Head of Food Safety and Quality Assurance-Prepared Foods

Position Summary: JBS Prepared Foods is seeking an accomplished and strategic Head of Quality Assurance & Food Safety to lead all aspects of quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across the Prepared Foods business unit. This leader will be responsible for developing and executing enterprise-wide quality and food safety strategies that ensure regulatory compliance, protect the company's brands, and drive operational excellence.

The Head of QA & Food Safety will serve as the organization's senior quality leader, partnering closely with Operations, Engineering, R&D, Supply Chain, Sales, and executive leadership to establish and maintain best-in-class food safety and quality programs.

Our ideal candidate will sit in and work out of one of the following locations: Council Bluffs, IA; Ottumwa, IA; Moberly, MO; Columbia, MO; Elkhart, IN; Booneville, MS; Tupelo, MS; Ankeny, IA; and Perry, IA. The selected candidate may be based near one of these locations or at the JBS Corporate Office in Greeley, CO.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the strategic vision, goals, and roadmap for Quality Assurance and Food Safety across the Prepared Foods organization.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of quality and food safety professionals while fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Partner with executive leadership to align quality and food safety initiatives with overall business objectives.
• Provide leadership and direction for cross-functional initiatives involving Operations, Engineering, R&D, Procurement, and Supply Chain.
• Serve as the company's senior subject matter expert on quality and food safety matters.

Quality Assurance Management

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve quality systems, product specifications, standards, and procedures for products, ingredients, and packaging.
• Oversee inspection, sampling, analytical testing, and verification programs to ensure compliance with company, regulatory, and customer requirements.
• Monitor and report Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and quality metrics to drive performance improvements and informed decision-making.
• Ensure effective corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes are implemented throughout the organization.

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing enhancement of food safety programs, including:
  • HACCP
  • Sanitation Programs (SSOPs)
  • Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
  • Environmental Monitoring Programs (EMPs)
  • GFSI-recognized certification schemes
• Ensure compliance with USDA, customer, and other applicable regulatory requirements.
• Maintain readiness for regulatory, customer, and third-party audits across all facilities.
• Lead responses to food safety incidents, product quality concerns, recalls, and crisis management activities when necessary.

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Utilize data analytics and trend analysis to identify opportunities for quality, food safety, and operational improvements.
• Drive enterprise-wide continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing defects, improving process control, and strengthening food safety culture.
• Stay current on emerging regulations, technologies, industry trends, and best practices to continuously evolve quality systems and programs.
• Support innovation and commercialization efforts by ensuring quality and food safety requirements are incorporated into new product development processes.

External Relations & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary liaison with USDA, state regulatory agencies, industry associations, and other external stakeholders.
• Maintain productive relationships with key customers, suppliers, auditors, and regulatory officials.
• Represent JBS Prepared Foods at industry events, professional organizations, and customer engagements as needed.

Additional Responsibilities

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, Quality Assurance, or a related field strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Quality Assurance and Food Safety within the food manufacturing industry required.
• Minimum of 5 years of senior leadership experience managing multi-site quality and food safety programs strongly preferred.
• Deep knowledge of USDA, HACCP, GMPs, SSOPs, environmental monitoring programs, and GFSI standards.
• Demonstrated success leading regulatory inspections, customer audits, and third-party certification programs.
• Experience leading quality and food safety programs within a multi-plant prepared foods or protein manufacturing environment.
• Strong leadership, organizational, and change management capabilities.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.

• Able to travel up to 75% of the time to plants and HQ
• Can perform the functions of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation
• As a salaried position with the company, you may be required to travel at some point to other facilities, to attend Company events, or as a representative of the Company in other situations. Unless otherwise specified in this posting, the amount of travel may vary and the most qualified candidate must be willing and able to travel as business needs dictate.

The applicant who fills this position will be eligible for the following compensation and benefits:

• Benefits: Vision, Medical, and Dental coverage begin after 60 days of employment;
• Paid Time Off: sick leave, vacation, and 6 company observed holidays;
• 401(k): company match begins after the first year of service and follows the company vesting schedule;
• Base salary range of $175,000-$200,000
• Incentive Pay: This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s annual bonus plan, the amount of bonus varies and is subject to the standard terms and conditions of the incentive program; and
• Career Development: Our company is dedicated to supporting professional growth by offering continuous learning opportunities and a focus on career growth through various learning and development programs.

For individuals assigned and/or hired to work in states where it is required by law to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for any given position, compensation ranges are specific to those states and takes into account various factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to a candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiencies for the role.

The posted salary range represents the Company’s good faith estimate of the compensation that the Company reasonably expects to pay for this role at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, qualifications, tenure, internal equity, market data, and may vary accordingly.

This position does not have an application deadline. We will continue to recruit until the position has been filled.

The Company is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our team members and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct drug, alcohol, and background checks for all new team members post-offer and prior to the start of employment. The Immigration Reform and Control Act requires that verification of employment eligibility be documented for all new employees by the end of the third day of work.

About us: JBS USA is a leading global food company providing diversified, high-quality products to customers in approximately 100 countries on six continents. Our team members and facilities in the United States allow us to offer a diverse portfolio of fresh, value added and branded beef, pork, chicken and prepared foods products. JBS USA is also the majority shareholder of Pilgrim’s, the largest poultry company in the world. JBS USA employs more than 72,000 team members in 31 United States and Canada. Our corporate office is located in beautiful Greeley, Colorado, where our 1,200 team members onsite enjoy more than 300 days of sunshine a year.

Our mission: To be the best in all that we do, completely focused on our business, ensuring the best products and services to our customers, a relationship of trust with our suppliers, profitability for our shareholders and the opportunity of a better future for all of our team members.

Our core values are: Availability, Determination, Discipline, Humility, Ownership, Simplicity, Sincerity

EOE, including disability/vets

Unsolicited Assistance: JBS and its companies do not accept unsolicited assistance from any recruitment vendors for any of our open jobs. All resumes or candidate profiles submitted by recruitment vendors or headhunters to any employee at JBS and its companies or via the applicant tracking system, in any form without a valid written request and search agreement previously approved by HR, will be solely owned by JBS and its companies. No fees will be paid should the candidate be hired by JBS and its companies because of an unsolicited referral.