Vice President Of Food Safety & Quality

About Sensei Ag

Sensei Ag is a market-changing AgTech company aiming to solve global gaps and inconsistencies in nutrition, food safety, and food security through the transformative power of data. Guided by the capabilities and insights of our founders, technology entrepreneur Larry Ellison and Dr. David Agus, we design, develop and deploy cutting-edge agricultural technologies to build a better, more stable food supply that is capable of feeding our entire world nutritionally-relevant, delicious, affordable meals.

Everything we do is evidence-led, radically transparent, always enriching.

You can read our story here or see some recent press: Business Wire, Condé Nast Traveler

Position Description

Sensei Ag is looking for a Vice President of Food Safety & Quality! This individual will lead & provide technical direction in meeting the company's food safety, quality, regulatory & consumer objectives. Fresh produce experience is REQUIRED as we are looking for someone to lead our company's efforts to provide quality products to our consumers.

This position will be based on the West Coast and requires frequent travel to all of our operating facilities.

Responsibilities

• Plan & develop policies & procedures for food safety, regulatory / labeling compliance & consumer affairs
• Assure the company meets Food Safety, Quality, and Legality compliance for FSMA, FDA & USDA & organic certifications.
• Assure the company has effective & continuously improves Food Security Systems, sanitation, environmental monitoring, testing & control programs in place at each greenhouse & CEA facility
• Build & manage positive relationships with key state, national & international food safety regulatory agencies, and various auditing organizations – USDA, FDA, CCOF, etc.
• Be comfortable being the quality and food safety voice of the organization internally and externally
• Develop & lead Food Safety & Quality staff & organization in various locations
• Collaborate with senior management team in all departments for food safety & quality objectives
• Direct the food safety crisis team
• Lead the corporate food safety crisis management process and team
• Assure the company maintains its food safety systems & programs in a manner to meet 3rd party audit criteria continuously
• Provide consultation & training for operations & sales
• Manage director and policy for internal audits for compliance to regulatory and consumer requirements with action plans and follow-up plans included for continuous improvement
• Evaluate the efficacy of new sanitation products and procedures to improve food safety and sanitation in greenhouses
• Evaluate & implement new methods for improvement of consumer complaint communications
• Assures FS&Q & Operations have up to date training programs for Sanitation, Microbiology, Pest Control, Allergen Management, HACCP, GMP, SOP's & Internal Auditing
• Attend continuing education classes in food safety, GMP, food microbiology & HACCP
• Be active in trade & regulatory associations to stay current with issues & policies
• Coordinate regulatory affairs issues with CSC legal team and global quality team

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or other related disciplines
• Familiarity with indoor growing and/or greenhouses
• Strong food safety & quality management experience in the fresh produce industry
• Self-starter, action-oriented, able to lead others, organized and detail-oriented, able to work in a team environment, able to lead change, and continuously drive to improve processes
• High level of interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and confidential situations and documentation
• Excellent verbal & written communication skills
• Strong computer software skills

Traits We Value

• Appreciation for transforming health and the future of food
• Loves a good challenge
• Resourceful and adaptable
• A strong sense of curiosity
• Embraces feedback and continually seeks to improve
• Collaborative and knows how to get things done as part of a team

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Competitive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401k and FSA plans
• Cell phone bill reimbursement
• Flexible PTO, vacation days and paid holidays
• Paid parental leave