Manager, Food Safety & Quality Assurance

Pay Range: $115,000/yr. - $145,000/yr. based on experience and qualifications

The Manager, Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Serves as the on-site food safety authority and a key member of the plant leadership team. This role is responsible for the development, implementation, validation, and continuous improvement of all food safety and quality systems to ensure the production of safe, wholesome, and high-quality products in full compliance with USDA, SQF, customer, and company standards.

The Manager FSQA provides both technical expertise and operational leadership-driving regulatory compliance, preventing product and process failures, strengthening food safety culture, and supporting plant performance and profitability.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Food Safety & Quality Systems Management

• Develop, implement, validate, document, and maintain plant Food Safety and Quality Systems including:
• HACCP, SSOP, SQF, GMPs, Allergen Control, Environmental Monitoring, Foreign Material Control, Food Defense and Food Fraud programs
• Ensure disciplined compliance with product formulations, specifications, regulatory requirements, and customer standards.
• Serve as site lead for USDA inspections, SQF audits, third-party audits, and customer audits.
• Maintain scientifically defensible regulatory decisions that protect food safety without compromising operational integrity.
• Establish and maintain professional working relationships with USDA and regulatory authorities.
• Ensure the facility maintains complete and accurate "regulatory evidence" demonstrating compliance and product safety.

Sanitation & Microbiological Oversight

• Design, oversee, and continuously improve the plant sanitation program.
• Ensure effective operational and pre-operational sanitation verification.
• Develop and implement microbiological sampling programs (environmental and product).
• Possess hands-on knowledge of microbiological testing of meat and poultry products.
• Investigate and respond to negative microbiological and shelf-life results with timely corrective and preventive actions.
• Audit equipment cleanliness and sanitation effectiveness prior to production start-up.

Technical Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Serve as the plant's FSQA technical expert and strategic partner to Operations.
• Proactively prevent HACCP, SSOP, and process or product failures through disciplined process control and verification.
• Rapidly investigate product or process deviations, determine root cause, and implement corrective actions while minimizing product exposure and downtime.
• Implement and enhance Statistical Process Control (SPC) and quality monitoring systems.
• Develop organizational awareness of Cost of Quality and drive quality-related performance improvements.
• Partner with R&D on shelf-life validation and new product introductions.
• Support equipment selection and process improvements to ensure food safety and quality standards are met.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Plant Leadership to balance food safety excellence with operational performance.
• Collaborate with Corporate FSQA to ensure alignment with company-wide policies and initiatives.
• Work closely with Sanitation, Operations, Procurement, and Vendor Assurance to ensure raw material and finished product compliance.
• Lead customer complaint investigations and corrective actions.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and manage all FSQA functions at the facility.
• Supervise, coach, and develop FSQA personnel to build a high-performing team.
• Conduct performance reviews, workforce planning, and succession development.
• Promote and strengthen food safety culture throughout the organization.
• Organize and deliver training in GMPs, HACCP, SQF, regulatory compliance, Food Defense, and Food Fraud.
• Ensure proper documentation and verification of all training activities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, or related field required.
• Minimum 6+ years of supervisory experience required.
• 7+ years leadership experience in the food industry (meat industry strongly preferred).
• Comprehensive knowledge of USDA, FSIS, FDA, HACCP, and SSOP requirements.
• Hands-on experience conducting microbiological testing of meat and poultry products required.
• In-depth understanding of microbiological testing and limited chemistry testing.
• Working knowledge of Quality Management Systems (QMS) and Total Quality Management (TQM) is preferred.

Certifications (Required)

• HACCP Certified
• SQF Practitioner Certification

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENT:

• Comfortable walking, climbing stairs, and sitting/standing for long periods.
• Able to work in a fast-paced environment, learn new tasks, and meet productivity quotas.
• There is a possibility of travel which will be less than 5%.
• Exposure to 85-decibel sounds on the plant floor (PPE provided).