Director of Quality and R&D
DIRECTOR OF QUALITY AND R&D
Position Summary:
Sethness Roquette, the world leader in the manufacture and sale of Caramel Color and specialty caramels, seeks an experienced, highly motivated Director of Quality and R&D to join our U.S. team based in our Clinton, Iowa, Manufacturing Facility. The right candidate will be a strategic leader responsible for guiding technical vision, fostering innovation, and driving excellence across Quality and R&D teams in a dynamic food ingredient manufacturing environment. This role ensures food safety, regulatory compliance, product innovation, and customer satisfaction through oversight of analytical testing, method development, and product validation. The director bridges R&D and Quality functions, aligning efforts with overall business objectives and future capabilities.Key Responsibilities:
- Lead development of short- and long-term business plans aligned with company strategy.
- Define and execute strategic goals to enhance customer and supplier collaboration and evolve quality support programs.
- Develop and communicate long-term laboratory strategy to address future trends in technology, regulation, consumer expectations, ingredient sourcing, and portfolio evolution.
- Build organizational capabilities by identifying and addressing infrastructure and talent gaps.
- Champion standardized problem-solving methodologies across laboratories.
- Oversee daily operations of R&D and Quality labs focused on ingredient analysis and innovation as well as act as the liaison for the global teams.
- Lead method development, validation, and implementation for food safety, functionality, and stability testing (e.g., proximate, moisture, pH, viscosity, microbial).
- Ensure compliance with global food safety standards (FDA, USDA, FSMA, SQF, GFSI, ISO 22000).
- Drive cross-functional collaboration for product development, process improvements, and scale-ups; coordinate with global teams.
- Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions for quality issues and customer complaints.
- Manage and mentor scientists, technologists, and technicians to promote innovation, compliance, and professional growth.
- Maintain robust lab quality systems (SOPs, documentation, calibration, audits).
- Stay informed on scientific and regulatory changes to ensure lab practices remain compliant and competitive.
- Guide technical documentation for customer specs, certifications, and regulatory submissions.
- Manage and lead customer driven and third-party certification audits (GMO’s, HACCP, GFSI)
- Oversee capital planning for lab equipment, upgrades, and staffing.
- Ensure data integrity and best practices in digital systems (e.g., LIMS, ELN).
- Serve as technical lead for key customers, external technical forums, and interprofessional industry organizations
- Travel up to 20%.
Qualifications & Requirements:
Education: MS or PhD in Food Science, Analytical Chemistry, Microbiology, or related field.Experience:
- 10+ years in the food ingredient industry with progressive responsibilities.
- 5+ years in a leadership role in regulated manufacturing environments.
- Strong technical credibility and ability to engage technical stakeholders.
- Expertise in analytical chemistry techniques (e.g., GC, GC/MS, MS).
- Experience with budgeting, procurement, cost control, and LIMS systems.
- Familiarity with food labeling, claims, and international regulations.
Skills & Competencies:
- Proven leadership and team development abilities.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Effective problem-solving and decision-making.
- Business acumen in operations, team performance, and process improvement.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
- Deep knowledge of analytical food testing methods (e.g., Kjeldahl, HPLC/MS, GC/MS, NIR, Spectroscopy, microbiology).
- Solid understanding of global food safety standards and third-party certification programs.
- Strong technical writing and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Experience with Six Sigma, Lean, or other continuous improvement methodologies is a plus
Benefits of Working with Sethness Roquette:
- Competitive Wage
- Opportunity for growth
- Medical/Dental/Vision
- 401k & Company Pension
- Paid Time Off, including 12 paid holidays
- Wellness Incentive
- Company paid life insurance
