Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance

About Imperfect
Imperfect Foods was founded in 2015 with a mission to reduce food waste and build a better food system for everyone. We offer imperfect (yet delicious) produce, affordable pantry items, and quality meat and dairy. We deliver them conveniently to our customers’ doorsteps and pride ourselves on offering up to a 30% discount compared to grocery store prices. Our customers can get the healthy, seasonal produce they want alongside the grocery staples they rely on, without having to compromise their budget or values. We’re proving that doing the right thing for the planet doesn’t have to cost more, and that shopping for quality ingredients can support the people and resources that it takes to grow our favorite foods.
We're headquartered in San Francisco with operations all over the country. Check our website to see if there is an Imperfect near you!
We're looking for folks who are positive, motivated, and ready to change the world. If that sounds like you, drop us a line!
About the Role: The Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance will be the technical champion for Imperfect’s pack facilities across the country as we continue to scale. This leader is responsible for managing chilled goods quality assurance, sanitation and the safety of our employees in the facilities. The Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance ensures that the pack facilities follow world-class food safety procedures and packages food to stringent HACCP standards and specifications, and relevant food safety legislation. The Director will also be responsible for implementing and improving programs to enhance the customer’s perfect order.

Responsibilities:

• 
  

OKR Management:

• Ensure that key OKR’s are established, measured, recorded, and trended, and that feedback is given to key stakeholders

• Ensure that all site OKR’s are aligned across the business — both the actual OKR’s measured and the level to which they are administered

• Lead the effort and implement a process to increase the Perfect Order Rate (POR)

Leadership:

• Conduct regular one-on-ones with team members to provide honest performance feedback with regard to both technical knowledge and character development

• Actively foster strong and lasting relationships with key members of local Health Departments, USDA, FDA, OSHA, and other regulatory and legal enforcement bodies as required

• Ensure that each site has adequate quality assurance management resource such that the operational needs of each business are not constrained

• Ensure effective communications at all levels and completes all necessary administrative work

Food Safety:

• Be the quality champion and safety expert for all Imperfect products
• Serve as a conduit between the headquarters office and local markets with product queries or concerns
• Deliver yearly third-party food/warehouse safety audit(s)
• Ensure that local markets are all using the same measures to track progress against any third-party standard

• Ensure that a HACCP-based food safety approach is followed
• Ensure that the HACCP system is relevant, up to date, and reviewed as frequently as necessary by a trained multidisciplinary team

• Set the GMP standards by which the facilities operate and ensure buy-in by gaining commitment across all functions

• Ensure clean facilities via effective hygiene practices through the use of appropriate chemicals and methods.
• Track effectiveness of the sanitation function through a robust pre-operational inspection program
• Ensure that any Health Department / USDA / FDA or other enforcement agency concerns are dealt with quickly and efficiently such that there is no interruption to standard business operations

Quality Control:

• Improve the customer experience by implementing quality control measures
• Work cross functionally with Operations and Customer Care to implement process and gather metrics leading to an enhanced customer experience

Skills and Qualifications:

• BSc. / MSc. in Food Science or related field
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in the food industry, with 8 years of experience in the Quality Assurance environment preferred
• Experience working in a chilled food-handling environment applying common processes, procedures, and equipment
• Must have a good understanding of English; Spanish-language fluency desirable

About You:

• You excel under pressure, with the ability to make calm, rational decisions on a multitude of issues within short spaces of time
• You lead by example and always inspires others to be the best they can be
• You’re enthusiastic about your work and self-motivated to get the job done
• You’re resourceful and when you don’t know the answer; you make it your mission to find out
• You’re highly organized and have a strong attention to detail
• You excel at independent, unsupervised work while also being a team player
• You’re passionate about our mission to eliminate food waste

Details of Position:

• This position reports to the COO based out in San Francisco
• This role is not remote and must be able to commute to one of these location Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Portland, OR; San Antonio, TX; Northlake, IL; or Severn, MD
• Domestic travel required
• Full-time exempt position
• Ability to work a flexible schedule and working hours as necessary
• Salary and employee stock options commensurate with experience
• Competitive benefits package includes healthcare, paid vacation, 401K, paid parental leave, and recurring credit towards your Imperfect account!

Physical Requirements:

• Sedentary work; predominantly involves sitting
• Standing desks and/or other ergonomic accommodation is available upon request
• Walking, climbing stairs, and standing are required occasionally
• Regular work with computers, including keyboards, mouses, and screens; regular use of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets are required
• Able to work in cold temperatures in a refrigerated environment
• Ability to walk, bend, squat, climb, reach and knee

Individuals seeking employment at Imperfect Foods are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
U.S. E-Verify Notice: Imperfect Foods participates in E-Verify in the United States. Imperfect will provide the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.
How we are protecting employees from COVID-19
At Imperfect Foods, employee health and safety is our top priority. We have implemented processes and precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our facilities. We provide gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer to all essential employees who must report to work. Before entering our warehouse, employees have their temperatures checked. In addition, we take great care to ensure frequently touched surfaces are sanitized throughout the day and all warehouses are fully sanitized weekly.
We have also implemented an Emergency Sick Leave policy providing full-time and part-time employees 2 additional weeks of paid time off and up to 26 weeks paid leave if they have a confirmed case of COVID-19.