Position Summary:The Chief Quality Officer (CQO) is responsible for leading the organization's quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance functions to ensure the highest standards of product integrity and operational excellence. This executive role provides strategic direction and oversight of quality systems, regulatory requirements, and continuous improvement initiatives across all manufacturing operations.
Essential Functions:- Develop and execute the company's quality and food safety strategy aligned with business objectives and regulatory requirements.
- Provide executive leadership over Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Food Safety, Regulatory Affairs, and Sanitation functions.
- Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory standards, including FDA, USDA, GMP, HACCP, and other relevant food safety regulations.
- Establish and maintain robust quality management systems (QMS) to ensure product consistency, safety, and compliance.
- Oversee sanitation programs across all manufacturing sites, ensuring compliance with food safety standards, regulatory requirements, and internal policies while driving consistency, effectiveness, and continuous improvement in sanitation practices.
- Lead the organization's Regulatory Affairs function, ensuring alignment with FDA, USDA, and other applicable regulatory bodies, and overseeing regulatory strategy, submissions, and compliance activities to support product quality, market readiness, and risk mitigation.
- Oversee internal and external audits, inspections, and certifications, ensuring readiness and successful outcomes.
- Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to ensure quality and food safety standards are maintained throughout production, sanitation, storage, and distribution. (enhanced scope)
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (CAPA) processes for quality issues and non-conformances.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on product quality, process efficiency, sanitation effectiveness, and compliance performance. (enhanced scope)
- Manage supplier quality programs in collaboration with procurement and supplier approval functions.
- Monitor quality and sanitation-related metrics and KPIs, providing performance insights and reporting to executive leadership.
- Ensure proper documentation, recordkeeping, and audit trails to support compliance and regulatory requirements.
- Build, develop, and lead high-performing quality, regulatory, and sanitation teams across multiple sites.
Additional Duties:- Represent the organization in regulatory interactions, audits, and industry engagements.
- Support new product development and commercialization from a quality and compliance perspective.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
- Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
- Minimum of 12-15 years of progressive experience in quality, food safety, or regulatory leadership roles.
- Extensive knowledge of food safety regulations, including FDA, USDA, GMP, HACCP, and GFSI standards.
- Experience in manufacturing, food production, or nutritional products strongly preferred.
- Proven leadership experience managing multi-site quality organizations.
- Strong problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills.
- Experience with quality systems, audits, and compliance frameworks.
- Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to influence at the executive level.
