DescriptionWe are looking for a Director of Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) and Sanitation who can operate at two levels at once: contributing to the direction of our food safety and quality program, and rolling up their sleeves to coach teams, solve technical problems, and model the standards we expect. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who has helped build or mature FSQ teams before and knows that culture, capability, and technical rigor have to advance together, not in sequence.
You'll help identify where the business most needs to improve, build the team's ability to operationalize food safety and quality on the floor, and grow ownership of food safety culture well beyond the FSQ department, in operations, finance, marketing, R&D, and across the leadership team. This role works closely with company leadership to ensure FSQ priorities are well understood and well executed.
This is an onsite position in Richvale, CA. Hybrid schedule (1-2 days remote) may be considered after 6 months in role. Key Responsibilities:Strategic Planning & Priority Setting
- Assess and identify key food safety and quality improvement areas.
- Partner with senior leadership to set and align priorities with business goals.
- Convert priorities into clear, actionable plans with defined sequencing.
- Report progress and adjust priorities as needed.
Team Capability & Technical Leadership
- Lead and develop FSQ leaders to build bench strength, accountability, and consistent execution across operations.
- Serve as the senior technical expert on food safety, quality, and regulatory matters, providing hands-on guidance and problem-solving.
- Strengthen team capability to effectively execute FSQ systems through standardized processes, training, and clear decision frameworks.
- Drive performance and engagement through coaching, development planning, and a collaborative, accountable team environment.
Culture & Cross-Functional Ownership
- Foster a culture where food safety and quality are shared responsibilities across all functions.
- Partner cross-functionally to embed FSQ considerations into decisions on budgeting, product development, customer commitments, and suppliers.
- Build trusted relationships and influence stakeholders without relying solely on authority.
- Represent FSQ in cross-functional and leadership forums, ensuring early and consistent integration into decision-making.
What Success Looks Like in Year One- A clear, well-supported set of FSQ priorities, understood and backed by operations and leadership.
- A more capable FSQ team, with stronger ownership and decision-making at the team-leader level.
- Visible movement toward shared food safety and quality ownership in at least one function outside of operations.
- Demonstrated progress against the organization's FSQ Prioritieszero waste, zero risk, zero compromise commitment, with credible evidence, not just intent.
Requirements- 10-15 years of progressive food safety and quality experience, including leadership of direct reports who themselves lead teams.
- Experience contributing to or helping mature a food safety and quality program, not just maintaining an existing one.
- Strong technical grounding in HACCP/HARPC, preventive controls, sanitation, and GFSI scheme requirements (SQF, BRC, or equivalent) and certifications (organic, kosher, etc.).
- Rice, milling, or grain processing experience strongly preferred.
- ASQ Certified Quality Manager (CQM), Lean Six Sigma Black Belt preferred.
- Proven ability to influence cross-functionally and build food safety ownership in groups that don't report to you.
- Comfort operating at both a strategic level (priority-setting, planning, communicating with leadership) and a hands-on level (floor coaching, technical troubleshooting, incident response).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt message and tone for peers, technical teams, and senior leadership.
