Executive Search Success Story: Recruiting a VP of Quality & Food Safety to Rebuild the Quality System and Restore Retailer Confidence for a Multi-Plant Food Manufacturer

How JRG Partners executed a confidential North American executive search that equipped a private-equity-backed multi-plant food manufacturer with the VP of Quality & Food Safety and food safety leadership required to recover from a product recall, standardize food safety and quality systems across six plants, pass customer and certification audits, and restore the retailer relationships the sponsor’s value-creation plan depended on.

The Challenge

A private-equity-backed food manufacturer producing branded and private label products across six plants had executed a product recall following an environmental monitoring failure at one facility. Two national retailers suspended private label programs pending corrective action, certification bodies scheduled unannounced audits, and the incumbent quality leader departed. The company’s six plants, assembled through acquisitions, operated with different food safety plans, documentation standards, and quality cultures. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the business:

• A product recall with corrective action commitments to regulators, certification bodies, and customers
• Two national retailers suspending private label programs worth more than $90M in annual revenue
• Six plants with inconsistent food safety plans, environmental monitoring programs, and quality documentation
• Supplier food safety verification inadequate across a large ingredient and packaging base
• No corporate quality or food safety function with authority across plants
• Sponsor value-creation plan dependent on retailer program recovery and acquisition integration

Recognizing that recovery required an experienced food safety executive, the CEO and sponsor engaged JRG Partners for an expedited search for a VP of Quality & Food Safety, supported by a Director of Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance and a Director of Supplier Quality & Customer Audits. The company required an executive search partner with deep food and beverage expertise and immediate access to quality leaders who had led recall recoveries and standardized food safety across multi-plant networks.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Food and Beverage Quality Focus

JRG Partners possesses deep recruiting expertise across branded and private label food manufacturers, protein and prepared foods companies, and consumer packaged goods quality organizations, including quality, food safety, regulatory, and supplier quality leadership. This domain knowledge ensured an immediate understanding of recall recovery, GFSI and retailer audit expectations, and multi-plant food safety governance.

VP of Quality Search Specialization

Our firm maintains a dedicated practice for VP of Quality searches across manufacturing industries, with a proven methodology for evaluating candidates on quality system transformation, regulatory and customer confidence, and measurable outcomes under pressure.

Speed Under Customer and Regulatory Pressure

JRG Partners structured the engagement to deliver qualified finalists within two weeks, recognizing that corrective action commitments and suspended retailer programs required leadership in place immediately.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Food Safety & Quality System Review

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, sponsor operating partners, COO, and outside food safety counsel to review recall root causes, corrective action commitments, plant-level quality maturity, and retailer requirements. This review defined a VP of Quality & Food Safety profile combining recall recovery leadership, multi-plant standardization, and retailer relationship credibility.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting quality and food safety leaders at branded and private label food manufacturers, protein and prepared foods companies, and CPG quality organizations who had led documented recall recoveries and multi-plant food safety programs. Over 270 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of completing recall corrective actions, standardizing food safety plans and environmental monitoring across plants, restoring suspended retailer programs, building supplier food safety verification, and passing unannounced certification audits. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented a recall recovery and quality system standardization plan to the CEO, sponsor, and COO, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified food safety, audit, and customer outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 270+ food and beverage quality and food safety leader profiles mapped across North America.
• Placed a VP of Quality & Food Safety with proven recall recovery experience in 42 days.
• Completed all recall corrective actions ahead of regulatory and certification deadlines.
• Restored more than $90M in suspended retailer private label programs within seven months.
• Standardized food safety and quality systems across six acquired plants.
• Passed unannounced certification audits at every plant with no major nonconformances.