About Padiano’s Kitchen
Padiano’s Kitchen is a fast-growing food brand based in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, creating bold, better-for-you seasonings, sour powders, hydration mixes, and snacks. We are a product-driven company built on social media momentum, strong customer demand, and a commitment to producing safe, consistent, high-quality food products.
As we continue to grow, we are looking for a Food Safety & Quality Associate / Food Scientist to help strengthen our food safety systems, maintain quality standards, support testing and documentation, and prepare our facility for future certifications such as SQF.
This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys food science, quality assurance, documentation, testing, audits, and continuous improvement. This is not a management position.
Position Overview
The Food Safety & Quality Associate / Food Scientist will support the daily execution of Padiano’s Kitchen’s food safety and quality programs. This person will help ensure that raw materials, in-process production, finished goods, documentation, sanitation practices, and product release processes meet company, customer, regulatory, and food safety requirements.
This role will work closely with operations and leadership to help build scalable food safety systems for a growing dry-blend food manufacturing environment.
Key Responsibilities: Food Safety & Quality Systems
Support the development, implementation, and maintenance of food safety and quality programs, including GMPs, SOPs, HACCP / Food Safety Plan documentation, preventive controls, allergen controls, sanitation verification, traceability, and corrective actions.
Review production records, batch documentation, sanitation logs, receiving records, and quality checks to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with company standards.
Verify that products are produced according to approved formulas, specifications, procedures, and food safety requirements.
Assist with maintaining documentation for regulatory compliance, customer requirements, and third-party certification readiness.
Support SQF preparation, documentation, internal audits, gap assessments, corrective actions, and continuous improvement projects.
Testing, Retention Samples & Product Release
Conduct or coordinate quality testing for raw materials, in-process products, and finished goods as needed.
Maintain sample retention programs, including pulling, labeling, organizing, and tracking retained samples by lot and production date.
Assist with product evaluations, shelf-life monitoring, sensory checks, moisture-related observations, clumping concerns, and other dry-blend quality attributes.
Support hold and release procedures by verifying that products meet established specifications before release.
Document test results, quality findings, deviations, and corrective actions accurately and consistently.
Audits, Inspections & Compliance
Assist with internal audits, mock recalls, traceability exercises, supplier documentation reviews, and third-party audit preparation.
Help maintain readiness for customer audits, regulatory inspections, and certification programs.
Support compliance with applicable FDA, FSMA, GMP, labeling, and food safety requirements.
Assist with raw material risk assessments, supplier approval documentation, COA review, allergen statements, spec sheets, and ingredient documentation.
Follow up on audit findings, non-conformances, customer complaints, and corrective actions to ensure proper closure.
Raw Materials, Suppliers & Documentation
Review incoming ingredient documentation including Certificates of Analysis, allergen statements, country of origin, non-GMO documentation, gluten-free statements, and other required supplier records.
Help maintain organized digital and physical documentation for ingredients, packaging, formulas, finished goods, and production lots.
Assist with raw material and finished product specifications.
Support lot tracking, traceability, and inventory-related quality documentation.
Product Quality & Continuous Improvement
Work with operations to identify opportunities to improve consistency, reduce defects, improve documentation, and strengthen quality controls.
Investigate customer complaints, product quality concerns, production deviations, or out-of-spec findings.
Support product testing and scale-up for dry blends, seasonings, sour powders, hydration mixes, and related products.
Assist with nutritional, ingredient, and labeling documentation as needed.
Maintain current knowledge of food safety regulations, dry-blend manufacturing best practices, and quality assurance standards.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, Nutrition, or a related field preferred.
Experience in food manufacturing, quality assurance, food safety, laboratory testing, or food product development preferred.
Knowledge of FDA food safety regulations, FSMA, GMPs, HACCP principles, allergen control, sanitation, and traceability.
HACCP certification preferred or willingness to obtain.
SQF, BRC, or other GFSI experience is a plus.
Experience with dry blends, seasonings, powders, snacks, or low-moisture food manufacturing is a strong plus.
Process Authority certification is not required.
Experience with sample retention, product testing, documentation control, internal audits, or supplier documentation is preferred.
Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records.
Comfortable working in a hands-on production environment.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, organized, curious, and comfortable working in a fast-growing food manufacturing environment. They understand that food safety and quality depend on consistency, documentation, follow-through, and clear communication.
They are not afraid to be on the production floor, review records, pull samples, ask questions, investigate issues, and help build systems that make the company stronger.
Key Skills & Abilities Detail-Oriented
Maintains accurate records, notices inconsistencies, follows procedures carefully, and understands the importance of documentation in food safety.
Analytical
Able to review data, investigate quality issues, identify root causes, and support corrective and preventive actions.
Organized
Able to manage multiple tasks, maintain documentation, track samples, meet deadlines, and keep food safety records audit-ready.
Communicative
Able to clearly communicate findings, concerns, documentation needs, and corrective actions with operations and leadership.
Adaptable
Comfortable in a fast-moving environment where systems are being built, improved, and scaled.
Resourceful
Able to work independently, solve problems, ask the right questions, and help create practical solutions.
Physical Requirements
This position requires the ability to work in both office and production environments. The role may involve standing, walking, bending, reaching, lifting, carrying samples or ingredients, and working around food production equipment. Must be able to follow all GMP, food safety, sanitation, and personal protective equipment requirements while in production areas.
Schedule & Location
This is an on-site position based at Padiano’s Kitchen in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
Why Join Padiano’s Kitchen?
Padiano’s Kitchen is growing quickly, and this role will have a direct impact on how we build the food safety and quality systems needed for the next stage of the company. You will help shape the foundation for audits, certifications, product consistency, customer confidence, and long-term growth.
This is a strong opportunity for someone who wants to be hands-on, make a visible impact, and grow with a fast-moving food brand.
Pay: $44,669.48 - $53,795.50 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
