OverviewPurpose:The Senior Manager, Regional Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) provides leadership and direction for food safety and quality across the North America region. Serving as a key partner to regional business and Supply Chain leadership, this role oversees regional and site FSQA execution, drives performance and continuous improvement, and serves as a primary Quality representative for customers and key business partners.
Working collaboratively across Operations, Supply Chain and Global FSQR, the Senior Manager helps translate company priorities into effective execution while strengthening food safety and quality capability throughout the region. This is a highly visible leadership role for an experienced professional who enjoys developing people, solving complex problems and influencing how Quality supports the business.
This role provides flexibility to work in a hybrid environment of home and our Westlake Village, CA office. (Hybrid is defined as 3 times per week in the office).
ResponsibilitiesPrimary Accountabilities:Regional FSQA Leadership & Execution- Lead food safety and quality execution across North America, providing oversight to regional and site FSQA teams and serving as the primary FSQA partner to regional business and Supply Chain leadership.
- Monitor significant food safety and quality risks, performance gaps and corrective actions, ensuring effective execution, follow-through and appropriate escalation.
- Lead, coach and develop FSQA personnel while strengthening food safety and quality culture, capability and accountability across the region.
Program Deployment & Capability Building- Lead regional implementation and reinforcement of company food safety and quality programs, standards and requirements including training and capability building across applicable functions.
- Coordinate regional food safety and quality incidents, ensuring appropriate assessment, communication, escalation and corrective action in partnership with relevant stakeholders.
- Partner with Global FSQR subject-matter experts to address technical and capability needs and support development of regional or facility SOPs, protocols and other supporting documentation.
Customer, Business & Supply Chain Partnership- Serve as the primary North America Quality Representative for customers including strategic customer relationships, audits, inquiries and quality-related issues.
- Partner with Supply Chain, Operations, Commercial, Procurement, R&D and other functions to integrate food safety and quality requirements into business activities, commercialization and change initiatives.
- Coordinate regional FSQA activities involving suppliers, third-party manufacturers, warehousing and transportation in partnership with the appropriate Global FSQR teams.
Performance & Continuous Improvement- Drive regional FSQA performance through KPIs, scorecards, trend analysis and management reporting, providing appropriate visibility to regional leadership and Global FSQR.
- Identify systemic risks, recurring issues and improvement opportunities and drive effective corrective and preventive actions across the region.
- Manage regional FSQA resources and priorities to support business needs, strengthen execution and continuously improve food safety and quality performance.
- Other duties as assigned
QualificationsExperience, Knowledge, & Skills You Bring:- 8+ years of progressive experience in food safety, quality assurance or related food manufacturing disciplines, including demonstrated leadership responsibility.
- Strong knowledge of food safety and quality management systems, HACCP/Preventive Controls, GMPs, GFSI-recognized certification schemes and applicable U.S./Canada food regulations.
- Experience working across manufacturing, Supply Chain and cross-functional business environments.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and work effectively across organizational boundaries.
- Experience managing customer quality relationships and communicating effectively with senior business leaders.
- Strong understanding of incident management, risk assessment, corrective and preventive action, and continuous improvement principles.
- Strong analytical and communication skills with the ability to translate technical issues and performance data into practical business actions.
- Demonstrated ability to coach and develop technical professionals and build effective cross-functional relationships.
What You'll Need to Succeed:- Passionate about a purpose driven career
- Committed to fostering inclusive environments that support employee development and well-being
- Sets clear expectations, encourages innovation, and drives continuous improvement
- Models and coaches towards transparency and integrity in decision-making
- Effectively facilitates cross-team communication and teamwork
Education & Certification:- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry or Life Sciences is required.
- Advanced degree preferred but not required.
- HACCP and/or Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) training strongly preferred.
- Relevant GFSI, auditing, food safety or quality certifications are beneficial.
Physical Requirements:- Ability to sit and use the computer for extended periods of time; ability to answer phones and use a variety of office equipment; ability to lift 15 pounds and reach overhead.
Travel Requirements:- Approximately 30-40%, including travel to company facilities, customers, and business partners as required.
