Senior FSQ Specialist - Supplier Quality

About SunOpta

SunOpta delivers customized supply chain solutions and innovation for top brands, retailers, and foodservice providers across a broad portfolio of beverages, broths, and better-for-you snacks. With over 50 years of expertise, SunOpta fuels customers' growth with high-quality, sustainability-forward solutions distributed through retail, club, foodservice, and e-commerce channels across North America.

Job Summary:

The Senior Supplier Quality Specialist is the technical lead for supplier quality and risk management related to ingredients, packaging, and contract manufacturers. This role evaluates supplier food safety and quality programs, conducts supplier and ingredient risk assessments, supports supplier approval activities, and helps maintain and improve supplier quality processes.

In this senior individual-contributor role, you will serve as a technical lead and trusted partner to Procurement, R&D, Regulatory, Supply Chain, Operations, Manufacturing Quality, and Commercial teams. You will influence supplier and sourcing decisions, support commercialization, and help improve the systems and risk-based processes that protect our products, customers, and consumers.

Essential Functions of the Job:

Supplier and material risk assessment

• Lead risk-based assessments of suppliers, ingredients, packaging materials, and external manufacturing partners including periodic re-assessments and mitigation activities.
• Make clear, documented recommendations regarding approval, risk mitigation, monitoring, and re-evaluation.
• Partner cross-functionally with Procurement, Supply Chain, R&D, Regulatory, Operations, Manufacturing Quality, and Commercial teams to support sourcing decisions, commercialization projects, and supply chain risk management.

Supplier approval, verification, and auditing

• Influence business decisions through technical expertise, risk evaluations, and data-driven recommendations related to supplier quality and food safety.
• Conduct supplier audits as needed (on-site, virtual, and desk-based), communicate findings, and verify effectiveness of corrective actions.
• Serve as a technical resource for FSVP, supply-chain preventive controls, supplier approval, and applicable GFSI requirements.

Specifications and technical documentation

• Develop, review, approve, and maintain ingredient and packaging specifications.
• Work with suppliers and internal partners to resolve specification gaps and ensure requirements are practical, accurate, and complete.

Program and process improvement

• Drive continuous improvement of supplier quality systems, processes, and tools.
• Help develop consistent, scalable processes that support business growth and changing regulatory or customer expectations.

• Follow company GMP's (good manufacturing practices), safety procedures and all other quality processes.
• All other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• None

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, Food Science, Biology, Chemistry or other related technical field
• 5+ years of experience in Supplier Quality, Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, or related food industry disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience conducting supplier and ingredient risk assessments.
• Strong understanding of food safety regulations and preventive control programs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PCQI certification
• FSVP certification
• Experience with GFSI-recognized certification programs (SQF, BRCGS, FSSC 22000)
• Experience with specification and quality management systems (i.e. DevEx, TraceGains, Intelex, FoodLogiQ, Oracle, etc.)

Knowledge and Skills:

• Advanced knowledge of supplier quality systems and risk-based supplier management.
• Strong understanding of SQF supplier approval and monitoring requirements.
• Excellent analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to independently assess risk and make sound technical recommendations.
• Strong communication and stakeholder collaboration skills.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Strong project management and organizational capabilities.
• Detail-oriented with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Self-directed, intellectually curious, and results-driven

Additional Considerations:

• 30-40% travel to International and Domestic supplier manufacturing sites and SunOpta manufacturing sites.
• The role will be located at the SunOpta Headquarter Office in Eden Prairie, MN on a hybrid schedule.
• Relocation or remote working arrangements will not be considered.

Featured Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Paid Family leave
• Paid maternity leave
• 401(k) with Match
• Voluntary Life, Accident, Critical Illness and Hospital indemnity
• Paid Holidays
• Tuition assistance
• Short-term and Long-term Disability insurance

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
EOE M/W/VET/DISABLED