizational structure, roles, goals – analyze, educate, advise, and influence business leaders on organizational design to meet the safety needs of the business today in for the future
• Assess and organize QA, QC and Regulatory teams to ensure top talent attraction, goal setting and measurement and achievement and overall development of the staff
• Partner with Manufacturing Ops to ensure Sanitation teams have a dotted line link to the Food Safety teams as a natural extension
• Propose and manage annual department budgets and spending
• Prioritize team project work based on schedule, risk, resources, and return on investment
• Coach, mentor, and train staff ongoing
• Prepare and deliver strategic Food Safety Annual Operating Plans inclusive of strategy, goals and metrics to be measured on an ongoing basis
• Contribute to a positive and motivating work environment
• Lead cross-functional teams across applicable La Boulangerie Shaw leaders and functions to ensure a total quality philosophy, culture and standards
• Drive clear cross-functional understanding of key quality issues / drivers and help teams make intentional, active trade-offs to balance quality, brand, and commercial objectives
• Identify any sources of food safety risk and drive clear organizational understanding and alignment on how to achieve “zero-tolerance” standard and culture across all departments
• Collaborate with Product Development, R&D and Operations to evaluate process development opportunities to drive consistency in lot-level quality attainment

Quality Food Safety Procedures

• Evaluate / refine existing company quality processes, measures, and procedures
• Collaborate with internal teams to drive clear understanding of quality standards and establish robust capability to drive compliance with the goal of consistent quality attainment
• Develop / implement continuous improvement program to ensure consistent elevation of quality standards
• Function as the primary contact for third party suppliers related to food safety programs including pest control, sanitation, and SQF audit compliance, ensuring pro-active communications with operations, vendors and customers and efficient and effective execution of these programs across the organization

Vendor Management and Audit Compliance

• Refine company audit process / manuals and develop clear, effective communication strategy with key suppliers
• Collaborate with Product Innovation colleagues and Purchasing teams to evaluate new suppliers and, where applicable, develop remediation / process improvement programs to ensure compliance with company standards
• Maintain audit / regulatory / and SOP tracking systems for suppliers to ensure all documentation is current and compliant with company and / or regulatory standards
• Refine company recall procedures including regular mock recall testing with cross functional team
• Participate in quarterly customer and vendor business reviews to highlight quality trends and key areas for improvement
• Provide leadership, support, and participate in Food Safety and GMP audits (BRC, regulatory FDA, USDA, customer, etc.)

Other areas of focus include, but are not limited to regulatory, documentation, testing programs, consumer quality support, and crisis response.

What You’ll Need:

• Bachelor’s degree in laboratory/science field, master’s degree preferred
• 10+ years’ manufacturing experience in the food industry required, experience in the baking / yeast industry preferred
• Startup food company experience with proven track record building and implementing programs from scratch
• Recent work experience in food manufacturing with HACCP, GMPs and SQF is required
• USDA experience is required
• Advanced computer skills, ERP/MRP advanced navigation skills, Microsoft Suite, (knowledge of Sage ERP a plus)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to effectively communicate and interact when working with cross-functional teams
• Proven track record transforming company cultures to food safety focus
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize projects and adapt to changing deadlines
• Ability to take initiative and work independently
• Willingness to cultivate career-growth opportunities and advancement for team members
• High Performance Teams commitment to people optimization
• Proven track record in a high growth organization
• Ability to set strategy and provide direction to multiple departments with ability and willingness to stay close to day-to-day department performance

Who We Are

We are the proud artisans behind San Francisco's beloved bakery brand, La Boulangerie, charting a path towards a nationwide presence in the world of CPG. Established in 1996 by French baker Pascal Rigo, La Boulangerie swiftly earned its place as a household name across California. Our unwavering mission from day one has been to bring a little taste of France, with delicious and nutritious food, to as many people as possible.

Fueled by our Bay Area roots, thriving neighborhood cafes, and historical successes, we embark on an exciting journey into larger-scale CPG and wholesale opportunities. Through our past endeavors with industry giants, to today's strategic partnership with Premium Brands, we're forging ahead with creativity and innovation, ensuring that our artisanal baked goods can be accessible to all.

We manage branded product under La Boulangerie and private label product under Shaw Bakers, powered by one united and mighty team. We are bakers and innovators. We are food lovers dedicated to bringing delicious & nutritious food to as many people as possible, making a range of products from breads, pastries, sandwiches, and snacks. Our goal is to balance continual innovation while maintaining French standards for quality and technique.

Today, our customers can sample decadent viennoiserie, mouthwatering sandwiches, and artisanal breads from one of our San Francisco cafe bakeries, or pick up their favorite loaf of Croissant Toast and Ham & Swiss Croissants from several fine retailers across the Bay Area and beyond...and we are just getting started!

Job Tags

Similar Jobs