Vice President, Quality Assurance and Food Safety

Position Summary
Reporting to the CEO, Sofina Canada, the Vice President, Quality and Food Safety champions the Company's quality and food safety vision and strategic plan, and leads the Company to achieve same. Strongly and credibly positions herself/himself in the quality and food safety community within Canada. The incumbent ensures the Company's overall food safety, regulatory compliance and customer satisfaction. This is achieved through providing a strong leadership to the Quality management function and business operations. Oversees development, implementation and monitoring of the Company's quality systems, food safety policies and programs to support the Quality by Process philosophy.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead the Company's quality and food safety vision and strategies. Drive quality as a component of the Company's culture, creating a passion and responsibility for quality in every employee. This is achieved through creating a strategic liaison and establishing / enabling appropriate knowledge sharing between all functions and services, and focusing/linking them to common total quality (from raw material to customer satisfaction) and food safety goals.
• Develop and maintain the respect of senior CFIA leaders and represents the Company in its technical and policy dealings with CFIA Ottawa and Health Canada.
• Ensure the Company's overall food safety and regulatory compliance, and utilization of best practices in the industry. This is achieved through providing a strong leadership and technical expertise to the Company's quality management function and all business operations. Ensure the Quality management function and employees use quality tools to improve the Company's bottom line.
• Track, trend and report on Quality & Food safety KPIs. Lead actions and sustainable solutions to improve.
• Accountable for the development, maintenance and expansion of the Company's Quality & Food Safety Management System. This aims to:
• contribute to achievement of lean production, consistent quality and integrity in all Company's products
• protect the Company's brands and private labels business
• promote customer and consumer satisfaction
• respond to changing business needs
• As a part of the Company's Management System, establish a process of expedient, proactive and thorough response from all required sides of the business to any quality or food safety issue.
• Oversee establishment of mechanisms including appropriate internal and external audits to achieve customer satisfaction. Promote achievement of customer quality and performance requirements throughout the organization.
• Ensure effective leadership and development of the Quality and Food Safety team members. Accountable for succession planning within the Quality and Food Safety team

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science and 15 years of experience in meat processing industry; 5 years at a senior leadership level
• Demonstrated, credible, positive relationships with CFIA, Ottawa
• Working knowledge of Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)
• Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification preferred
• Demonstrated knowledge of BRC ( British Retail Consortium) standards and practices
• Demonstrated knowledge of quality systems
• A strong knowledge of HACCP and Statistical Process Control required
• Demonstrated knowledge of Food Safety Enhancement Program (FSEP) and Safe Foods for Canadians Act
• Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing concepts
• Proficiency with MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)

Sofina Foods Inc. is committed to providing accessible employment practices that are in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act ('AODA'). Applicants are asked to make their needs/requirements, for the purpose of accommodation under AODA, known to Human Resources when they are contacted for an interview.