Westrock Coffee is seeking an experienced and principled Vice President of Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) to lead food safety, regulatory compliance, and quality systems for our Conway manufacturing facility. This role serves as the guardian of product integrity, consumer safety, and customer trust across the manufacturing operation. The VP of FSQA will lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of robust food safety and quality systems while fostering a strong culture of accountability, compliance, and operational excellence. The successful candidate must demonstrate unwavering integrity, strong leadership presence, and the professional courage required to uphold food safety and quality standards under all circumstances. This individual must be capable of constructively partnering with Operations team while maintaining the independence necessary to ensure that regulatory compliance, customer specifications, and product integrity are never compromised. This role requires an experienced leader capable of operating effectively within a fast-paced and evolving manufacturing environment, providing clear direction to cross-functional teams and executive leadership while ensuring the highest standards of food safety and quality performance. The Vice President of FSQA is responsible for establishing and reinforcing a non-negotiable food safety and quality culture across the Conway manufacturing facilities. The successful candidate will: • Serve as the primary advocate for consumer safety, product integrity, and customer trust. • Establish and enforce a culture where food safety, regulatory compliance, and customer requirements are never compromised for operational convenience or production pressures. • Demonstrate the professional strength and judgment to uphold quality standards even in the presence of operational, commercial, or schedule pressures. • Maintain independent authority over food safety and product quality decisions, including the ability to halt production, place product on hold, or escalate issues when necessary. • Lead by example in promoting ethical decision-making, accountability, and transparency across all levels of the organization. • Partner effectively with Operations, Engineering, Sales/Commercial, and Supply Chain teams while ensuring that product safety and compliance remain a top priority in all manufacturing decisions. • Develop a culture where every employee understands their responsibility for protecting consumers and maintaining product integrity. Principal Responsibilities: • Lead and maintain robust food safety and quality systems aligned with the highest Westrock Coffee standards and regulatory requirements. • Develop, implement, and manage a GFSI-certified Quality Management System (QMS) for the Conway manufacturing facilities. • Maintain final authority for food safety and product quality decisions, including product release, product holds, product disposition, and escalation when product integrity or regulatory compliance is in question. • Implement KPI dashboards, SPC systems, and other quality performance metrics to ensure visibility of quality performance to executive leadership. • Serve as the site leader and primary liaison for all regulatory agencies, customer audits, certification audits, and internal compliance reviews. • Develop, mentor, and lead the FSQA team to ensure consistent application of food safety and quality systems across all manufacturing processes. • Serve as the primary escalation point for all quality and food safety issues involving customers, regulatory agencies, and internal stakeholders. • Ensure compliance with all applicable GFSI (SQF), FDA, FSMA, LACF, and other food safety regulatory requirements. • Establish and maintain Statistical Process Control (SPC) and measurement systems to monitor manufacturing capability and drive continuous improvement. • Serve as the primary interface with regulatory authorities including the FDA and state regulatory agencies, ensuring accurate and timely communications. • Work cross-functionally with Product Development, Commercialization, and Operations to establish quality systems that enable successful commercialization of new products. • Maintain oversight of regulatory submissions, including awareness of domestic and international regulatory requirements affecting company products. • Provide leadership for continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen food safety systems and manufacturing quality performance. • Support company initiatives as directed by executive leadership. • Ensure compliance with all company policies, operating procedures, and regulatory requirements. • Foster positive, professional collaboration across departments while maintaining accountability for food safety and product quality standards. • Lead talent development, succession planning, and capability building within the FSQA organization. • Optimize human and equipment resources to maintain high-performing quality operations. • Promote and maintain a safe work environment while delivering world-class quality products to our customers. • Perform additional duties as required to support the overall success of the organization. Lead programs including: • Supplier approval • Allergen management • Traceability systems • Warehouse quality oversight • CAPA management • Process deviation management • Customer complaint investigations Manage regulatory requirements related to: • Product launches • Labeling compliance • Packaging regulatory compliance • Product registrations and documentation Required Qualifications: • Minimum 10 years of experience in Food Safety and Quality Assurance within food or beverage manufacturing, including at least 5 years managing a comprehensive Quality Management System in a medium-to-large manufacturing environment. • Required certifications include HACCP, PCQI, and experience with LACF regulatory requirements. GFSI certification experience required (SQF preferred). • Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred with demonstrated results in operational and quality improvement. • Experience in beverage manufacturing, particularly in low acid canned foods, aseptic processing, or extended shelf life (ESL) processes, strongly preferred. • Experience with coffee, tea extracts, or beverage ingredient manufacturing is advantageous. • Proven leadership ability in developing high-performing teams and building strong food safety and quality cultures within manufacturing organizations. • Demonstrated experience making difficult quality or food safety decisions that protected consumers and the company despite operational or commercial pressures. • Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate complex technical topics to executives, customers, and regulatory agencies. • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking capabilities. • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. • Strong organizational and follow-up skills with exceptional attention to detail. • Project management experience with the ability to lead complex initiatives. • Continuous improvement mindset with demonstrated experience implementing Lean Manufacturing or operational excellence initiatives. • Strong technical and regulatory knowledge related to food safety, compliance, and quality systems. • Proficiency in technical and business software tools used for quality and operational management. • Ability to travel up to approximately 20%, including international travel when required. • US work authorization required.