Stella & Chewy’s, a premium pet food brand founded on raw, real love, is looking for a Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance. This role holds accountability for the comprehensive food safety and quality assurance programs at Stella & Chewy’s. The VP of Food Safety & Quality Assurance is tasked with steering the development and execution of product safety and quality policies and strategic planning. This ensures adherence to company standards, regulatory requirements, and quality expectations, reflecting our commitment to the well-being of pets and pet parents. This high-level leadership position requires a dynamic and hands-on individual capable of developing, implementing, and maintaining robust systems to guarantee the safety and quality of our products.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities, as department management may deem necessary from time to time.

• Formulate and implement the comprehensive food safety and quality assurance strategy in accordance with company objectives and regulatory mandates.
• Offer guidance and leadership to the food safety and quality assurance, R & D, and customer care teams.
• Offers strategic leadership and direction to guarantee product integrity by establishing a shared vision, structure, management systems, and processes.
• Guarantee and uphold the Quality, Safety, Character, Integrity, Regulatory compliance, and brand standards expectations and goals across company-owned facilities, co-packers, ingredient suppliers, and other entities. Take necessary actions to address any identified gaps.
• Ensure relevant and continuous training to all employees on policies and procedures related to food safety and quality assurance.
• Promote a culture of accountability and awareness within the organization, emphasizing the significance of quality and product safety.
• Support projects of continuous improvement nature for products, processes, and technology through collaborative efforts with cross-functional and interdepartmental teams.
• Actively participate in relevant conferences and symposiums to stay abreast of advancements.
• Collaborate with procurement to verify the safety and quality of raw materials and ingredients sourced from suppliers for internal and co-manufacturing partners. Establish and nurture strong relationships with key suppliers to ensure the highest standards are consistently met.
• Adhere strictly to all regulatory compliance requirements and position the company as an industry leader in food safety and quality assurance within the pet food industry.
• Accountable for establishing and implementing a food safety culture, strategic documentation, standardizations, and initiatives.
• Supervise cost assessments, budgeting/capitalization, and resource management to ensure the capability to fulfill the mission of delivering safe, legal, quality food to our customers.
• Establish and nurture a culture where the food safety and quality assurance team are regarded as a business partner, fostering collaboration with internal and external customers to uphold quality and food safety standards throughout the supply chain.

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in food safety and quality assurance.
• Extensive experience managing quality assurance in an FDA regulated food manufacturing environment with strong preference for a pet food manufacturing experience.
• Experience managing and creating architecture of FSQA functions through full supply chain with company owned facilities, co-manufacturers, suppliers, customer care and distribution partners.
• Experience with managing Research & Development and Innovation interface
• Experience in sanitation for dry and wet facility environments
• Experience with international regulatory management, especially Canada, China, and Europe.
• Technical expertise in protein formulation/meat processing; crisis management teams; and regulatory interface
  
  

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status, or any other status protected by law.