Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Jesse & Ben's

Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Jesse & Ben's
Position Overview
Jesse & Ben's makes real-food frozen fries that taste like the restaurant version you crave. Made with simple, better-for-you ingredients, we're all about great flavor, great food and no shortcuts. Founded by two friends, Jesse and Ben, who got obsessed with fixing a category that had gone stale, we're now scaling quickly across national, regional, natural and club retailers alike. We're a passionate team that cares deeply about turning junk food into joy food.
As we scale across freezers in America, we are looking for a rigorous, hands-on Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance to join our Product function. This role will own food safety and quality for every product that carries our name, end to end: the standards we hold, how we partner with the facilities that make our food, and the certifications, programs and records that prove it. Our manufacturing partners run their own food safety programs; you'll set the bar, partner closely with their teams, and hold them to it. You will be our first and final word on food safety and quality, building the function as we grow. It is hands-on from day one, and you'll split your time between partner plant floors, the data, and the leadership table.
Responsibilities
1) Food Safety and Quality Standards
Quality system. Build and own the Jesse & Ben's corporate food safety and quality management system: the policies, programs and standards every product and every facility is held to.
Food safety plans. Oversee and help strengthen the hazard analysis and preventive controls at each facility, and partner with each site to make sure plans are compliant, followed on every shift, and reassessed as the business evolves.
Product specifications. Partner with each production facility to maintain and implement the finished-product, ingredient and packaging specifications set by our Product team.
Standardized programs. Standardize quality programs across manufacturing partners, including testing, product sampling, and measurement methods.
Shelf life. Own shelf-life studies and code-date standards, in partnership with our Product team, so our product tastes as good at the end of its life as on the first day.
2) Manufacturing Partner Oversight
Partner qualification. Vet, approve and onboard every co-manufacturer, co-packer and cold storage partner before a single case is produced or stored.
Ongoing performance. Run plant visits, second-party audits and quality scorecards for every partner, and drive gaps to closure at the root cause.
Production oversight. Lead FSQA for first production runs, line trials and process changes, and approve the first lot before it ships. Verify production records and catch and troubleshoot issues in real time alongside each facility's QA team.
Supplier approval. Own the approval and monitoring program for ingredient and packaging suppliers, in partnership with our Product team, including risk assessments, specifications, COAs and third-party testing.
Consistency at scale. Set one standard across every partner so a bag of Jesse & Ben's fries tastes and performs the same no matter where it was made.
3) Certification, Regulatory and Documentation
Certifications. Ensure every partner holds and maintains SQF (or equivalent GFSI) certification, and maintains the product certifications behind our claims (GFCO, Non-GMO Project, Seed Oil Free), without exception or lapse.
Audit documentation. Make sure each facility keeps its certification documentation current, and keep our own records ready for any auditor, customer or regulator.
Regulatory compliance. Ensure compliance with all applicable FDA, USDA, FSMA and state requirements, and act as our primary contact with regulators.
Labels and claims. Review and approve every label, allergen statement, nutrition panel and claim for accuracy and substantiation.
Customer requirements. Meet the quality programs, vendor requirements and audit expectations of our national, natural and club retail partners.
4) Facility Food Safety Programs
Record Keeping. Create a record keeping system to ensure all co-manufacturer and supplier food safety information stays up to date.
Sanitation. Partner with each facility on its sanitation program, review SSOPs, schedules and verification results, and give clear feedback wherever it falls short of the Jesse & Ben's standard.
Environmental monitoring. Review each facility's environmental monitoring program and results, watch the trends, and make sure issues are acted on quickly.
Allergen control. Verify each facility's allergen controls, from scheduling and changeovers to label checks. Stay on top of any new allergens being introduced to any of the facilities.
GMPs and food defense. Hold facilities accountable to strong GMPs, pest control, foreign material controls, food defense and food fraud programs.
5) Incidents, Recalls and Continuous Improvement
Holds and disposition. Own non-conformance, hold and release decisions, and support each facility with the investigations behind them, so nothing ships that shouldn't.
Recall readiness. Own our recall and crisis plan, run mock recalls and traceability exercises with every partner, and lead the response if an incident happens.
Consumer complaints. Own complaint investigation, trending and response with our customer experience team, turn patterns into fixes, and report complaints per million units (CPMU) on a regular basis.
Corrective action. Run a disciplined CAPA tracking process across partners so every issue is fixed at the root and stays fixed.
Cold chain. Set our temperature requirements for storage and distribution partners and verify they are met, so the product reaches the freezer aisle the way it left the plant.
6) Building the Function
Team and resources. Build and lead the FSQA team as we grow, and own the budget, testing labs and tools the function needs.
New products. Partner with R&D and Operations to bring new products to market safely, from specification to first production.
Metrics and reporting. Define and report the KPIs that show the health of food safety and quality, and give leadership a clear view of risk.
Quality culture. Train our team and partners, and make food safety and quality everyone's job, not just yours.
What You Bring
10+ years in food safety and quality assurance within CPG food manufacturing, including at least 5 years leading the function or a multi-site program
Hands-on experience with microbiological controls and environmental monitoring programs
A background in frozen food manufacturing; potato processing experience is highly preferred
Experience overseeing co-manufacturers or external manufacturing partners, and holding them to your standard without owning the plant
Working knowledge of the SQF audit process and GFSI schemes, including supporting facilities through certification
Strong command of sanitation, environmental monitoring and allergen programs, and the judgment to evaluate them at a partner facility
Deep working knowledge of FSMA, HACCP, preventive controls, GMPs and FDA and USDA requirements
Experience leading a recall, withdrawal or regulatory inspection
Experience meeting the quality requirements of national and club retailers
PCQI and HACCP certified; SQF Practitioner certification preferred
Familiarity with quality and supplier compliance systems (SafetyChain, TraceGains or equivalent)
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel is required
A direct communicator who raises a problem early and brings what they have already checked
Comfort using AI tools as part of daily work
Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry or a related field
Our Values at Jesse & Ben's
We believe tempo is strategy: high standards, direct feedback, real craft, and doing work you'll look back on as some of your best.
Humility. Stay open. Listen first. No one here is too important to sweep the floor.
Excellence. Do it right, and do it consistently. Quality is the standard, not the goal.
Resourcefulness. We won't always have the perfect tool, budget or playbook. We figure it out anyway. We always find a way.
Ownership. If you see a problem, it's yours to solve or escalate. No spectators.
Joy. We turn junk food into joy food. If we're not having fun, we're doing it wrong.
Logistics
Structure. Full-time. Reporting to the CPO.
Location. Remote. Must be located near a major airport.
Travel. One to two trips a month to our manufacturing partners, plus more as needed for new launches and audits. Occasional visits to NYC hub and team offsites.
Salary. The estimated base pay range for this role is $157,260 - $194,540. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This range represents the anticipated salary for this position at this time.
Bonus. A meaningful annual bonus payout tied to company performance.
How to Apply
Apply through the form below. You'll share a few basics, confirm a couple of role requirements, answer three short questions, and upload your resume. We look forward to hearing from you.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/wmEE5DZYW85EvPd9A