We’re proud to partner with Select Milk Producers, one of the nation’s largest and most innovative dairy cooperatives. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, Select Milk represents 110 family-owned dairies across the Southwest and Midwest. With more than 800 employees, 32 subsidiaries, 8 processing plants, and multiple joint ventures, Select Milk is recognized for its leadership in animal health, environmental sustainability, and product innovation. Generating nearly $3 billion in annual revenue and marketing over 10 billion pounds of milk each year, Select Milk Producers is helping shape the future of dairy and nutrition.
"We strive to go above and beyond what’s expected in providing for our families, leading our employees, caring for our land and animals, serving our customers, producing quality milk, and serving one another. This commitment is more than our business, it’s in our culture and our character. We believe in being accountable, in doing what’s right, in performing at our best, in setting a higher standard."
Select Milk Producers and its subsidiaries offer competitive compensation and a best-in-class benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, along with additional options to meet the needs of you and your family. Eligible employees also enjoy a 401(k) plan with up to a 6% company match, disability coverage, paid holidays, and vacation time. We take pride in fostering an inclusive workplace and are committed to being an equal opportunity employer.
About the Role
The Senior Director of Food Safety and Quality provides strategic leadership and hands-on direction for food safety and quality systems supporting Select Custom Solutions and Mill Haven Foods Group operations in Wisconsin. This role is responsible for leading food safety and quality activities across three powder blending, packaging, warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment facilities, while ensuring compliance with company, customer, regulatory, and GFSI/SQF requirements.
Approximately 80% of the role is focused on supporting the three Wisconsin manufacturing and fulfillment sites, including food safety and quality systems, audit readiness, regulatory compliance, customer requirements, team development, and continuous improvement. The remaining 20% of the role serves as a food safety and quality subject matter expert through Select Services consulting engagements, including support in areas such as hygienic design, sanitation optimization, regulatory and GFSI readiness, training, and commissioning / validation activities.
This is a senior leadership role that combines plant-level engagement with broader systems ownership, cross-functional influence, and external-facing consulting support. The position partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Packaging, R&D / Product Development, Commercial, and customer stakeholders to deliver safe, high-quality products and services.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Wisconsin Plant FSQ Leadership
Lead food safety and quality programs for Select Custom Solutions and Mill Haven Foods Group operations, including powder blending, packaging, warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment activities.
Own and continuously improve food safety plans, quality management systems, policies, procedures, and related controls across the network.
Ensure alignment of plant food safety and quality systems with company standards and applicable regulatory requirements, including FDA / FSMA Preventive Controls, USDA requirements where applicable, and GFSI / SQF standards.
Oversee sanitation, GMP, allergen, environmental monitoring, supplier / ingredient risk, and related food safety and quality requirements appropriate to the operations.
Promote alignment and consistency across the three sites through standard work, shared learning, and enterprise training.
Audit, Regulatory, and Customer Readiness
Ensure audit readiness and support successful outcomes for customer, regulatory, and third-party audits and certifications, including GFSI / SQF and other applicable programs.
Lead follow-up on corrective and preventive actions, verification, and validation activities as needed.
Serve as a primary technical and regulatory liaison with customers, certification bodies, and federal, state, and local agencies, including FDA / FSMA and USDA where applicable.
Support customer and client audits, business reviews, technical discussions, and issue resolution related to food safety and quality performance.
Own traceability and recall readiness processes across the supported network, including mock recalls, product disposition, customer notifications, and crisis-response coordination, as appropriate.
Continuous Improvement and Operational Support
Monitor and analyze food safety and quality performance indicators, including complaints, nonconformances, environmental results, audit findings, hold / release performance, yields / scrap, and internal deviation trends.
Use root cause analysis and continuous improvement tools to drive corrective action, measurable improvement, and stronger plant performance.
Lead risk assessments for new products, process changes, equipment commissioning, and facility modifications, and partner with Operations and Engineering to support hygienic design and validated controls.
Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain / Logistics, Engineering, Packaging, Procurement, R&D / Commercialization, and Commercial teams to embed food safety and quality requirements into business operations, product launches, reformulations, and scale-ups.
Manage departmental budgets and resource planning, balancing compliance, customer requirements, risk reduction, and operational efficiency.
Consulting / Subject Matter Expert Support
Provide approximately 20% of role capacity in support of Select Services consulting engagements as a food safety and quality subject matter expert.
Support consulting work in areas such as hygienic design reviews, sanitation optimization, regulatory and GFSI readiness, training, commissioning / validation, and related technical quality services.
Translate food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements into practical recommendations, policies, procedures, and training that reduce risk and improve performance for clients and internal stakeholders.
Represent Select Services professionally with customers, clients, and external partners in food safety and quality matters.
Team Leadership
Provide direct leadership, coaching, and development for quality assurance teams across the three Wisconsin sites.
Clarify roles, set expectations, support succession planning, and create development plans that strengthen technical capability and leadership pipeline.
Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration across sites and functions.
Support hiring, training, coaching, performance management, and other personnel actions in coordination with plant leadership and Human Resources.
Support M&A integration efforts by participating in FSQ due diligence, assessing capability gaps, developing integration roadmaps, and helping standardize systems and practices across newly acquired sites.
Success Factors & Measures
Strong audit readiness and successful outcomes across customer, regulatory, and third-party audits / certifications.
Reliable execution of food safety and quality systems that support compliance, customer confidence, and plant performance.
Demonstrated improvement in key food safety and quality performance measures, including complaints, nonconformances, audit findings, and related indicators.
Effective development of site quality teams, including stronger technical capability, role clarity, and leadership readiness.
Strong credibility and partnership with plant leadership, executive leadership, customers, certification bodies, and regulatory representatives.
Practical and effective delivery of food safety and quality consulting support through Select Services.
Consistent use of clear, professional, and effective communication in plant, customer, regulatory, and consulting environments.
Sound prioritization of budgets, resources, and initiatives in ways that balance compliance, customer needs, and operational efficiency.
Direct Supervisory Responsibilities
This role has direct responsibility for leadership and development of quality assurance teams at Select Custom Solutions, La Crosse, WI; Mill Haven Foods, Tomah, WI; and Mill Haven Foods, New Lisbon, WI. Supervisory responsibilities include hiring support, training, coaching, performance management, development planning, discipline support, and other personnel actions in coordination with management and Human Resources.
Qualifications & Experience
Experience
10+ years of progressively responsible experience in food safety and quality within food manufacturing, with multi-site leadership experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience in dairy ingredients / proteins, dry blending and packaging, nutritional powders / supplements, and / or similar regulated food or ingredient environments.
Strong working knowledge of food safety and regulatory frameworks applicable to the supported operations, including FDA / FSMA Preventive Controls and USDA requirements where applicable.
Strong experience with GFSI schemes such as SQF and with third-party, customer, and regulatory audit management.
Demonstrated success leading food safety and quality systems, teams, and initiatives across manufacturing, packaging, warehousing, and distribution environments.
Proven ability to work cross-functionally across Operations, Engineering, Packaging, R&D / Product Development, Supply Chain / Logistics, Commercial, and customer-facing environments.
Hands-on capability with risk assessment, sanitation, hygienic design, environmental monitoring, allergen management, traceability, recall readiness, verification, and validation.
Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to translate complex technical issues into practical actions for plant leaders, executives, customers, and regulatory partners.
Experience supporting consulting, advisory, or customer-facing technical work is preferred.
Preferred Attributes
Practical judgment with a bias toward action, accountability, and operational follow-through.
Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on plant and consulting support.
Strong cross-functional influence skills and the ability to build trust across operating sites and client environments.
Continuous improvement mindset with experience applying tools such as root cause analysis, SPC, Lean, and Six Sigma.
Comfort operating across both internal plant leadership and external-facing consulting environments.
Preferred Certifications
HACCP certification
PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual)
SQF Practitioner or comparable GFSI practitioner certification
Work Environment
Primarily based in Wisconsin with regular on-site presence across the three operating sites.
Additional travel is required to support Select Services consulting engagements and customer / client needs.
Periodic extended hours may be required during audits, customer events, plant issues, project launches, or other high-priority situations.
About Select
Select Milk is one of the nation’s largest and most progressive dairy cooperatives with likeminded producers that have earned a reputation for innovation in animal welfare, environmental sustainability, technology, and overall industry best practices. Established in 1994, Select Milk markets and processes milk from member dairies in the Southwest and the upper Mid-West. Headquartered in Dallas, the company has over 110 family-owned dairies, thirty-two wholly owned subsidiaries, and eight joint ventures with other major food/beverage producers.