Director of Food Safety and Quality

Our client is a fast-growing food company specializing in fresh, ready-to-eat products distributed across Canada and the U.S. As the Director of Food Safety & Quality, you will lead the end-to-end food safety and quality strategy across all operations, suppliers, and co-manufacturing partners.

This is a senior leadership role responsible for building, maintaining, and continuously improving a best-in-class food safety program. You will play a critical role in protecting consumers, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting scalable growth as the business expands.

Key Responsibilities

Develop, own and lead the company’s food safety and quality programs across all facilities, co-packers, and suppliers

Design, implement, and continuously improve food safety systems including HACCP, Preventive Controls, and GFSI standards (SQF preferred)

Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory bodies including CFIA, Health Canada, FDA, USDA, and third-party auditors

Lead supplier approval, audit programs, and ongoing compliance monitoring

Oversee recall readiness, mock recalls, and crisis management protocols

Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Product Development, and culinary teams to embed food safety into all processes

Drive continuous improvement initiatives including environmental monitoring, ATP testing, and traceability programs

Deliver executive-level reporting on food safety KPIs, risks, and compliance metrics

Champion food safety culture and training across the organization

Key Qualifications

Mandatory:
Strong food safety background within food manufacturing or CPG

Deep knowledge of Canadian and U.S. regulatory frameworks (SFCR, FSMA, Preventive Controls)

Proven experience leading GFSI certifications (SQF or BRCGS preferred)

Experience in ready-to-eat (RTE) or fresh food environments, including allergen management and Listeria controls

10+ years of progressive food safety or quality leadership experience

Bachelor’s degree in food science, Microbiology, or related field

HACCP and PCQI certified

Strong communicator with the ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical, scalable solutions

Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

Willingness to travel 20–30% across Canada and occasionally to the U.S.

Legally eligible to work in Canada

What’s Offered

Competitive base salary + performance bonus. Salary range: $130,000 – $180,000, depending on experience

Comprehensive benefits package

Remote-first role with flexibility (Calgary or Toronto)

Opportunity to build and lead a national food safety program within a growing food brand

High-impact leadership role with executive visibility

All applications are reviewed by real people — we do not use AI or automated screening tools in our recruitment process.