Ag Operations Food Safety and Quality Manager

The Ag Operations Food Safety and Quality Manager provides cross-functional food safety and quality leadership across agricultural operations, cooling operations, and raw-product performance at Fresh Express manufacturing facilities. The position is responsible for maintaining visibility of field and harvest conditions, identifying raw-product quality trends and emerging risks, and converting data into actionable improvements. This role owns the company-wide raw-product quality scorecard and partners with Ag Operations, facility FSQA teams, suppliers, harvesters, Innovation/Commercialization, and business leadership to improve raw-material performance and consistency. The manager also leads technical analysis and preparation of customer-facing quality communications and presentations and is responsible for maintaining PrimusGFS certification and audit readiness at the Salinas, Yuma, and Huron cooling operations. The position provides direct leadership to the Cooler Quality Manager.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Directly manages and provides leadership, priorities, coaching, and development to the Cooler Quality Manager.

· Conducts timely and constructive performance evaluations and addresses performance or disciplinary matters in accordance with company policy.

· Ensures appropriate training, coverage, and accountability for food safety and quality activities within the cooling operations.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Food Safety and Quality Leadership

· Promotes a strong food safety and quality culture and ensures food safety and quality remain a top priority in all activities within the scope of the position.

· Maintains broad visibility of food safety and raw-product quality performance across growing regions, field and harvest operations, cooling operations, and Fresh Express manufacturing facilities.

· Evaluates field and harvest food safety information, including audit findings, observations, testing data, specification compliance, and emerging risks, and recommends appropriate actions or escalation.

· Supports implementation and verification of applicable agricultural and food safety programs, including GAPs, GMPs, SSOPs, SOPs, company standards, customer requirements, and regulatory requirements.

· Conducts field, harvest, cooler, supplier, and facility assessments as needed to identify risks, verify compliance, and drive continuous improvement.

· Ensures departmental activities comply with applicable company workplace safety, environmental, Code of Conduct, and employment requirements.

Raw-Product Quality Performance and Analytics

· Owns and maintains a company-wide raw-product quality scorecard/dashboard to monitor performance and identify trends across all Fresh Express facilities.

· Analyzes key performance indicators including raw-product defects, rejection rates, shelf-life performance, customer complaints, specification failures, supplier/grower performance, growing region, variety, and other established quality measures.

· Compares raw-product performance across facilities and growing regions to identify common trends, recurring issues, seasonal patterns, and opportunities for improvement.

· Partners with facility FSQA and Operations teams to investigate significant or recurring raw-product quality issues, identify root causes, establish corrective actions, and verify effectiveness.

· Leads or coordinates routine raw-product quality reviews, product cuttings, retention-sample reviews, and other quality-monitoring activities needed to understand product performance.

· Communicates raw-product quality performance, emerging issues, risks, and recommended actions to FSQA and business leadership in a clear and timely manner.

Customer Quality and Complaint Support

· Leads investigations of customer and consumer complaints related to raw-product quality, coordinating information from facilities, Ag Operations, suppliers, and harvesters as appropriate.

· Develops technical analyses, trend summaries, presentations, talking points, and corrective-action updates to support customer communications and business reviews.

· Supports, and as assigned participates in, direct technical communication with customers regarding raw-product quality performance, investigations, and improvement plans.

· Provides technical food safety and quality expertise to internal teams, customers, and raw-material suppliers.

Cooler Food Safety and PrimusGFS Certification

· Serves as the program owner for maintaining PrimusGFS certification at the Salinas, Yuma, and Huron cooling operations.

· Ensures cooling operations maintain audit readiness through effective program implementation, documentation, internal verification, training, corrective-action follow-up, and timely closure of audit findings.

· Partners with the Cooler Quality Manager and cooler Operations leadership to maintain food safety systems, address gaps, and sustain compliance with PrimusGFS, customer, company, and applicable regulatory requirements.

· Maintains awareness of changes to PrimusGFS and applicable customer or regulatory requirements and coordinates updates to cooler programs as needed.

Supplier, Harvester, Testing, and Continuous Improvement

· Communicates Fresh Express food safety and quality requirements to harvesters and raw-material suppliers and uses appropriate influence and authority to drive compliance and improvement.

· Coordinates or supports corrective actions with harvesters and suppliers when performance does not meet requirements and escalates significant or recurring issues to the appropriate Ag Operations, FSQA, or business leadership.

· Works with accredited third-party laboratories and supports monitoring of raw-product testing programs based on current and emerging risk.

· Periodically verifies the effectiveness and accuracy of food safety and quality records, sampling activities, testing programs, and related controls within the scope of the role.

· Partners with Innovation and Commercialization teams to develop technical standards, strengthen raw-product specifications, and establish requirements for new and existing products.

· Facilitates problem solving, training, and continuous-improvement activities that strengthen food safety, raw-product quality, and consistency across the supply chain.

· Performs other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

· Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Agriculture, Crop Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, or a related field.

· Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in food safety, quality, agricultural operations, fresh produce, food manufacturing, or a related field; fresh produce experience strongly preferred.

· Working knowledge of agricultural and manufacturing food safety programs, including GAPs, GMPs, SSOPs, SOPs, HACCP principles, and GFSI certification requirements.

· Experience supporting or managing GFSI certification programs; PrimusGFS experience preferred.

· Demonstrated ability to analyze quality data, identify trends, conduct root-cause investigations, and develop effective corrective actions.

· Proficiency with Microsoft Office, with strong working knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint for data analysis and technical presentations.

· Valid driver's license with an acceptable DMV record and a valid passport.

PREFERRED SKILLS

· Strong interpersonal, influencing, and cross-functional leadership skills, including the ability to drive improvement without direct authority over all stakeholders.

· Excellent verbal, written, presentation, and technical communication skills with the ability to translate complex food safety and quality information into clear business and customer messaging.

· Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple projects, respond to emerging issues, and work effectively across facilities and growing regions.

· Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and a continuous-improvement mindset.

ADDITIONAL NOTES