Job Description
Job Title: Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance Essential Skills - Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field.
- 7-10 years of progressive experience in quality assurance and food processing, including prior management experience.
- In-depth knowledge of USDA/FDA regulations, GFSI standards, and industry best practices.
- HACCP and PCQI certification required.
Additional Skills & Qualifications - Experience with quality assurance in the food industry, particularly with oils, is preferred.
- Quality assurance, FDA, and food experience.
Job Description The Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance will serve as the site food safety leader, providing direction and technical leadership in developing and implementing quality systems. This role ensures compliance with corporate policies, GFSI standards, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations.
Responsibilities - Identify opportunities and lead initiatives to improve quality programs and systems.
- Mentor and support team members to develop a high-performing, technically skilled FSQA team.
- Oversee compliance of offsite warehouses to specifications and requirements, conducting audits and assessments as needed.
- Provide subject matter expertise on sanitation practices to drive effectiveness and operational efficiency.
- Ensure regulatory compliance through routine interaction with USDA inspectors and issue resolution.
- Direct in-process quality control activities, including testing of raw materials and finished goods.
- Monitor, track, and report FSQA performance through established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and quality metrics.
- Provide functional QA leadership for facility initiatives and capital projects.
- Lead investigation and resolution of customer complaints, ensuring timely and accurate responses.
- Manage internal and external audits, ensuring compliance and timely closure of findings.
- Verify compliance with HACCP and food safety programs, including oversight of prerequisite programs.
- Review and make final disposition decisions on retained product and materials, ensuring procedures and documentation are properly executed.
- Monitor adherence to SOPs, manufacturing operating procedures, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
- Deliver training and development programs to ensure QA personnel meet technical and compliance standards.
- Participate in internal product evaluation panels and support continuous improvement through product reviews.
- Support broader employee training initiatives related to food safety and quality system topics.
- Establish and manage departmental costs and expenditures in line with budgetary expectations.
- Perform additional duties as assigned in support of company and department goals
Work Environment - The position is primarily based in a normal office environment, with occasional visits to the production floor. It is a climate-controlled environment with room temperature settings. The role may require availability 24/7. The company offers a stable work environment. Bonus is dependent on company and individual performance, with the company performing at target 90% of the time.
Job Type & Location This is a Permanent position based out of Chicago, IL.
Pay and Benefits The pay range for this position is $125000.00 - $160000.00/yr.
10 paid holidays. 3 weeks of vacation for first 2 years. 4 weeks vacation after that.
Workplace Type This is a fully onsite position in Chicago,IL.
Application Deadline This position is anticipated to close on Apr 14, 2026.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:
- Hiring diverse talent
- Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
- Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
- Ensuring growth opportunities for our people
Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.
About Actalent Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we've helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC-with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.
Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com .
Job Tags
Permanent employment, Work at office