Director of Food Safety and Quality Systems

Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods (“GDK”) stands at the forefront as a premier provider of authentic Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. Our portfolio, featuring gyros, specialty meats, pitas, flatbreads, tzatziki, hummus, spreads, falafel, ready-to-eat and plant-based proteins, along with value-added bakery products, reflects our commitment to quality and authenticity. Serving over 400 foodservice distributors, 30,000 independent and national chain restaurants, and marking our presence in the top 40 U.S. retailers, we continue to enrich dining experiences with the flavors of the Mediterranean.

Our Vision: Continue to be the leader in Greek, Mediterranean and inspired world cuisine. We strive to have every table or menu in the world serving up our delicious flavors.

Our Mission: To be top of mind with our customers as the preferred and trusted company of choice, by delivering mutual value, and acting with a sense of urgency.

Our Guiding Principles:
Customer Centricity: Put the customer at the heart of the business,
Ownership and Empathy: Act like owners, think like customers,
Conscious leadership: Leading with awareness, kindness, and courage,
Competitive Spirit: Playing to win.

As members of the GDK family, we seek individuals who resonate with our vision, mission, and guiding principles. Your alignment with these core values enables us to maintain our legacy of excellence and innovation. We encourage you to embrace our commitment to customer satisfaction, ownership, leadership, and competitive spirit. Together, we will continue to bring the rich flavors of the Mediterranean to the world, fostering a culture of respect, growth, and shared success.

Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods Corp is seeking a Food Safety & Quality Systems Director for our Elk Grove Village or Glendale Heights location. As our Food Safety & Quality Systems Director you will be responsible for ensuring that all products meet the quality standards, comply with regulatory requirements, and are produced in a safe, hygienic environment. Also leading and managing our food manufacturing plant's food safety, quality assurance, customer expectation, SQF certification requirements and sanitation programs.

What you are going to be doing…

Leadership, Team Management & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of quality systems professionals, cultivating a high-energy and hands-on culture that encourages team collaboration, growth, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for food safety and quality assurance, offering expert guidance and support to internal teams, including production, R&D, operations, and all other departments.
• Provide FSQA updates to Operations, Executive Leadership, and other departments on FSQA key initiatives, challenges, failures, and improvements.
• Managing relationship with plant inspection personnel and serve as the programs subject matter expert for food safety and quality assurance.
• Manage the PHIS admin functions, responding to regulatory non-compliance and collaborating internally.

Food Safety & Quality Program Management and Development

• Develop, and manage FSQA programs, including the HACCP Program, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, Pest Control, Good Manufacturing Practices, Traceability, Food Defense, and Security. Ensure compliance with all relevant food safety regulations (e.g., FDA, USDA, HACCP, FSMA, Identity preserved materials – Halal, Kosher, GAP).
• Manage the regulatory compliance and quality systems procedures for all products (raw and cooked) across the company.
• Create effective training programs and adjust as necessary to address emerging food safety and quality challenges in support of execution teams.
• Responsible for the development of written procedures (SOP), work instructions as appropriate and training on new and existing procedures.
• Support and lead as needed, the team in food safety audits, inspections, and assessments, both internal and external, to ensure ongoing compliance and readiness.
• Support QA managers to ensure adherence to food safety standards, proactively identifying and mitigate potential risks to maintain a compliant production environment.
• Regularly review the programs and support development identifying improvement opportunities for effective execution for product quality standards, specifications, and testing procedures.
• Manage the development and maintenance of quality documentation, including product specifications, process work instructions, test results, internal audit reports.
• Responsible for KPIs and FSQA Metrics in collaboration with QA managers to prepare and present as needed regular reports to VP FSQA and leadership on food safety, quality metrics, audit results, and compliance status.
• Participate and lead regular internal audits to ensure compliance with QMS and regulatory requirements and understand opportunities for training development.
• Collabore with R&D team on red-folder approvals, product validation processes.
• Verify, approve, and ensure required documentation and record keeping of all new and revised formulas and specifications. Assists in product commercialization and plant trials.
• Support export process training and development with internal stakeholders.
• Support QA managers in troubleshooting events in sanitation, product performance, and quality or food safety issues.
• Partner with QA managers in facilitation of verification and validation activities associated with food safety and quality plans.
• Oversee sanitation program performance, documentation, validation and verification of the sanitation program. Lead periodic sanitation audits against the consistent application and execution of procedures and related sanitation practices.

Supplier Quality Management

• Responsible for supplier approval program management in collaboration with the procurement team.
• Oversee the supplier FSMA compliance activities with guidance to the Quality systems manager in Food Logic management.
• Provide guidance on supplier activities related to quality, food safety, and product safety to ensure compliance with company standards and regulations. Supplier onsite visits as needed.
• Play key role in supplier deficiency improvement process, problem-cause identification and correction.
• Perform all other duties, responsibilities, and special projects as assigned.

What you need to have…

• Bachelor's degree in food science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field; or equivalent professional experience that demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of industry and job-specific knowledge, skills, and practices.
• 8-10 years of experience in food safety and quality assurance within the food manufacturing industry, with at least 5 years in a leadership role, direct management experience, including experience managing Managers.
• Experience with Raw, ready-to-eat meat and/or poultry is required.
• HACCP, SQF Practitioner and Preventive Controls Qualified Individual certifications required.
• Master's degree preferred.
• In-depth knowledge of food safety regulations (FDA, USDA, FSMA, GMP, HACCP) and other industry-specific standards.
• Strong experience in managing diverse teams, fostering a positive culture, and collaborating effectively across multiple departments.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to identify problems, analyze data, and implement effective solutions, and the ability to handle multiple projects to ensure timely completion.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and changing environment while interacting with staff at all levels.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Redzone, Food Logiq, ERP and quality management software.
• Strong, positive team leadership and collaboration skills.
• Experienced in SPC development and understanding system capabilities.
• Experience development, implementation, training, and administration of GMP, SQF, HACCP, FDA, USDA Organic, Kosher or other regulatory or industry certification program development and administration.
• Demonstrated strength in process improvement, SOP documentation and plant employee training.
• Understanding of sanitation systems, techniques, and procedures.
• Possesses understanding of the basics of change management.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and simultaneous user needs.
• Strong project management skills
• Mental demands include multi-tasking, decision making, problem solving, comparing, computing, compiling, analyzing, coordinating, and synthesizing data.
• Attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate well cross-functionally and work well at all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical skills, troubleshooting and judgment skills.

Why work with us…

At Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods, we understand that fulfilling our mission involves a blend of innovation and reverence for tradition—a challenge that demands exceptional dedication from our team. We hold high expectations, but we are equally committed to supporting our employees. This commitment is reflected in our pledge to provide a respectful work environment, fair compensation, and abundant opportunities for professional growth. Our community standards are built on the pillars of equal employment opportunities, respectful dialogue and actions, integrity, and accountability

What we offer…

• Highly competitive compensation and bonus programs
• Medical, Dental and Vision options for you and your family
• Safe-harbor 401(k) Plan with generous matching and immediate vesting
• Life, AD&D, Short and Long-term Disability Programs
• Health, Dependent Care, & Commuter Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Account Contributions
• Additional Voluntary Benefit Programs
• Paid Vacations and Holidays
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Compensation range:
$140k - $150k with a target bonus of 20%.

Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods Corp is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, marital status, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.