Job Title

Position Overview The Vice President, Quality Assurance (VP QA), will lead and oversee the strategic direction of QA and Food Quality across all manufacturing operations. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of H&S/QA and Sanitation, this role ensures compliance with regulatory standards, drives continuous improvement, and fosters a culture of quality excellence across the organization. The VP QA will serve as the primary point of contact for all external food safety and quality audits, including regulatory, thirdparty, and customer audits. The ideal candidate will be skilled in navigating complex audit environments with professionalism, confidence, and assertivenesscapably representing the organization and ensuring accurate, transparent communication with auditors. Key Responsibilities Develop and champion a comprehensive QA and Food Quality strategy aligned with corporate objectives and industry best practices. Ensure a quality-driven culture throughout the organization, ensuring total quality from raw materials to customer delivery. Ensure adherence to CFIA, Health Canada, FSMA, HACCP, SQF/BRC/FSSC 22000, FDA, GMP, and other requirements. Serve as the primary liaison with stakeholders regarding food quality matters. Maintain robust QA systems, including internal and third-party audits, corrective/preventive actions, traceability, and crisis management. Analyze quality KPIs, lead investigations into quality events, and implement continuous improvement initiatives like Six Sigma, Lean tools, or other methodologies. Partner with R&D, Production, Procurement, Engineering, and Sales teams to integrate quality requirements into new product development and existing operations. Support innovation by ensuring complete quality risk analysis and validation throughout development processes. Lead a team of Food Quality leaders across multiple sites; foster a high-performing culture through mentorship, training, and accountability. Set clear performance expectations, capabilities development plans, and ensure succession readiness. Serve as the technical spokesperson to senior leadership, customers, and stakeholders on all Food Quality matters. Present quality metrics, compliance trends, and improvement outcomes to executive leadership and board-level stakeholders. Required Qualifications Bachelors degree in food science, Microbiology, Food Engineering, or related discipline; advanced degree preferred. Minimum 15 years in food manufacturing QA and Food safety, including at least 10 years in a senior leadership role in a bakery manufacturing . Strong knowledge of laminated dough product quality including mastering the precise, temperature-controlled process of alternating layers of fat and dough to achieve maximum flake, volume, and flavor. Hands-on leadership experience implementing HACCP, BRC/FSSC 22000, FSMA, and regulatory programs. Deep knowledge of Canadian and U.S. food safety regulations, including CFIA, FDA, USDA, and customer requirements. Proficient in quality methodologies such as Six Sigma, Lean, internal, and external auditing. Proven ability to lead cross-functional, multi-site teams and influence at executive levels. Strong communicator, comfortable presenting to senior leadership, customers, and regulators. Strategic thinker, integrity-driven, with a proactive mindset toward risk management and operational rigor. HACCP/BRC/FSSC 22000, PCQI certifications required. Other relevant food safety certification is valued. We affirm that this job posting is for a current vacancy and our hiring process, including candidate screening, evaluation, and selection, does not involve the use of Artificial Intelligence or automated decision-making tools. Salary: Starting from $160,000 per year (depends on qualification and experience) At Upper Crust, we are committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and accessible environment where all employees are valued and supported. We are dedicated to fostering a workforce reflecting the diversity of our community and will consider all qualified applicants for employment. Upper Crust is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees with disabilities or special needs requiring accommodation. If you require accommodation, please notify our Human Resources Team at 416-746-1010 ext.1480 or via email. We thank all applicants for their interest in exploring employment opportunities with Upper Crust, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. #J-18808-Ljbffr