Director of Quality

Weaver Popcorn; Malden (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Paid time off - 3 weeks (first year)

401(k) with company match

Health, vision, dental, life, and AD&D

Education reimbursement

Job summary

Weaver Popcorn seeks a Director of Quality to provide strategic and operational leadership for food safety, QA, regulatory compliance, audit readiness, and continuous improvement across our popcorn manufacturing operations. This hands-on role sets direction while engaging with plant teams, audits, CAPAs, and day-to-day execution to ensure products meet quality and safety standards.

The ideal candidate has 8–10+ years in food manufacturing quality, proven SQF leadership, and the ability to drive

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in food science or related field.
• 8–10+ years of progressive quality or food safety experience.
• At least 5 years of people-management experience.
• Proven leadership of SQF certification programs and successful audits.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, risk assessment, preventive controls.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the quality and food safety strategy across locations.
• Oversee SQF program, audits, corrective actions, and compliance.
• Standardize quality documentation and records across facilities.
• Lead cross-functional HACCP and risk assessment activities.
• Travel to facilities for oversight and engagement.

Skills

Leadership

Quality management

Audits & regulatory

HACCP

SQF

Cross-functional team

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in food science

Tools

Quality software systems

Laboratory testing

Job description

Director of Quality

Location

Carmel, IN • Memphis, TN • St. Louis, MO • Malden, MO • Peoria, IL • Other Illinois locations

Leadership

Directly manages at least two quality team members

Travel

Regular travel to manufacturing facilities and business locations, as needed

Weaver Popcorn is seeking a seasoned quality leader ready to step into a broader Director-level role. The Director of Quality provides strategic and operational leadership for food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, audit readiness, and continuous improvement across the organization’s food manufacturing operations. This leader will strengthen and standardize quality systems, develop quality talent, and partner with plant and business leaders to ensure products consistently meet company, customer, certification, and regulatory requirements.

This is a hands‑on leadership role for an experienced food manufacturing quality professional who can set direction while remaining actively engaged with plant teams, audits, investigations, corrective actions, and day‑to‑day execution.

Quality & Food Safety Leadership

• Develop and lead the company’s quality and food safety strategy, priorities, policies, procedures, and performance expectations across manufacturing locations.
• Ensure quality assurance and food safety programs are effectively implemented, maintained, verified, and continuously improved.
• Establish and oversee grain and popcorn quality standards from grower receipt and bulk storage through processing, bagging, and shipment, ensuring consistent quality controls throughout the supply chain.
• Provide visible leadership on the manufacturing floor through routine plant engagement, risk reviews, verification activities, and follow‑up on quality concerns.
• Build a culture of accountability, prevention, compliance, and continuous improvement across Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, and other partner functions.

SQF, Audits & Regulatory Compliance

• Lead and maintain SQF certification programs, including system ownership, audit preparation, certification readiness, corrective actions, and ongoing compliance.
• Plan, lead, and oversee internal, customer, certification, and regulatory audits of food manufacturing facilities.
• Ensure timely closure of audit findings, nonconformances, corrective and preventive actions, and related verification activities.
• Lead cross‑functional Food Safety/HACCP, risk assessment, prerequisite program, and food quality teams.
• Monitor applicable food safety and quality requirements and translate them into practical operating standards and controls.
• Ensure effective quality controls for bulk grain storage, bin holds and releases, sampling, testing, and corn disposition prior to processing, including compliance with applicable phytosanitary requirements.

Quality Management Systems

• Own the effective use and continuous improvement of quality management system software, including document control, audits, corrective actions, training records, verification, and reporting.
• Standardize quality documentation, specifications, procedures, policies, records, and reporting across facilities.
• Use quality data, trend analysis, and leading and lagging indicators to identify risk, establish priorities, and improve performance.
• Ensure effective controls for ingredient sampling, product verification, environmental monitoring, sanitation verification, traceability, and other core quality programs.
• Provide oversight of corn testing and laboratory quality programs, including mycotoxin testing, internal and third‑party sample testing, review of test results, and appropriate product disposition based on quality and food safety requirements.

People Leadership & Cross‑Functional Partnership

• Lead, coach, and develop a quality team of at least two direct reports, with potential for broader team responsibility as the function grows.
• Set clear goals, define accountabilities, assess performance, strengthen technical capability, and create development plans for quality team members.
• Partner with Plant Managers and Operations leaders to resolve quality issues without compromising food safety, customer requirements, or regulatory compliance.
• Establish and enforce hold/release and product disposition standards, with authority to stop processing or bagging operations and place grain, ingredients, or finished product on hold when food safety or quality requirements are not met.
• Partner with Sales and Customer Service to respond to customer documentation requests, audits, samples, complaints, and quality‑related inquiries.
• Lead investigations into customer complaints, product or process deviations, and recurring issues; ensure root cause analysis and sustainable corrective action.
• Oversee nonconforming material, product holds, rework, release, and disposition processes, partnering with Operations and suppliers to ensure timely resolution and prevent recurrence.
• Provide clear quality updates, risk assessments, recommendations, and performance reporting to senior leadership and other decision‑makers.

What Do You Need To Have?

• Bachelor's degree in food science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, or related fields.
• 8–10+ years of progressive quality or food safety experience in the food manufacturing industry.
• At least 5 years of people‑management experience, including progressive supervisory and manager‑level responsibility.
• Proven leadership of SQF certification programs and successful food manufacturing audits.
• Demonstrated knowledge of food safety principles, quality assurance procedures and policies, HACCP‑based programs, risk assessment, corrective action, and preventive controls.
• Experience leading internal, customer, certification, and/or regulatory audits across food manufacturing environments.
• Hands‑on experience with quality management system software and electronic quality records.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, develop teams, manage competing priorities, and drive consistent execution across locations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate quality risk and technical requirements to operational and executive audiences.
• Ability to travel regularly to manufacturing facilities and business locations, as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in grain, corn, popcorn, milling, ingredient, or related agricultural processing.
• SQF Practitioner experience and formal training in HACCP, PCQI, internal auditing, root cause analysis, or preventive controls.
• Experience supporting multiple manufacturing sites or standardizing quality systems across locations.
• Experience with supplier quality, customer complaint management, environmental monitoring, traceability, recall readiness, and food defense programs.

What Does Success Look Like?

• Consistent audit and certification readiness across facilities.
• Stronger standardization and adoption of quality systems, procedures, and records.
• Timely, well‑documented corrective action with verified effectiveness.
• Reduced recurrence of quality issues and customer complaints through disciplined root cause analysis.
• A capable, accountable quality team with clear goals and development plans.
• Credible, practical partnership with Operations and business leaders while maintaining independent quality judgment.

Work Environment & Schedule

This role operates across office and food manufacturing environments and requires regular presence in production areas. The typical schedule is Monday through Friday; however, the Director of Quality must be available outside normal business hours, including occasional evenings or weekends, when operational, audit, customer, or food safety needs require support. Regular travel is expected based on business needs.

How Will We Help You Grow?

• Competitive compensation.
• Three weeks of paid time off in the first year.
• 401(k) plan with a company match of 100% of employee deferrals up to 10%.
• Health, vision, dental, life, and disability insurance beginning the first day of the month following 30 days of employment.
• Education reimbursement of up to $15,000 per year.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Weaver Popcorn is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and associates. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, without regard to any status protected by applicable law.

The role responsibilities are many, various, and not limited to those written in this document