Perdue Foods is part of Perdue Farms, a family-owned company heading into its second century of growth and innovation. With a goal of becoming the most trusted name in premium proteins, we create products for consumers and for retail and foodservice customers around the globe, while changing the way animals are raised for food.

Summary

The Director of Co-Manufacturing leads the effort, ensuring Perdue is at the forefront of managing partnerships with Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs), developing/leveraging strategies that align with our commitment to animal care, product quality and food safety, company growth, cost targets and environmental sustainability. This position will directly engage and manage relationships with Co-Packers to ensure Quality and Food Safety program requirements are in place and other elements of the manufacturing partnership operate as planned. Working with other internal leaders/departments, this position will oversee the scheduling and execution of all food safety and/or quality related product certifications for all Co-Packers and engagements to manage product volume requirements. S/he will maintain strong professional relationships with CMOs as well as other stakeholders and key customers to ensure responsive partnerships. This individual will work through cross-functional teams and will travel as needed to customers and other production facilities.

Principal and Essential Duties & Responsibilities Cultivate relationships with key internal stakeholders to support Perdue's business strategy and communicate supply chain insights/requirements. Oversee Food Safety and Quality Management systems (FSQMS) and support teams engaged in food safety and quality management systems for all Perdue Foods and Coleman Natural Foods Co-packers including food safety, food security, crisis management and customer/consumer complaints. Provide oversight for protocol integrity, animal care-in-production and animal welfare policies including all 3rd party animal welfare audits including Whole Foods Addendums for West Coast Operations, Perdue Foods, all Perdue Foods Co-Packers and Coleman Natural Foods Co-Packers. Provide oversight for protocol integrity: Organic, Non-GMO, NAE, Gluten Free, AHA, GFSI, Global Animal Partnership (GAP and GAP LPAP) for all Perdue Foods, all Perdue Foods Co-Packers and Coleman Natural Co-Packers. Partner with internal stakeholders to manage the commercial risk profile of our CMO network, ensuring alignment with Perdue's demand requirements and business continuity plans. Engage with senior internal and external stakeholders to understand business requirements, use market intelligence to develop strategies, lead supplier negotiations, and deliver solutions to support Perdue’s supply chains. Lead contract negotiations and manage ongoing contracts with CMOs for both branded and private label products, partnering with Procurement as appropriate. Gather and analyze market intelligence to benchmark the CMO landscape, identifying opportunities for improvement and optimization. Minimum Education and Experience

REQUIRED:  Bachelor's Degree in Food Science, Engineering or other applicable Science degree and 10+ years of related experience in the food industry.

 

The ideal candidate will also have:

Strong knowledge of (and/or certifications in) food safety and all applicable regulations. Experience working with direct customer interface and support around Quality and Food Safety as well as managing requirements around verification programs; NAE, NGMO, Gluten Free, BRC, SQF, HACCP, Organic, etc. Experience developing and maintaining company records relating to process work flows, USDA, FDA, and other regulatory organizations. Thorough understanding of HACCP and GFSI programs/audit schemes. Ability to develop quality systems, including the ability to write policies and SOPs as well as mentor others in writing policies and SOPs. Ability to effectively articulate and present the company’s quality strategy to Copackers, senior management, regulatory bodies and customers. Proven ability to operate successfully in a rapidly growing organization, inclusive of demonstrated ability to coordinate efforts in addressing regulatory issues. Ability to formulate solutions from a broad perspective. Ability to travel 25% of the time.

 

 

PREFERRED: MBA

Environmental Factors and Physical Requirements

1. Position is mostly sedentary but may require occasional moving to other offices or buildings. 2. When in a plant environment: Exposure primarily consists of wet and moist floors which include metal and plastic grating surfaces. May be exposed to temperatures of 28 degrees to 100 degrees Fahrenheit with both ambient and 100% humidity. May handle product 25 degrees to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. May be exposed to noise ranges of 50 db. to 110 db. May be exposed to all chemicals used in poultry, food, processing facility. Must wear and use protective and safety equipment required for the job as directed by the Company.

 

 

Perdue Farms, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.