What are the responsibilities and job description for the Regional Quality Director position at KCO Resource Management?
Regional Quality Director
We are partnering with a rapidly growing food and beverage manufacturer that is leading the industry in innovation! They are looking for a Regional Quality Director who will lead and elevate food safety and quality programs across multisite low-acid aseptic bottling and PMO regulated dairy manufacturing sites. This position will be critical in establishing robust processes, systems, and teams that support new production lines, ensuring strategic alignment with enterprise quality standards and objectives. This role supports the supply chain and business goals, fostering continuous improvement and career growth within quality teams while driving progress across key performance indicators and will report to the Senior Quality Director.
Location: Chicago, IL (relocation assistance available)
Job Responsibilities:
- Develop and lead regional food safety, quality, and compliance programs to foster a proactive quality culture across new and existing production lines.
- Oversee site lab operations and product testing programs to enhance food safety, specification adherence, and efficiency, reducing holds to support first-time-right metrics.
- Define and manage QA department budgets, providing fiscal direction across sites.
- Lead and support quality system audits, ensure implementation of corrective actions as necessary to maintain compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
- Liaison with enterprise quality systems manager to ensure compliance with regulatory permitting and licensing requirements.
- Liaison with enterprise quality systems manager to ensure compliance with regulatory permitting and licensing requirements.
- Drive quality culture through personnel training on quality systems, methodologies, and management best practices.
- Support and partner with process authority and enterprise aseptic technical managers to conduct line validations, support site startup, line extensions, and conduct investigation of product quality failures.
- Support development, implementation, and monitoring of HACCP, HARPC, GMP, MSS, GFSI and ISO programs.
Required Skills/Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Dairy, Food Science, Microbiology, or a related discipline required
- 10 years of experience that is directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified in a dairy extended shelf life (ESL) or low acid aseptic consumer package environment; able to apply LEAN thinking to QA in a factory environment
- Strong working knowledge of the science of low acid aseptic products
- Excellent knowledge of aseptic and ESL processing and filling requirements
- SME in FDA, PMO and GFSI requirements for ESL and aseptic beverages with a proven track record of working proactively with process authorities and regulatory agencies
- Either currently certified or actively working to achieve certification in: GFSI (FSSC 22000). HACCP, GMP, PCQI/FSMA, Internal Audit, and Better Process Control School
- A very strong proponent of QA process design and the utilization of LIMS, ERP, QA software to drive compliance and data availability
- Strong leadership, communication, and team-building skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.
- Ability to travel up to 30%- NY, MI, IL
