Role OverviewWe have a great opportunity for someone to join us as a Regional Quality Manager, based remotely in California. The role will be responsible for leading the quality and feed safety programme across one of Westway's four regions, ensuring the safety, consistency and compliance of all products manufactured, stored and shipped across the region's plants and terminals. The position will oversee the implementation of company quality standards, make product release decisions and take ownership of regional quality performance, working independently to ensure that quality and feed safety remain the priority. Working closely with regional and global teams across quality, operations and sales, this role will also have the opportunity to make a real impact through providing practical solutions, supporting continuous improvement and helping the region achieve its operational and commercial goals.
Position Title: Regional Quality Manager
Business area: Liquid Products
Division: Westway Feed Products
Location: California
Position Type: Full-time
Schedule: Remote
The targeted salary range for this position is
$100,000-$130,000 based on level of experience, skills, and capabilities. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare and 401K benefits.
Key Accountabilities: - Leads and takes ownership of the regional quality and feed safety programme across all plants, terminals and storage locations, ensuring consistent standards and performance.
- Establishes regional quality priorities in collaboration with regional leadership, monitors performance and reporting of results.
- Ensures company quality standards, food safety plans, preventive controls and regulatory requirements are implemented and maintained across all regional sites.
- Acts as the regional authority for quality and feed safety, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations, customer requirements, certifications and industry standards.
- Oversees product quality and release decisions, including the investigation, management and disposition of non-conforming products and ingredients.
- Ensures effective quality control throughout receiving, storage, production, blending, testing and loading processes, maintaining product identity, accuracy and functionality.
- Leads investigations into customer complaints, product quality issues and non-conformances, identifying root causes and implementing corrective and preventive actions.
- Conducts site visits, audits and risk assessments to verify compliance, identify improvement opportunities and ensure appropriate corrective actions are completed.
- Provides quality and feed safety training, guidance and support to site employees and leaders, ensuring procedures and best practices are understood and consistently followed.
- Maintains accurate and up-to-date quality documentation, specifications, records and procedures, ensuring they are accessible and compliant with company and regulatory requirements.
- Works closely with regional operations, sales, procurement and other quality functions to support customer requirements, supplier performance and effective commercial and operational decision-making.
- Builds strong working relationships across the region, providing practical solutions while maintaining independent quality judgment, promoting continuous improvement and supporting the wider business objectives.
Skills and Experience To perform the duties of this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below outline the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies that are required in this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Bachelor's degree in animal feed or food science, chemistry, microbiology, agriculture or a related field, or 10+ years of equivalent quality experience in a regulated manufacturing environment.
- 8+ years' experience in quality or feed/food safety within regulated feed, pet food, food or ingredient manufacturing, including at least 3 years leading a quality programme or making product release decisions.
- Qualified as a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) for Animal Food, or able to complete the qualification within 90 days of hire.
- Strong knowledge of FSMA animal food regulations, cGMP, HACCP, state feed control programmes and feed labelling requirements.
- Demonstrated experience in root cause analysis and corrective action, with the ability to maintain independent quality decisions under commercial pressure.
- Internal or lead auditor qualification, or experience with third-party certification schemes such as Safe Feed/Safe Food or FSSC.
- Valid driver's licence and flexibility to travel up to 50%, including overnight stays.
- Experience in multi-site or regional quality leadership is preferred.
- Experience working with liquid feed, molasses, co-products or ethanol by-products is highly desirable but not essential.
- Experience with medicated feed requirements, including 21 CFR 225 and Veterinary Feed Directive is desirable.
- Knowledge of Canadian or Mexican feed regulatory requirements is desirable due to the manufacturing presence Westway holds.
We recognise that talent comes in many forms, and we value potential just as much as experience. If this role excites you but you don't meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.
Our Offer We provide a fast-paced, stimulating and truly global environment, which will stretch your abilities and channel your talents. We also offer competitive salary and benefits combined with outstanding career development opportunities in one of the global leaders in soft commodity trading.
Our Westway Values Integrity, Accountability, Teamwork, Passion for Service, Business Insight Westway's values guide our pursuit of providing a safe and rewarding environment for our employees while helping our customers to thrive.
