Associate Director, FSQA

Korn Ferry has partnered with our client on their search for the role, Associate Director, FSQA.

Associate Director, Quality Assurance & Food Safety - Executive Summary

Company: Home Market Foods, a leading manufacturer of frozen meatballs, hot dogs, sausages, snacks, and appetizers. The company operates nationally and is investing significantly in production growth, including a new facility in South Windsor, CT.

Location: Norwood, MA (on-site, 5 days/week).

Reports To: Director, Quality Assurance & Food Safety.

Position Overview: Lead day-to-day food safety and quality operations in a USDA FSIS-regulated Ready-to-Eat (RTE) manufacturing environment. Partner closely with Operations, R&D;, Sanitation, and Regulatory teams to maintain compliance and drive continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage QA operations, HACCP, SSOPs, CCP monitoring, CAPA, environmental monitoring, and foreign material control programs.
• Support USDA FSIS inspections, SQF/customer audits, labeling compliance, and regulatory readiness.
• Partner with sanitation teams to validate cleaning effectiveness and strengthen food safety programs.
• Support product development, scale-up activities, traceability, recalls, and operational improvements.
• Analyze quality metrics and implement risk reduction initiatives.
• Develop QA team members through coaching, training, and performance management.

Required Background:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, or related field.
• 7-10+ years of Quality Assurance/Food Safety leadership experience in meat, protein, or RTE food manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of USDA FSIS regulations, HACCP, and Listeria control programs.
• HACCP certification required; PCQI preferred.
• Experience working directly with regulatory agencies and managing audits.

Success Profile: Technical food safety expert, strong people leader, effective communicator, data-driven problem solver, and continuous improvement champion capable of thriving in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.