Director of Food Safety

Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance

Full-Time | In-Person | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | Salary range: $75,000–$95,000 annually

About Green Top Farms

Green Top Farms was founded by a farmer-turned-public-school-teacher who was troubled by the lack of fresh, nutritious foods available to many New York families. Over the last seven years, we have built a high-volume food service, catering, and delivery operation serving schools, nonprofits, and city agencies throughout NYC.

Our mission is to build a more sustainable and equitable food system by reconnecting consumers and local farmers. We believe this leads to better nutrition, better taste, greater social justice, and reduced environmental impact. Our menus and operations reflect this commitment every day.

As our business has grown, so has the complexity of our products, ingredients, and production processes. This role exists to ensure food safety systems are strong, scalable, and consistently enforced across the organization.

The Role

The Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance is a senior, hands-on leadership role responsible for owning and enforcing food safety across a diverse and evolving product portfolio. This is not a passive or desk-based compliance role.

You will be deeply embedded in daily operations, ensuring food safety standards are consistently applied, enforced, and improved. This role works closely with Culinary, Operations, and Quality teams and reports directly to senior leadership.

This is a full-time, in-person position based out of our main kitchen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Flexible weekday scheduling (Monday–Friday) will be determined with direct supervisors (CCO, CEO, CFO).

Who You Are:

• A confident, hands-on food safety leader who thrives in a high-volume, fast-changing production environment

• Someone who is not easily overwhelmed and can command respect on the floor

• Comfortable enforcing non-negotiable food safety standards

• Detail-oriented, science-driven, and decisive

• Able to balance coaching and support with firm accountability

• Comfortable addressing violations and handling complaints with urgency

• Willing to be present on the floor daily with ownership and follow-through

Key Responsibilities

Food Safety Leadership and Enforcement

• Develop, implement, and enforce all food safety regulations, policies, and procedures

• Serve as the final authority on food safety standards and enforcement

• Ensure consistent application of SOPs, GMPs, and food safety requirements

• Address violations, complaints, and corrective actions with urgency and follow-through

HACCP and Regulatory Oversight

• Own, maintain, and continuously improve HACCP plans across multiple product types

• Ensure HACCP systems are actively used and not just documented

• Manage regulatory relationships with USDA, NYS Department of Agriculture, NYC Department of Health, and other agencies

• Maintain all required licenses, permits, and inspection readiness

Audits, Sanitation, and Continuous Improvement

• Conduct internal audits and oversee external audits as needed

• Perform root cause analysis and manage CAPA processes for consumer or operational issues

• Review and expand sanitation programs and master sanitation schedules

• Evaluate new recipes, ingredients, equipment, and production changes for food safety impact

Team Leadership and Training

• Lead and manage the food safety and QC team (approximately 3–4 direct reports)

• Train, coach, and hold team members accountable to food safety standards

• Partner with department leaders to reinforce food safety culture across the organization

Communication and Visibility

• Provide regular summaries of complaints, risks, trends, and corrective actions to senior leadership

• Communicate clearly with frontline teams, managers, and executives

• Maintain visibility and credibility on the production floor

Required Experience and Skills

• 3+ years of food safety experience in a high-volume RTE processing, commissary, or similar facility

• Hands-on experience creating, maintaining, and enforcing HACCP plans

• Strong knowledge of food safety regulations, audits, and record-keeping

• Experience working directly in culinary and production environments

• Proven problem-solving and root cause analysis skills

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively

• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred

Required Certifications

• NYC Department of Health Food Protection Certificate

• HACCP Certification

• PCQI Certification

Strongly Preferred (But Not Required)

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific field such as Food Science, Microbiology, or Nutrition

• Master’s degree in Food Science or related discipline

• Experience managing food safety across multiple product categories and frequent menu changes

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary range: $75,000–$95,000 annually

• Paid sick leave

• Paid time off that increases with tenure

• Employment wellbeing program

• Eligibility for bonuses through the Green Shares employee bonus program

What We Offer

• Medical insurance to support your health and wellbeing

• Paid sick leave and paid time off that grows with tenure

• Commuter benefits to help make getting to work easier

• Eligibility for Green Shares, our employee bonus program that rewards shared success

• The opportunity to take ownership, lead a team, and directly shape how our operation runs and how food safety shows up every day

Equal Opportunity Employer

Green Top Farms is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability.