Quality & Compliance Manager

Row 7 Seed Company; United States; Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO

Parental Leave

Volunteer Time Off

Floating Holidays

Healthcare stipend

Health FSA

401(k)

Education Reimbursement

Employee Discount

Job summary

Row 7 Seed Company is seeking a Quality & Compliance Manager to define and uphold quality systems and regulatory programs from field trials to shelf. You will own the Organic Certification Program, audit readiness, and cross-functional QA governance across R&D, supply chain, and Sales.

The role requires 5+ years in food QA/regulatory compliance and deep knowledge of FSMA, HACCP, NOP, GMPs, and 21 CFR Part 113. Hybrid travel to multiple regions is included.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in food quality assurance and regulatory compliance, ideally across fresh produce and CPG
• Strong working knowledge of FSMA, the Produce Safety Rule, organic certification (NOP), HACCP, and GMPs
• Experience with 21 CFR Part 113 (low-acid canned foods), co-packer qualification, and retort validation
• Experience building or scaling a quality system across a distributed, multi-region grower or supplier network
• Comfortable defining process and unifying practices that have lived across several teams

Responsibilities

• Administer Row 7's Organic Certification Program and serve as key contact for third-party auditors
• Collect and maintain grower certificates, approved input lists, and Organic System Plan (OSP) documentation; ensure audit readiness
• Maintain compliance with FSMA Produce Safety Rule, GMPs, and other applicable food safety regulations across the grower network
• Issue corrective actions when certification or compliance gaps are identified
• Own product-level specifications across produce and CPG; version specs and push updates to field and pack crews
• Set quality and food safety requirements for new products in development, from culinary concept through launch
• Define grower qualification standards in coordination with the Supply Chain Team, the bar every new grower must meet as Row 7's grower base expands
• Hold suppliers to Row 7 quality and safety standards through certification and documentation review
• Oversee processing controls and validation for low-acid canned foods under 21 CFR Part 113
• Conduct co-packer audits and facility assessments; review and approve co-packer food safety and quality programs
• Participate in co-packer production runs to verify quality standards are met
• Own labeling compliance and shelf-stability testing for finished products, in partnership with the CPG team
• Implement CAPA processes and monitor quality metrics
• Lead investigations of quality incidents, complaints, non-conformances; maintain recall and crisis-management plans
• Manage product hold/release decisions across produce and CPG
• Establish QA governance across R&D, Produce Supply Chain, CPG, and Sales
• Partner with Agronomic Advisor to align on, document, and track grower requirements
• Provide the VP of Supply Chain with clear visibility into quality and compliance risk
• Build a culture of food safety across the organization by mentoring staff on quality assurance principles, delivering training and clear guidance, and keeping food safety visible through regular meetings and communications

Skills

FSMA knowledge

Regulatory compliance

Quality assurance

GMPs

CFR Part 113

Job description

Row 7 is a seed-to-table company revolutionizing how we eat—and how we grow—through better-tasting vegetables. Founded by Chef Dan Barber, Row 7 works with chefs, farmers, and plant breeders to co-select new varieties in the field and kitchen. The company sells organic seeds to home gardeners and growers through its online marketplace, offers a line of branded organic vegetables in grocery stores, and introduced a line of ready-to-eat vegetables in early 2026.

JOIN ROW 7

At Row 7, flavor and nutrition drive everything we produce: varieties bred for taste, grown organically, and held to a consistent quality standard from field to processing to shelf. The Quality & Compliance Manager defines and upholds that standard.

This is a governance role, and you'll be its dedicated owner. You'll define the quality systems, compliance programs, and standards that our R&D, Supply Chain, CPG, and Sales teams work within; a scope that runs from our variety trials and branded produce to our recently launched tinned vegetables, each with its own regulatory demands. While our regional teams oversee day-to-day field inspections, you set the bar they inspect against, and the bar every new partner–grower, processor, and retailer–must meet.

Few quality positions touch every step, from variety trials to shelf,the way this one does. It's a fit for someone energized by turning distributed practices into a unified framework and rigorous about risk, because organic integrity and food safety are non-negotiable. As Row 7 expands, the systems you build become the foundation for that growth.

LOCATION AND TRAVEL

• Hybrid work model with travel to California, Pacific Northwest, and East Coast growing regions, plus co-packer and processing facilities
• Up to 20% travel anticipated

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Organic Certification & Food Safety Compliance

• Administer Row 7's Organic Certification Program and serve as key contact for third-party auditors
• Collect and maintain grower certificates, approved input lists, and Organic System Plan (OSP) documentation; ensure audit readiness
• Maintain compliance with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, GMPs, and other applicable food safety regulations across the grower network
• Issue corrective actions when certification or compliance gaps are identified

Product Specifications & Standards

• Own product-level specifications across produce and CPG; version specs and push updates to field and pack crews.
• Set quality and food safety requirements for new products in development, from culinary concept through launch.
• Define grower qualification standards in coordination with the Supply Chain Team, the bar every new grower must meet as Row 7's grower base expands

Value-Added Processing and Co-packer & Supplier Oversight

• Hold suppliers to Row 7 quality and safety standards through certification and documentation review
• Oversee processing controls and validation for low-acid canned foods under 21 CFR Part 113
• Conduct co-packer audits and facility assessments; review and approve co-packer food safety and quality programs
• Participate in co-packer production runs to verify quality standards are met
• Own labeling compliance and shelf-stability testing for finished products, in partnership with the CPG team

Quality Systems & CAPA

• Implement corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes and monitor quality metrics to identify trends
• Lead investigations of quality incidents, complaints, and non-conformances; maintain recall and crisis-management plans
• Manage product hold/release decisions across produce and CPG

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Establish QA governance across R&D, Produce Supply Chain, CPG, and Sales, defining the standards and processes for each function
• Partner with Agronomic Advisor to align on, document, and trackgrower requirements
• Provide the VP of Supply Chain with clear visibility into quality and compliance risk
• Build a culture of food safety across the organization by mentoring staff on quality assurance principles, delivering training and clear guidance, and keeping food safety visible through regular meetings and communications

REPORTING

• Reports to the VP Supply Chain

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years in food quality assurance and regulatory compliance, ideally spanning both fresh produce and CPG
• Strong working knowledge of FSMA, the Produce Safety Rule, organic certification (NOP), HACCP, and GMPs
• Experience with 21 CFR Part 113 (low-acid canned foods), co-packer qualification, and retort validation
• Experience building or scaling a quality system across a distributed, multi-region grower or supplier network
• Comfortable defining process and unifying practices that have lived across several teams

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE IS

• A systems thinker who can translate a quality framework into working processes, not just documentation
• Credible with regional field managers while also being fluent in co-packer and CPG regulatory requirements
• Direct and unafraid to flag risks, because organic integrity and food safety are non-negotiable
• Energized by standing up new organizational infrastructure

DETAILS

• Quality and Compliance Manager position is a full-time, exempt role
• The target pay range for this role is $115,000 to $135,000 per year
• Benefits include:
• Generous Paid Time Off, Parental Leave, Volunteer Time Off, and Floating Holiday Programs
• Up to 77% funded Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401(k) eligible after three months of employment
• Flexible Educational Reimbursement Program
• Employee Discount on Row 7 Seed Products

Row 7 is committed to centering equity and justice in our work and community. We encourage LGBTQIA+, BIPOC candidates and members of other historically marginalized groups to apply.