Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance

About Us 

At Open Farm we are transforming the way people feed their pets, with a focus on producing premium, healthy food and treats, all ethically sourced from farm-to-bowl. Headquartered in Toronto and with team members across the US, Open Farm is one of the fastest growing CPG companies in North America. We believe that the best foods are made with consciously sourced, top-quality ingredients from farmers and fisheries who believe in doing good for all animals and the environment.  

In 2021, Open Farm raised >$80MM CAD in our latest round of funding, led by leading global growth equity firm General Atlantic, who joined Open Farm’s leadership team and existing minority partner, Encore Consumer Capital, on Open Farm’s long-term growth journey. With annual sales growth exceeding 60 per cent over the last three years, our products can be found in over 6,000 neighbourhood pet retailers across North America as well as online at OpenFarmPet.com. Our product line is recognized as a category-leader in product innovation, with a full suite of premium offerings ranging from kibble to fresh meals and supplements. Throughout our growth journey, we have stayed true to our values, partnering with ethical sourcing partners Certified Humane®, Global Animal Partnership, and Ocean Wise Seafood to provide better quality ingredients to pets and ensure we are sourcing ingredients in a way that respects farm animals and the planet.   

In our accelerated growth journey and mission to Do Some Good® for animals and the planet, we are looking for an exceptional, innovative, mission-driven finance leader to help build a globally trusted and loved brand and scale into the most successful omni-channel and sustainability focused CPG company in the world.   

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Supply Chain Officer, the Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance will lead all aspects of food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance and relations, and will provide strategic input into new product innovation projects. The Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance will be a key technical expert, collaborator and leader in the organization, focusing on people, process and systems to ensure we continue to meet the highest standards of food quality and safety. This role acts as a key resource to our co-manufacturer and supplier network, ensuring our safety and quality requirements are implemented across our supply chain, and will also work closely with Open Farm’s Manufacturing, Procurement, Innovation and Impact teams, and play the critical role of championing Open Farm’s rigorous safety and quality standards. 

Role Overview 

Serving as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Vice President, Food Safety and Quality Assurance will define and lead the enterprise wide strategy for food safety, quality systems, regulatory compliance, and product integrity.

This executive will architect and continuously strengthen a best-in-class FSQA function that supports rapid growth, product innovation, global expansion, and increasing operational complexity. The VP will serve as the organization’s foremost authority on food safety and regulatory excellence, while acting as a strategic business partner across Manufacturing (external), Procurement, Innovation, Impact, Marketing, and Customer Experience.

The role requires both visionary leadership and operational rigor—building scalable systems, strengthening supplier and co-manufacturing networks, embedding quality into innovation processes, and ensuring Open Farm remains an industry benchmark for safety, transparency, and animal welfare standards.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, systems-oriented executive with deep technical expertise and demonstrated success scaling food safety and quality organizations within high-growth CPG environments.

Key Responsibilities 

Enterprise FSQA Strategy & Governance

• Develop and execute a multi-year, enterprise-wide food safety and quality strategy aligned with Open Farm’s growth, innovation, and international expansion plans.
• Establish governance frameworks, KPIs, and reporting mechanisms to ensure proactive risk management and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the executive owner of food safety and quality risk across the supply chain.

Regulatory Leadership & Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with all applicable regulatory bodies and export market requirements (e.g., FDA, CFIA, and international authorities).
• Oversee global certification standards including SQF, BRC, HACCP, Global Animal Partnership, Certified Humane, Ocean Wise, MSC/ASC, and related frameworks.
• Anticipate and proactively respond to evolving regulatory and industry requirements.

Supply Chain & Partner Oversight

• Provide executive oversight of Open Farm’s co-manufacturing and supplier network, ensuring rigorous implementation of food safety and quality standards from ingredient sourcing through finished goods distribution.
• Lead and oversee supplier qualification, onboarding, auditing, and performance management processes.
• Strengthen testing protocols, traceability systems, and data-driven quality monitoring programs.

Product Innovation & Commercialization

• Embed food safety, regulatory, and quality standards into new product development from concept through commercialization.
• Partner with Innovation and R&D on formulation compliance, ingredient validation, processing technologies, and reformulation initiatives.
• Ensure product claims, nutritional integrity, and animal welfare standards are substantiated and defensible.

Crisis Management & Brand Protection

• Lead enterprise response to food safety or quality incidents, including recall management and regulator engagement.
• Ensure transparent, timely, and brand-aligned communication with consumers, regulators, and stakeholders.
• Implement preventative systems to reduce enterprise risk and protect brand equity.

Organizational Leadership & Culture

• Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing FSQA organization capable of supporting sustained hyper-growth.
• Foster a culture of accountability, quality ownership, and continuous learning across the enterprise.
• Influence cross-functional leaders to embed quality and food safety into decision-making at all levels.

Experience & Expertise

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in food safety and quality assurance, including executive-level responsibility in complex, multi-site or outsourced manufacturing environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in food science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or related discipline required; advanced degree (MS or PhD) preferred.
• Deep expertise in processed protein categories (beef, pork, poultry, seafood) and ideally pet food manufacturing.
• Proven track record of building and scaling enterprise-grade FSQA programs in rapidly growing organizations.
• Extensive knowledge of HACCP, BRC, SQF, and global food safety management systems.
• Strong command of regulatory frameworks across North America, with international experience preferred.
• Experience managing third-party manufacturing networks and global supply chains.

Leadership Competencies

• Enterprise thinker with the ability to translate technical rigor into strategic advantage.
• Player–coach leadership style—willing to roll up sleeves and “get in the mud” when required, while simultaneously building scalable systems and empowering leaders beneath you.
• Proven ability to lead through influence across cross-functional executive teams.
• Exceptional crisis leadership and decision-making capability under pressure.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to represent the company externally with regulators, certification bodies, and partners.
• Data-driven, process-oriented, and committed to continuous improvement.

Why Join Open Farm: 

This is a rare opportunity to architect and lead the food safety and quality platform of one of the most mission-driven and fastest-growing premium CPG brands in North America. You will shape the systems that protect product integrity, strengthen consumer trust, and enable sustainable global growth.

What We Offer: 

• Opportunity to lead and shape the future of food quality and safety in a fast-growing, mission-driven company, with annual sales growth of over 60% YOY.
• Join a dynamic and supportive work environment with a team of dedicated, high–performing professionals.
• Competitive salary and short-terms incentives, with an opportunity for long-term equity as part of total compensation. 

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Our Values 

We Raise the Bar | We Open the Barn Doors | We Graze Lightly | We Are Customer Obsessed | We Are One Team  | Win-Win Partnerships

To learn more about Open Farm, follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn. 

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Open Farm values diversity in its workforce and encourages applications from all qualified individuals. Applicants requiring a disability-related accommodation at any stage of Open Farm's recruitment process should contact hr@openfarmpet.com. As required by legislation, Open Farm will consult with applications requesting such an accommodation to ensure that Open Farm's recruitment process takes into account their accessibility needs.