Director, Food Safety

At McCain Foods we know the importance that food plays in people's lives - the power it has to uplift and bring people, families, businesses and communities together.

The Food Safety Director will have overall responsibility for the execution and implementation of key microbiology and Food Safety programs for McCain. They will act as an internal consultant to Operations, Quality Systems, Supplier Quality, Distribution Quality, Innovation Quality and Research & Development to ensure product safety and stability.

You will bring credible expertise, providing leadership and oversight for Food Safety, including HACCP, micro risk assessments, environmental monitoring programs, thermal validation, allergen management, foreign material controls, capability development and culture.  The successful candidate will ensure clear understanding of Food Safety, requirements, and expectations at all levels across the business with the authority to hold teams accountable to meet the standards and expectations that assures the Food Safety of products globally.

This individual shall ensure the Food Safety and quality systems directly and positively affect Food Safety through analysis of results and regular reviews with factory teams.  They will ensure global standards and policies are fit for purpose and meet not only McCain requirements, but also those of key customers and regulators.   This role will be critical in ensuring that McCain is a leader in Food Safety, and thus a leader in our industry.    

 Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities:

 Drives Transformation in McCain’s Food Safety Programs through:

• Development, execution and implementation of key microbiology and Food Safety programs (including HACCP/Food Safety plan expectations)
• Leverage expertise to troubleshoot microbiological and Food Safety/quality related issues
• Perform/Validate risk assessments of facilities, programs, processes, products, and ingredients
• Design and execute studies to validate Food Safety and/or shelf-life
• Support in the validation and verification of processing and detection equipment.
• Ensure compliance with applicable Food Safety regulatory requirements (Federal, State/Provincial and, Local) including, FSMA
• Track effectiveness of the sanitation function/programs through development of robust pre-operational inspection program & SSOPs
• Responsible for driving and providing oversight for transformational projects
• Provides strong technical leadership for all aspects of the Company’s Food Safety programs, (including HACCP, micro risk assessments, environmental monitoring programs, thermal validation, allergen management)
• Accountability to develop / strengthen and maintain Food Safety policies and standards that define the Food Safety requirements, measurements, and action standards across the manufacturing units regionally
• Partners with the Quality Leadership Team members to deploy into the operational units per the Company’s needs, customer expectations and regulatory requirements
• Ensures a full and comprehensive assessment of Food Safety is maintained, ensuring documentation accuracy for Food Safety systems and full adherence to Food Safety standards
• Key point contact for Food Safety related incidents; provides guidance to regional teams, expertise to assist with disposition of product, and oversight to assure robust corrective action management
• Drives actions to address gaps and mitigate Food Safety risks, provides governance to ensure all Food Safety CAPAs are effective, closed and validated; and drive sharing of learnings and best practice across the global business
• Provide guidance on product disposition, with authority to make recommendations to assure Food Safety is maintained
• Provides data driven measures and analysis of trends relating to Food Safety performance to regional VP FSQ, QLT and other critical stakeholders
•  Champions a strong Food Safety culture across the organization, creating an environment where decisions are made in line with the McCain quality value, and drives a technical understanding of Food Safety, risks and impacts into the business
• Drives a quality first mindset with Food Safety built into business processes at the very earliest points

Required Qualifications, Experience & Education:  

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, microbiology or related technical discipline. MSc, PhD, would be preferred
• Minimum ten (10) or more years of experience working within a large global food manufacturing organization with progressive roles in FS&Q
• Experience with FSMA (including Preventive Controls, FSVP, Sanitary Transport, and Intentional Adulteration); HACCP/HARPC plan design, measurement, documentation, & training required
• HACCP certification required. FSMA PCQI and GFSI (BRC, SQF or FSSC 22000) certifications preferred
• Understands and can apply basic microbiological principles; In depth foodborne pathogen knowledge
• Strong written & verbal communication skills, analytical ability, leadership strength and ability to work effectively with teams are required
• Knowledge of food laws, and U.S/Canadian regulations
• Strong auditing and assessment skills are required
• Willingness to travel up to 30% of the time
• Recognized externally as a knowledgeable expert / leader Food Safety 
• Excellent communication skills: is able to effectively and persuasively articulate positions both verbally and in electronic mediums to various audiences including senior executives in a clear, concise and compelling manner

This job description covers the basic functions of the job and is not intended to provide a complete listing of daily tasks. Flexibility and improvement of job skills are essential to all positions at McCain Foods.