Senior Director, Food Safety and Quality Assurance

Tovala; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited paid time off

Comprehensive healthcare coverage

401k with match

Free Tovala Smart Oven

Discounted Tovala meals

Paid holidays

Recognition programs

Learning stipend

Job summary

A leading food-tech company in Chicago seeks a Senior Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance to lead its FSQA programs. This role entails developing and implementing food safety systems, ensuring regulatory compliance, overseeing quality standards, and leading a high-performing team. A minimum of 10 years in FSQA roles is required. The position offers competitive compensation, including equity and several employee perks such as unlimited PTO and health benefits.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in FSQA leadership roles within food manufacturing.
• Proven track record in high-growth, multi-site environments.
• Expertise in managing FSQA programs.
• Strong leadership and accountability to foster a culture of quality and safety.

Responsibilities

• Lead FSQA strategy and execution across facilities.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, and local health regulations.
• Oversee quality systems and monitor product KPIs.
• Manage supplier audits, approvals, and monitoring for ingredient safety and quality.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing FSQA and sanitation team.
• Collaborate with R&D, supply chain, manufacturing, and customer experience.
• Direct root cause analysis, recalls, and incident response plans.

Skills

Leadership skills

Problem-solving skills

FDA regulations expertise

Quality management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

Senior Director, Food Safety and Quality Assurance

We’re Tovala, a food-tech company reinventing home cooking to save consumers time. Through an innovative combination of hardware, software, and fresh food delivery, we make it incredibly simple for anyone to prepare and enjoy delicious, home‑cooked meals without sacrificing time to do whatever matters to them. Through our superior technology, product experience and food quality, we have separated Tovala from the busy pack of other meal delivery businesses. In the process, we’ve amassed a loyal, rapidly growing following and our retention, product engagement and customer NPS are all best‑in‑class. We’ve raised over $100mm from great investors like Left Lane Capital, Origin Ventures, Y Combinator and Comcast Ventures and have invested strongly in building a unique culture that fosters growth, personal development and camaraderie.

Position Summary:

We’re seeking a Senior Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) to lead our company‑wide food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance programs. This leader will oversee all aspects of FSQA across manufacturing, meal production, supply chain, and product development — ensuring Tovala’s products meet the highest standards of safety, consistency, and customer delight.

This role will report to our Chief Manufacturing Officer and be a key member of our operations leadership team, driving proactive food safety culture, continuous improvement initiatives, and strategic quality programs that scale with our growth.

Location

Chicago (Hybrid)

How you will spend your time at Tovala:

• Lead FSQA Strategy & Execution – Develop, implement, and continuously improve Tovala’s food safety and quality systems across all facilities and meal production lines.
• Ensure Regulatory Compliance – Maintain compliance with FDA, USDA, SQF, GMP, FISMA and local health regulations.
• Oversee Quality Systems – Build and monitor KPIs for product quality, process control, and defect prevention; lead corrective and preventive actions programs.
• Vendor & Supplier Management – Establish and maintain rigorous supplier approval, auditing, and monitoring programs to ensure ingredient safety and quality.
• Team Leadership – Lead, mentor, and develop a high‑performing FSQA and sanitation team across multiple locations.
• Cross‑Functional Partnership – Collaborate with R&D, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Customer Experience teams to ensure safety and quality are embedded at every stage of the product lifecycle.
• Crisis & Incident Management – Direct root cause analysis, recalls, and incident response plans to ensure rapid, compliant resolution.

About you:

• 10+ years in FSQA leadership roles within food manufacturing, ready‑to‑eat meals, or similar regulated food categories.
• Expertise in FDA regulations and SQF.
• Proven track record of building and scaling FSQA programs in high‑growth, multi‑site environments.
• Strong leadership skills — able to inspire and hold teams accountable while fostering a culture of quality and safety.
• Excellent problem‑solving and root cause analysis skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• Tovala uses market data, geography, and placement of internal employees to determine salary.
• Additionally, we offer all employees real ownership in the company in the form of a competitive equity package.
• Unlimited paid time off (with a minimum of 15 days off you HAVE to take).
• Comprehensive healthcare coverage we really invest in.
• 401k with match.
• Free Tovala Smart Oven and discounted Tovala meals.
• Paid holidays and our winter holiday office shutdown where the offices and facilities close for a week around Christmas and New Years.
• Various other perks - recognition programs, continued learning stipend, casual dress code, in‑office coffee, snacks and drinks, and Tovala swag.

The values we hold dear

Put the team first

We put what is best for the broader team ahead of what is best for ourselves or our immediate department. We celebrate people at all levels for delivering high impact work that expands the bounds of what we’re able to do.

Connect the dots

We engage with curiosity to learn how our work impacts others so that we can problem‑solve holistically and work collaboratively.

Be Direct

We share our perspective openly and directly, even when it feels difficult to do so.

Embrace the obstacles

We rise to meet challenges with a sense of urgency, resolve, and optimism.

Champion the customer

We consider and prioritize our customer in all of our decisions.

EEO Statement

At Tovala we’re committed to building a workplace that represents a variety of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Everyone is welcome here!

Seniority level

Director

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

• Management and Manufacturing
• Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Technology, Information and Media