Senior Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance

Oakland, CA

The Senior Director of FSQA is a vital partner in the daily success of Kiva Confections, ensuring the company complies with all Kiva Standards and overseeing regulators. This individual will manage and improve current FSQA programs. Most importantly the Senior Director of FSQA will be responsible for building and scaling a premier nationwide FSQA program for one of the largest cannabis edibles companies in the United States. The Senior Director of FSQA will drive Kiva manufacturing plants to GFSI level audit compliance through hiring, training, audits, and seeking outside counsel.

This job is for you, if...

You excel at building and scaling.
You are passionate about FSQA and the its place as a strategic partner to Manufacturing, R&D, and Sales.
You have extensive knowledge and experience in running an FSQA program in a food manufacturing plant
You lead with “Yes” but your north star is safety and quality
You are a wealth of compliance knowledge, coaching and mentoring those around you
You love managing and building teams that thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
You are a great coach and mentor, leading with compassion and kindness, but balance that with accountability
You are proactive. You spot issues before they become problems and move quickly to resolve them
You are great communicator. You are great at getting buy-in cross departments and are results-driven

As the Kiva Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance, you will...

Oversee the development and implementation of all food safety, food quality, internal audit, supplier approval, chemical control programs and ensure compliance to all related policies, procedures, and specifications
Direct and manage areas of function regarding Quality Control, Quality Assurance and Sanitation ensuring adherence to all FDA-FSMA, GMP, HACCP and Code of Federal Regulations
Develop and implement food safety plans and critical metrics to assure compliance with regulatory requirements
Develop, manage, and promote continuous quality improvement activities for the companyLead efforts to assure compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), GFSI, and other regulatory and environmental compliance programs
Foster a culture of Continuous Improvement and deliberate problem solving through implementation and training of CI Tools
Collect, analyze, and summarize data from the field, production, or internal testing to effectively make improvements to product, processes, or standards.
Educate plant teams on collection and utilization of data as a continuous improvement tool.
Work cooperatively with all departments (Sales, GEO, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Warehouse, Accounting, etc.) to approve and launch new products to the market.
Support the R&D initiatives working collaboratively with operations leadership in designing and implementing systems and processes that improve both product/process quality and operating efficiency.
Develop proactive relationships with Sales, Customer Service and Strategic Customers to ensure customer expectations are accurately reflected in KPIs, Specifications and key process requirements.
Oversee external audits of raw material manufacturers, packaging manufacturers, contract laboratories and other suppliers as directed.
Oversee the maintenance of regulatory databases, archives, and quality management system
Responsible for conducting and reviewing investigations relating to customer/consumer complaints, deviations
Ensure compliance to all federal, state and local regulatory requirements
Ensure compliance to all state cannabis regulatory requirements for manufacturing
Proactively identify potential and emerging food safety issues and develop strategies to investigate and respond effectively
Develop and deliver Food Safety & Quality Management System training
Manage all out of state Kiva manufacturing program managers

What we're looking for...

Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Science or a related field is required
Minimum 5 years’ experience as a Director of FSQA in a food manufacturing facility with experience leading teams and building programs
Cannabis experience is not required, but preferred
Relevant certifications: SQF practitioner, FSMA certified, HACCP certified

Work Environment

Work is typically based in a busy office environment and subject to frequent interruptions.
Business work hours are Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, however some extended or weekend hours may be required.

Physical Requirements

Requires intermittent standing, walking, sitting, squatting, stretching and bending throughout the workday.
May be required to lift and carry items weighing up to 25 lbs.

Kiva Confections provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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