Location: Location is Toms River, NJ 

Director of Quality, Food Safety, and Regulatory Affairs

CHOCOLATE. A simple luxury that brings smiles to faces of people the world over! And it is our client’s passion every day. They have been making chocolate products for decades in the European style of our founding family ancestors. Since 1950, our client has come to be known as a leader in Hospitality, Travel Retail, Food Service, and Private Label chocolates. Through investments in people and technology, they are respected as an innovator in custom graphics, printing, and chocolate. This led to their creation of a highly customized product division aimed at Corporate Sales.

Our client’s culture is rooted in dedication, devotion, innovation, teamwork, social responsibility, and most of all, a commitment to the success of our employees and customers.

The Director of Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Affairs leads the development and implementation of the Food Safety and Quality strategy of the company. You will be charged with putting safety and quality first as we deliver the right product, to the right customer on time, every time. This is what we strive to accomplish on a daily basis. This position works collaboratively with manufacturing, purchasing, and logistic teams to implement the Food Safety and Quality Strategy and to manage food safety risk compliance for the entire company. This position is responsible for monitoring and assessing manufacturing, purchasing, and logistic operations from food safety risk program compliance for the entire company. The Director will serve as liaison among production, purchasing, R&D and sales departments to ensure all specifications and customer requirements are pertinent, accurate, well documented and followed. This position will work closely with senior management to maintain impeccable quality and cleanliness standards on an audit ready every day basis.

Who are you?

  • Integrity is at the core of who you are. You earn people’s trust, with the ability to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information as you field inquiries.
  • You’ve got drive and can handily manage new tasks without the benefit of written procedures.
  • Your curious mindset enables you to interpret complex data, developing and communicating value-add solutions.
  • You’re approachable, actively listening and adapting your style to the audience.
  • You’re flexible, a solution seeker. You embrace the grey, troubleshooting in a fast paced environment to achieve the necessary results.

Responsibilities

  • Accountable for strategic food safety and compliance leadership, including integration of quality into the business in all functions and all levels, developing, improving and executing a quality management system that ensures compliance to appropriate food safety, regulatory, customer and quality requirements.
  • Ongoing development, implementation, and management of all aspects of quality programs. Includes maintaining SOPs and product specifications for all products.
  • Manage Food Safety and Quality Programs as per SQF Requirements. HACCP and FDA regulatory compliance including GMPs and third-party audit requirements (GFSI).
  • Ensure Food Safety, Quality and Process Control issues are successfully resolved including effective use of Root Cause Analyses and Corrective and Preventative Action tools.
  • Forge partnerships within the team and across departments so you thoroughly understand our business and processes, identifying the most efficient, effective strategic direction for Total Quality Management.
  • Responsible for leadership of the Quality and Regulatory teams to include mentoring, teaching, and ensuring the team is trained and current on all quality systems and regulatory issues
  • Responsible for ongoing employee training activities designed to keep employees knowledgeable and informed of SOPs, methods, and Good Manufacturing Practices. Ensure standards for personal hygiene are met and implements corrective actions where needed.
  • Provide technical expertise in Innovation and Commercialization projects by working collaboratively with all internal teams.
  • Direct and monitor compliance with FSMA rules and regulations at all facilities, including supplier approval program and Foreign Supplier Verification Program.
  • Regulatory Affairs and Labeling:
  • Lead the development and review of label change requests and artwork ensuring regulatory compliance.
  • Provide regulatory guidance and support to manufacturing, sales, research & development, and project teams as needed

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Science in Food Science, Chemistry, Microbiology or equivalent Scientific Discipline.
  • Minimum of seven to ten leading teams in charge of quality, food safety, ideally from an FDA/USDA regulated industry (e.g., food, beverage, confectionery a plus).
  • Experience with FSMA and current food related regulations. PCQI certificate.
  • Experience with GFSI, regulatory, and customer audits. SQF Practitioner required.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work in a team environment
  • Understanding of regulatory and food law at the state and federal level including labeling and organic, and kosher requirements.

Job Type: Full-time

Experience:

  • Quality Management: 7 years (Required)

Education:

  • Bachelor’s (Required)

Benefits offered:

  • Paid time off
  • Parental leave
  • Health insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Healthcare spending or reimbursement accounts such as HSAs or FSAs
  • Other types of insurance
  • Retirement benefits or accounts
  • Education assistance or tuition reimbursement
  • Child Care benefits
  • Employee discounts

All applicants for this position must be authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without requiring sponsorship.

For more information, please contact Liz Pereira, OPUS International, Inc. at (954) 428-3888 or lizp@foodscience.com