Food Safety & Quality Assurance Plant Supervisor

Job Summary

The Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Plant Supervisor is responsible for executing and enforcing Portillo’s food safety and quality policies and programs within the assigned plant and ensuring compliance with GFSI, USDA and FDA FSMA standards across production and warehousing operations. This role provides day‑to‑day leadership within the plant and partners closely with the FSQA Manager to support consistent execution of food safety and quality standards.

The FSQA Plant Supervisor is responsible for overseeing daily FSQA execution within the assigned plant, including technician supervision, compliance monitoring, escalation management, and operational decision making related to food safety and quality. Food safety, regulatory compliance, and product quality are critical priorities of this role. This position is plant‑based and requires on‑site presence at the assigned manufacturing facility Monday through Friday to support daily FSQA operations.

• Execute and monitor compliance with all food safety and quality assurance programs established by Portillo’s.
• Conduct monthly GMP inspections and KPI reporting.
• Coordinate execution of the plant pest control program.
• Manage and oversee daily work activities of FSQA technicians across plant operations from receiving through production and shipping.
• Prioritize daily FSQA activities and allocate team resources to support operational and compliance needs.
• Manage product holds including communication of non‑conformances to authorized personnel in a timely manner, destruction of non‑conform ant products, release of approved products, and reporting of non‑conform ant products and disposal.
• Participate in cross‑functional teams to ensure effective implementation of food safety and quality initiatives and other processes, as necessary.
• Execute environmental program swabbing according to policy and identify needs for additional microbiological testing.
• Analyze plant‑level food safety and quality data to identify trends, elevate risks, and provide operational recommendations to management.
• Maintain plant‑level FSQA documentation and ensure compliant retrieval and completion of required FSQA records, including proper and timely HACCP/PCQI sign‑off.
• Support development of FSQA technicians through coaching, training, performance feedback, and daily leadership.
• Prepare maintenance work requests when required for quality/food safety.
• Support and assist USDA inspector as needed.
• Evaluate facility sanitary conditions and assess risk based on food safety and public health principles and determine and prioritize appropriate corrective action.
• Troubleshoot persistent sanitation issues to identify areas for improvement in sanitation program or facility/equipment design, engaging technical experts as needed.
• Partner with chemical supplier to maintain and update as necessary the master cleaning schedule for plant, detailed clean‑up procedures and SOPs for plant equipment, in compliance with GMP and Portillo’s guidelines.
• Ensure all safety requirements related to sanitation are met, including proper chemical storage, MSDS, PPE and established procedures.
• Deliver and reinforce sanitation‑related training for plant team members.
• Support implementation of operational and FSQA process changes within the plant.
• Ensure proper documentation of HACCP monitoring, verification, and validation, and deviation handling with associated corrective action.
• Maintain readiness for USDA food safety assessments and third‑party audits.
• Assign daily tasks to FSQA technicians for line checks, pre‑operational inspections, and in‑process verification.
• Ensure consistency and accuracy of data collection and compliance reporting.
• Hold team members accountable to food safety, sanitation, and quality standards through monitoring, escalation, and corrective action follow‑through.
• Reinforce a strong food safety culture and compliance standards across shifts and departments.
• Work with operations to assess and mitigate food safety risks associated with construction and major maintenance.
• Coordinate plant‑level preparation activities for internal sanitation, food safety, and…