Job description

Posting for Job Position: Director of Food Safety & QA

Natural Provisions LLC is an all-natural, pre-packaged / ready-to-eat food manufacturer and direct-store-delivery (DSD) distribution business serving the entire Northern California region, from as far north as Sacramento and Santa Rosa to as far south as Santa Cruz. On a daily basis, we prepare fresh salads, sandwiches, wraps, burritos, and dips that feature nutritious, wholesome ingredients. Within hours of production, our fleet of modern refrigerated trucks distributes these products, as well as those of our vendors, to retail stores and food-service accounts throughout Northern California.

Our mission is to offer the finest quality foods at a competitive price to our customers throughout the Bay Area. To achieve this, we adhere to one of the most rigorous production and delivery schedules in the food industry. To ensure that our customers get the freshest product possible, we use a just-in-time supply chain model, careful product rotation, and proper ordering and date-coding processes. All of this is made possible by the thorough training and extensive experience of our dedicated staff, some of whom have been with us for over 25 years! We are proud to continue to be trusted by natural food retailers, hospitals, and schools throughout the Bay Area for more than 30 years.

Job Description

The Director of Food Safety and QA will provide strategic and field-level leadership to achieve excellence in all areas of Food Safety and Quality Assurance, ensuring brand protection by successfully overseeing the development and execution of a robust Food Safety Program.
This program must satisfy all requirements for compliance with necessary regulatory agencies, governmental and 3rd party. The director will be a visible presence working to establish a company-wide culture of QA through the development and implementation of effective training programs, clear and measurable goals, and Continuous Improvement initiatives to enhance quality processes. As the company expands, the director will provide guidance on certifications, policy, resources, and training to ensure the safety of our product.
The director will be responsible for maintaining good standing at all times with regulatory agencies, including managing the pertinent documentation, calendar of required audits/communications, and relationships with said agencies.

● $90,000-$120,000 DOE

1

● Full time, West Oakland CA
● Some travel to ancillary locations

Responsibilities

● Manage successful food safety strategy and program execution, ensuring brand protection

● Provide strategic leadership and direction to ensure product integrity by setting common quality vision, structure, management systems and processes.

● Function as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for all Food Safety related trends, regulations, and legislation, while maintaining a high level of expertise on related subjects, to ensure full compliance with all regulatory and 3rd party requirements

● Participate in strategic leadership by serving as the SME and innovative and progress-oriented advocate for Food Safety around all new initiatives

● Establish innovative processes that position us to be best-in-class in
Commercialization, navigating new products through the process with both maximum efficiency and safety

● Provide recommendations to management in relation to regulatory and internal compliance

● Develop company-wide benchmarks and corresponding metrics to measure Food
Safety performance against industry markers

● Define and advocate a culture of food safety throughout the organization.
● Identify KPIs and set goals for Food Safety across all areas of the Operation: from supply chain to distribution
● Develop, Iterate, Manage & Oversee all facets of specific Food Safety programs to establish and maintain compliance with governmental and 3rd party agencies
● Responsible for government, regulatory and customer audit administration
● Develop and maintain business relationships with appropriate regulatory agencies, serving in the role of liaison as related to all Food Safety matters.
● Manage investigations, and reporting of quality issues, market withdrawals and recalls, and implementation of internal audit control processes in the Quality Assurance/food safety arena.

● Work closely with Operations, Purchasing, Logistics, and other departments to provide guidance on, and assure implementation of, effective Food Safety programs.

● Assist in developing SOPs and SSOPs for processes across the Operation, from
Receiving through Delivery

● Develop & Implement comprehensive Training Programs for all areas of QA
● Manage and Oversee Document Control program for all SOPs, SSOPs, Food Safety

Plans, and relevant documentation for compliance and food safety
● Provide guidance to assess, control and resolve food safety risks in an effective and timely manner.
● Provide assistance to Customer Experience staff in handling of product complaints from both external and internal sources
● Troubleshoot and investigate food safety issues, performing RCAs as necessary to resolve
● Build and Lead an independent FSQA team; including developing, training and assessing the performance of FSQA staff
● Research and implement new technologies to enhance food safety, quality and traceability
● Additional projects and duties as assigned to this position

2

WORK EXPERIENCE / KNOWLEDGE:

● Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Food Science or other related degree

● Minimum 5+ years’ managerial experience, including managing an FSQA department and team, preference for multi-facility experience

● Knowledge of state, FDA, and USDA facilities in the High Care Fresh Food sphere

Organic experience preferred

● Preferred Certifications: HACCP, Food Defense, SQF Practitioner, PCQI

● Direct experience with AIB, SQF or similar food industry production audits

● Understanding of programs such as Kosher, Organic, USDA, PMO, IMS

● Experience developing, establishing, and implementing FSQA programs including:

Risk/Hazard Analysis, HACCP plans, GMPs, SOPs and SSOPs with Document Control,

Pest Control, Allergen Control & Recall programs)

● Experience overseeing Laboratory Procedures and Microbiology

● Excellent communication and presentation skills both orally and written

● Demonstrated knowledge and application of statistical process control, quality assurance techniques and tools and quality management principles in a food manufacturing environment

● Demonstrated ability to develop a team: direct, coach, and train associates as well as plan, monitor and schedule work

● Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines

● Experience with enablement and commercialization of new product lines including supporting HACCP, critical analysis and SSOP’s.

● Experience coordinating and preparing facilities and teams for food safety certifications

● Experience planning and implementing preventative systems

● Experience working directly with customers and supplier

● Strong computer literacy including Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, ERPs, statistical software programs, team communication platforms (eg Slack), project management platforms (eg Asana), and training software

Benefits:

● Cell phone reimbursement ($390 per year)
● Full time employees after 60 day introductory period: PTO (Paid time off),

Medical/Vision Insurance, Dental reimbursement up to $350 per year
● 401k
● Additional perks: Professional development with Google Grow, financial education with OneEleven

3

● Bi-weekly pay

COVID-19 considerations:

All employees are required to wear a mask while in the facility. We follow all local, state and federal recommendations as they pertain to Covid-19. We encourage our employees to get vaccinated. We have both indoor and outdoor break areas.

Natural Provisions LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

4

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $90,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Weekend availability

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Oakland, Ca 94607: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Experience:

• HACCP: 5 years (Preferred)

Work Location: One location

gatheringourvoice.org is the go-to platform for job seekers looking for the best job postings from around the web. With a focus on quality, the platform guarantees that all job postings are from reliable sources and are up-to-date. It also offers a variety of tools to help users find the perfect job for them, such as searching by location and filtering by industry. Furthermore, gatheringourvoice.org provides helpful resources like resume tips and career advice to give job seekers an edge in their search. With its commitment to quality and user-friendliness, gatheringourvoice.org is the ideal place to find your next job.