Responsibilities
- Quality & Food Safety Strategy - Own and continuously improve Yerba Madre’s enterprise food safety and quality management systems across all internal and external partners, from ingredient sourcing through finished goods stored at warehouses.
- Serve as the company’s designated “quality person responsible” for all food safety, regulatory, and compliance matters.
- Anticipate quality and food safety risks and implement preventive, risk based programs aligned with business growth.
- Ensure recall readiness, crisis response protocols, and regulatory engagement are well defined, tested, and effective.
- Supplier, Co-Manufacturer & Warehouse Oversight - Lead supplier, co-manufacturer, and warehouse audit programs, including audit strategy, review of findings, and verification of corrective and preventive actions.
- Oversee qualification of new suppliers, co-manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and equipment installations.
- Ensure systemic issues are identified and resolved through root cause analysis and sustainable corrective action.
- Partner closely with South American yerba mate producers to uphold product quality, sustainability standards, and ethical sourcing commitments.
- Cross Functional Partnership & Influence - Act as the primary liaison between Quality and internal stakeholders including Supply Chain, Innovation, Operations, Marketing, Legal, and Finance.
- Translate complex technical and regulatory information into clear, business-relevant insights for executive leadership.
- Partner with Innovation to establish food safety and quality requirements for new product development, process changes, and scale-up activities.
- Continuous Improvement & Metrics - Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to food safety, supplier and warehouse performance, audits, complaints, and cost of quality.
- Drive measurable improvements in quality performance, defect reduction, compliance outcomes, and operational efficiency.
- Utilize data analysis, SPC, and quality management tools to inform priorities and continuous improvement efforts.
- Leadership & Team Development - Build, develop, and lead a high-performing Quality team through effective hiring, coaching, and performance management.
- Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement across the Quality function and extended supply network.
- Ensure the Quality organization scales effectively alongside the business.
- Industry & External Engagement - Represent Yerba Madre with regulatory agencies, certifying bodies, and external partners as required.
- Stay current on evolving FDA, FSMA, GFSI, organic, regenerative organic, and industry standards.
- Attend industry conferences, trainings, and forums to bring best practices and emerging insights back to the organization.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 8+ years of experience in food or beverage manufacturing, preferably ready-to-drink, canned, or bottled products.
- 5+ years of experience leading quality teams in complex, multisite or co-manufacturing environments.
- Deep knowledge of FDA, FSMA, cGMPs, HACCP, supplier compliance, and food safety regulation.
- PCQI certification (required).
- Proven experience driving measurable quality improvements, including defect reduction, audit performance, or cost-of-quality improvements.
- Strong business acumen with the ability to connect quality decisions to financial, operational, and brand outcomes.
Nice to Have
- Experience leading the quality function at the Director or Senior Manager level.
- Bilingual in English and Spanish or Portuguese.
- Beverage, natural/organic food & beverage, or functional beverage industry experience.
- Experience with co-packer and contract manufacturing models.
- Familiarity with regenerative organic, Fair Trade, or sustainability certifications.
- Lead Auditor certification (SQF, BRC, or equivalent).
- Experience with supplier scorecarding, QMS platforms (e.g., TraceGains or similar), and statistical process control.
Work Arrangement
Hybrid
Additional Information
- Work Environment: Hybrid office and remote work, with regular travel to co-manufacturing facilities, supplier sites, and warehouse locations. Exposure to production environments during site visits (PPE required: safety glasses, hairnets, steel toed boots).
- Travel Requirements: 25–30% domestic travel, 2–3 trips per year to South American yerba mate operations (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay).
- Physical Demands: Extended computer use, Walking production floors and warehouse facilities for 2–4 hours during site visits, Occasional lifting up to 25 pounds, Ability to navigate stairs, ladders, and catwalks during inspections.
