We're Hiring!

• Play a key role in supporting the Australian economy.
• Discounted food, travel, entertainment, gym membership, staff parking and, + more.
• Hybrid role opportunity, plus regular site visits.

Company

For 81 years, we've achieved success through our ability to innovate, placing a clear emphasis on how we best serve our customers’ needs. As demand continues to grow, we have expanded rapidly, now delivering a superior range of dry goods, frozen and chilled products, fresh seafood and meat, confectionery, paper products, and cleaning solutions.

In recent years, we’ve seen significant growth and invested in our systems and processes, building a close partnership with Woolworths Group that has continued to deliver high-quality service for our customers and suppliers.

In 2024, Woolworths moved to a 100% interest in the PFD business, bringing PFD exciting opportunities as a strategic part of the Group. Sharing expertise across both teams will ensure our continued success and drive further growth and unlock our collective potential.

About this Position  

As the Head of Quality and Technical Governance, you will hold enterprise-level accountability for food safety, quality and technical governance across PFD Food Services. Reporting to the General Manager, Safety, Risk and Quality, you will lead a national Quality and Technical function and act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on regulatory compliance, supplier risk, customer requirements and emerging issues across the supply chain.

You will lead a national function with 2 direct reports and broader indirect leadership, supporting a network of 56 sites, including 4 seafood facilities and 2 meat rooms, supplying major customers such as Woolworths.

This role operates at the intersection of regulatory assurance, customer scrutiny and business performance. You will represent PFD as the senior technical authority with regulators, major customers (including Woolworths Group), auditors and suppliers, ensuring food safety, quality, ethical sourcing, sustainability and material risks are effectively governed and controlled.

With increasing public, customer and regulatory expectations, this role plays a critical part in ensuring PFD can demonstrate disciplined governance, robust assurance and risk-based decision making across a complex national food distribution business.

Key Responsibilities

• Enterprise Quality & Technical Governance - Own and continuously strengthen PFD’s enterprise quality, food safety and technical governance framework, ensuring sustained compliance with food legislation, customer standards and Woolworths Group requirements.
• Regulatory, Customer & Assurance Leadership - Act as PFD’s senior technical authority in engagement with regulators, customers, certification bodies and auditors, providing clear assurance on food safety, quality, ethical sourcing and material risk management.
• Audit, Risk & Readiness Oversight - Provide governance oversight of internal and external audit programs, including HACCP and SMETA, ensuring organisational readiness, effective closure of findings and sustained risk reduction across all sites and suppliers.
• Product & Supply Chain Technical Oversight - Lead technical and quality oversight across the full product lifecycle, from supplier approval through to storage, distribution and customer outcomes, ensuring risks are proactively identified and controlled.
• Responsible Sourcing & Sustainability - Provide technical governance across sustainable packaging, material selection, resource usage, food waste reduction and circularity initiatives, ensuring alignment with Woolworths Group expectations.
• People & Capability Leadership - Lead, mentor and develop a high performing national Quality and Technical function, embedding strong professional standards, accountability and a culture of disciplined assurance.

What Success Looks Like (6-12 Months)

• Builds strong relationships across the Quality & Technical team and executive leadership.
• Gains a deep understanding of operations across seafood, meat and branch networks.
• Establishes clear governance rhythms, including monthly KPI dashboards and executive reporting.
• Provides clear visibility to leadership on key quality, food safety and supplier risks.
• Strengthens external confidence with regulators, auditors and key customers.
• Embeds a proactive, risk-based approach - moving from reactive management to structured governance.

What We’re Looking For

To succeed in this role, you will be an experienced senior Quality and Technical leader who is comfortable operating at an enterprise and external facing level. You will bring:

• Tertiary qualifications in Food Science, Engineering, Science or a related technical discipline.
• Significant experience leading Quality and Technical governance within a complex, multi-site food or supply chain environment.
• Proven experience engaging regulators, major customers, auditors and certification bodies.
• Strong working knowledge of food safety legislation, HACCP systems, supplier assurance and audit frameworks (including SMETA).
• Ability to translate technical and regulatory requirements into practical governance frameworks and business controls.
• Proven leadership capability across national or distributed teams.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to influence at executive level.
• Analytical mindset with experience using systems and data to support assurance and decision making.
• Commercial and risk-based thinking, understanding the impact of quality and food safety on brand and business performance.
• Experience in seafood and/or red meat supply chains is highly desirable.

Additional Information

• National role with regular travel required (approximately monthly in the first 12-18 months).
• Opportunity to step into a strategic, governance-led role with enterprise visibility and influence

What PFD is Offering the Successful Candidate

We are offering competitive remuneration, superannuation and other staff benefits (such as discounts on staff purchases, discounted accommodation, health insurance and banking).

Culture & Values

Customer Focus

Know your external and internal customers. Gain and preserve their confidence because we can only be successful if our customers are successful.

Respect

Treat people at work and in the community as they would like to be treated. Act safely, responsibly, and ethically. 

Passion

Share the passion of making us a successful and dynamic company. Let’s celebrate successes.

Simplicity

Let’s minimise the complications of doing business so customer services are on time, accurate and reliable. Share ideas to improve our company.

Leadership

All of us can be leaders in our day to day working lives. Bring out the best in yourself and the people around you. Do what you say you are going to do.

How to Apply

If you’re a quality and technical expert ready to take on a leadership role in a fast-paced industry, we’d love to hear from you! Click the apply button and submit your updated resume and a cover letter.

Applications close Monday, 27 April 2026 at 12:00 pm (AEST). Early applications are encouraged, as hiring managers may begin shortlisting candidates before the closing date. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. All applications will be treated confidentially.

As part of our recruitment process, do you consent to undergoing employment checks? These may include a medical assessment (which may involve drug and alcohol testing), a National Police History Check, a Working With Children/Vulnerable Groups Check, and a Licence Validation/Demerit Point Check.

Please note: We do not accept unsolicited CVs from recruitment agencies or third parties. Any CVs sent directly to Line Managers will not be considered, and we will not be responsible for any associated fees or costs.

PFD Food Services is committed to being an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.