Head Of Quality & Safety

Evolve Scientific; Mildura; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Evolve Scientific, a leading Australian food producer and exporter, seeks a senior leader to own the food safety, quality, and product integrity strategy across a complex manufacturing and supply chain near Mildura. You will report to executive leadership and drive governance, risk management, and continuous improvement to meet regulatory and customer requirements.

You will lead audits, recalls, and supplier quality frameworks while building a high‑performing team and a culture of accountability.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Quality Management, or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the organisation's food safety strategy and governance framework.
• Ensure systems remain compliant with legal, regulatory, customer, export, and certification requirements.
• Lead risk management across the business and drive continuous improvement.
• Oversee audit and certification programs and management of corrective actions.
• Establish and monitor key quality performance measures.

Skills

Leadership experience

SQF compliance knowledge

GFSI systems knowledge

Audits and certification

Stakeholder management

Regulatory and export compliance

Analytical skills

Communication to governance forums

Education

Tertiary qualification in Food Science/Quality/related

Job description

About the Company & Role:

• Join a leading Australian food production and export business recognised for its commitment to quality, innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence.
• This senior leadership opportunity will see you take ownership of the organisation's food safety, quality, compliance, and product integrity strategy across a complex manufacturing and supply chain environment.
• Reporting to executive leadership, you will provide strategic oversight of food safety and quality governance while driving a culture of continuous improvement and accountability across the business.
• You will act as the key technical authority for food safety and quality, ensuring products consistently meet regulatory, certification, customer, export, and internal requirements.
• Based near Mildura, relocation assistance provided
• Permanent position, full-time hours

Responsibilities:

• Develop and lead the organisation's food safety and quality strategy, governance framework, risk management processes, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure food safety and quality systems remain compliant with all legal, regulatory, customer, export, and certification requirements.
• Lead the identification, assessment, escalation, and management of food safety and quality risks across the business.
• Oversee quality performance reporting, management reviews, and the delivery of strategic improvement plans.
• Drive customer quality performance through effective complaint management, trend analysis, issue resolution, and continuous improvement.
• Establish and maintain supplier, grower, and service provider quality frameworks, including approval, monitoring, and performance management processes.
• Lead product recall and withdrawal governance, crisis preparedness activities, and responses to significant food safety or quality incidents.
• Oversee audit and certification programs, ensuring effective management of findings, corrective actions, and ongoing compliance.
• Establish and monitor key quality performance measures including audit outcomes, non-conformances, customer complaints, waste, rework, product downgrades, and cost of poor quality.
• Utilise risk and performance data to identify opportunities for operational improvement and enhanced product integrity.
• Champion cross-functional initiatives that strengthen process capability, traceability, customer outcomes, and business performance.
• Ensure food safety and quality requirements are embedded into strategic projects, capital investments, new products, and market expansion activities.

About You

• Tertiary qualifications in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Quality Management, or a related discipline.
• Extensive leadership experience within food manufacturing, FMCG, food processing, agricultural processing, or a similarly regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of SQF, BRCGS, or equivalent GFSI-recognised food safety and quality management systems.
• Experience within nuts, horticulture, grain, agricultural, or export-focused food processing environments will be highly regarded.
• Demonstrated expertise in food legislation, export compliance, traceability, product recalls, allergen management, food defence, and food fraud controls.
• Proven experience leading audits, certification programs, corrective action initiatives, and significant food safety or quality incidents.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience partnering with senior leadership teams.
• Highly developed communication and analytical skills, with the ability to present complex information to executive and governance forums.
• A proven track record of developing high-performing teams and fostering a culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.