Position Summary:
The Food Safety & Quality Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for all food safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and quality systems within the manufacturing facility. This position is responsible for developing, implementing, maintaining, and continuously improving the site's Food Safety & Quality Management System (FSQMS), ensuring compliance with FDA regulations, SQF requirements, and Midwestern Pet Foods standards. The FSQM serves as the site's SQF Practitioner, leads regulatory and all other audits, develops the FSQ team, partners with Operations to drive continuous improvement, and fosters a culture where food safety and quality are integrated into every aspect of the business.
Position Description (Responsibilities):
Regulatory Compliance & Certification:
- Ensure compliance with FDA regulations (including FSMA requirements) and SQF standards.
- Maintain and improve the SQF system, ensuring audit readiness at all times.
- Serve as the facility’s main FDA contact and lead regulatory inspections and 3rd party audits with joint ownership and responsibility with the Plant Manager for driving associated corrective actions.
- Review and approve food safety and quality impacts associated with new products, ingredient changes, packaging changes, equipment modifications and process changes.
Food Safety & Quality Assurance Program Management:
- Lead integration of the current quality assurance and food safety processes into one integrated process which ties to business objectives. This includes HACCP system (Food Safety Plan), regulatory audits, quality systems review process, standard operating procedures (SOP's), incoming ingredient inspections, food safety audits, consumer complaints, calibration and preventive maintenance programs and standardized work instructions.
- Participate in crisis management activities, product withdrawals, recalls and mock recall exercises.
- Develop, implement, and maintain HACCP/Preventive Controls for Animal Food programs.
- Manage product hold, evaluation and disposition activities.
- Provide final Food Safety & Quality approval for product release in accordance with company procedures.
- Oversee GMP compliance, sanitation programs, and pest control management.
- Ensure proper documentation and record-keeping in accordance with SQF and FDA requirements.
- Develop, implement and oversee the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP), including trend analysis, corrective actions and sanitation verification.
- Manage/ Oversee pest control contract and microbiological testing to assure compliance with SQF and Quality standards.
- Oversee monitoring, verification, and validation activities to ensure that all products leaving the facility meet the facility Food Safety and Quality Plans.
Internal Auditing & Compliance Monitoring:
- Develop and execute an internal audit program to ensure compliance with food safety and quality standards.
- Conduct regular internal audits, identify non-conformances, and drive corrective actions.
Leadership & Training:
- Foster a food safety culture by conducting training and awareness programs for employees.
- Provide leadership to the FSQ team, including hiring, training, and performance management.
- Develop and manage departmental budgets while maintaining compliance and operational effectiveness.
- Work cross-functionally with Operations, Nutrition Services, Procurement, and Maintenance to ensure food safety integration in all processes.
- Provide guidance and leadership in situations where deviations have occurred or a potential risk has been identified related to food safety and/or quality attributes by assuring root causes are addressed through a corrective action process.
Sanitation Management:
- Oversee the sanitation program to ensure compliance with food safety regulations and company standards.
- Develop and enforce sanitation procedures, including cleaning schedules and validation activities.
- Work with production and maintenance teams to ensure proper cleaning and sanitation of equipment and facilities.
Continuous Improvement & Risk Management:
- Monitor and analyze food safety and quality metrics, implementing corrective and preventive actions as needed.
- Analyze trends from microbiological testing, environmental monitoring, complaints, process controls, sanitation verification and quality metrics to identify improvement opportunities.
- Conduct documented risk assessments related to food safety, quality, regulatory compliance and product disposition decisions.
- Investigate and manage customer complaints related to product quality and safety.
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for non-conformances, deviations, and product holds.
- Stay updated on industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices in food safety and quality.
- Lead the development and implementation of statistical tools and systems to support continuous process and product improvement.
Position Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Food Safety, Microbiology, Chemistry, Food Science, Engineering or related field.
- 4+ years of food processing and management experience, with at least 2 years in a manufacturing. environment under USDA and/or FDA.
- 2+ years facilitating food safety/quality related training events.
- HACCP Certification from a nationally / internationally recognized and accredited HACCP training firm.
- Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) Certification.
- SQF practitioner experience preferred.
- Auditing / audit skills experience in quality or food safety management systems, including internal / external auditing for compliance.
- Ability to analyze processes for Biological, Chemical, and Physical hazards with an understanding of the science and support behind each type of hazard and each step of a production process.
- Experience with FDA and/or USDA Rules and Regulations.
- Must have strong organizational and leadership skills.
- Experience implementing and using state of the art statistical process control tools in a manufacturing environment.
- Able to work with cross functional departments within the organization.
- Good problem-solving skills and corrective action/resolution skills.
- Strong computer skills with experience using Word, Excel, Access, Power Point.
- Ability to manage and develop personnel.
- Knowledge of SQF, BRC, ISO 22000, and / or FSSC 22000 are a plus.
Relationships
- Reports to Director of Food Safety and Quality with a dotted line relationship to the Plant Manager and Corporate Senior Food Safety and Quality Manager.
- Works directly with other plant staff Members.
- Works directly with operators and mechanics in resolving issues.
Compensation will be tailored to the selected candidate's experience, education, and expertise.
Pay: $90,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
