Director of Medical Staff Office

Job Title: Director of Quality Assurance & Food Safety

Location:
Phoenix, AZ Employment Type: Full Time Reports To: SVP of Operations (Dotted Line to GM Main Event) Travel: 50% Incentive Pay: Quarterly performance bonus Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k) profit sharing, Vacation, Holidays, Floating Holidays, Company-paid LTD and life insurance, and Sick leave The Director, Quality Assurance & Food Safety builds and owns the quality and food safety program for Main Event, FoodStory Brands' new protein bar brand, and serves as the final quality authority on product release, co-manufacturer qualification, and label and claims approval.

This position designs and implements the quality management system; sets testing, specification, and shelf-life strategy; governs claims and labeling; and leads recall readiness, traceability, and consumer complaint programs. The Director sets the quality strategy, budget, and KPIs; represents quality to executives, regulators, retailers, and our licensing partner; and partners closely with R&D, Marketing, Operations, and Sales to keep the brand moving fast without ever outrunning the data.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role: the Director owns the quality function end to end, using contract laboratories, auditors, and consultants rather than an internal team. The following duties are essential to successful performance in this position.

Quality Strategy and Leadership Set the multi-year quality and food safety strategy for Main Event, aligned to the brand's growth, launch, and co-manufacturing plans Build and manage the quality budget, including laboratory testing, third-party audits, certifications, and quality systems Define quality KPIs (e.g., complaints per million units, hold-and-release cycle time, co-manufacturer scorecard results, audit findings, and first-pass label approvals), and report performance, risks, and resource needs to the executive team monthly Maintain a quality and food safety risk register, and allocate resources based on risk Decide which quality work to handle directly and which to outsource to laboratories, auditors, and consultants, and build the documentation and systems that let a one-person function scale Own quality gates in the product development and launch process; no SKU launches or ships without QA sign-off Serve as the company's quality representative to regulators (including FDA inspections and inquiries), retailers, co-manufacturers, and the licensing partner Lead crisis response for food safety incidents, recalls, and regulatory actions, including executive briefings and coordination with Legal, insurance, and communications Select and manage contract laboratories, auditors, and consultants, including scope, cost, and service levels Build a food safety culture across FoodStory Brands and its co-manufacturers, and keep leadership informed of regulatory changes that affect the brand Quality Management System Design and implement the quality management system (QMS), including document control, retention, training, and audit-readiness standards Author and approve the SOP library, covering sampling plans, hold/release, deviations and CAPA, label approval, claims review, complaint handling, change control, and recall Hold final authority on product hold, release, and disposition, and build quality requirements into launch plans early so they protect timelines rather than delay them Set co-manufacturer quality and food safety requirements, including specifications, in-process checks, release criteria, and documentation Co-Manufacturer and Supplier Quality Own co-manufacturer and supplier qualification end to end: set risk-based criteria, build scorecards, risk-rank candidate facilities, and approve or disqualify them Lead on-site audits of all critical co-manufacturers at least annually Review and challenge co-manufacturer HACCP and food safety plans, and require corrective action where needed Own the supplier and ingredient program, including raw material specifications, supplier documentation, and FSMA supply-chain program and Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) compliance Testing, Specifications, and Shelf Life Set the testing strategy: what is tested, how often, by which labs, and against what acceptance criteria, including pathogen controls for low-moisture products Review Certificates of Analysis (CoAs) and lab results, and disposition product accordingly Own nutrient analysis and Nutrition Facts Panel validation, including protein quality (PDCAAS) for %DV declarations Claims, Labeling, and Certifications Own the claims substantiation framework and approve all packaging, website, and social media claims before release Ensure label compliance with FDA labeling regulations (21 CFR 101), including nutrient content claims and allergen labeling Own the allergen control program across all co-manufacturers and suppliers, including standards fo