Site Quality and Food Safety Manager

The Site Quality Manager is responsible for leading all Quality Assurance and Food Safety programs at the manufacturing facility to ensure products are safe, legal, and meet customer and company quality standards. This role provides leadership for the Quality team while partnering closely with Operations, R&D, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Regulatory to drive a strong food safety culture and continuous improvement across the site.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader with extensive experience in sauce manufacturing, thermal processing, and FDA-regulated food production. This individual will ensure compliance with all regulatory, customer, and certification requirements while supporting operational excellence and new product commercialization.

• Lead and manage all site Quality Assurance and Food Safety activities.
• Foster a strong food safety and quality culture throughout the organization.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, FSMA, state regulations, customer requirements, and company policies.
• Maintain and continuously improve the site’s Food Safety and Quality Management System.
• Oversee implementation and verification of HACCP, Preventive Controls, Environmental Monitoring, Allergen Control, GMPs, Sanitation, and Supplier Quality programs.
• Serve as the Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) or ensure qualified coverage.

• Maintain compliance with HACCP, FSMA, SQF or BRC standards.
• Lead all third-party, customer, FDA, and internal audits.
• Manage corrective and preventative actions resulting from audits, customer complaints, and non-conformances.
• Ensure accurate documentation and record retention in accordance with regulatory requirements.

• Provide quality oversight for all manufacturing operations.
• Support production of acidified, low-acid, refrigerated, and ambient shelf-stable products.
• Ensure proper control of critical processing parameters, include:
  • Thermal processing
  • Hot-fill operations
  • Pasteurization
  • Cooling and filling operations
  • pH, water activity, and other critical quality attributes
• Monitor product quality trends and implement preventive actions.

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop the site Quality team.
• Establish performance goals and support employee development.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration between Quality, Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, and R&D.
• Build accountability while encouraging continuous improvement.

• Analyze quality metrics and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Lead root cause investigations using structured problem-solving tools.
• Drive reductions in customer complaints, waste, rework, and non-conforming products.
• Participate in capital projects, process improvements, and new product launches.

• Support customer visits and quality reviews.
• Respond to customer quality concerns and lead investigations.
• Work closely with suppliers to ensure incoming materials meet specifications.
• Collaborate with R&D during commercialization and scale-up of new products.

$110,000 - $130,000 + Bonus

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Engineering, or a related scientific discipline
• Master's degree is considered an asset.

• Minimum 5 years of progressive Quality Assurance experience in the food manufacturing industry.
• Minimum 2 years of leadership experience managing Quality teams.
• Experience in sauce, dressing, condiment, dip, or liquid food manufacturing strongly preferred.

• Strong knowledge of HACCP, PCQI, and SQF/BRC requirements.
• Experience with FDA and FSMA regulatory compliance.
• Strong understanding of acidified and low-acid food manufacturing.
• Knowledge of Better Process Control School (BPCS) requirements and thermal processing regulations.
• Experience with hot-fill processes, pasteurization, and thermal processing.
• Experience with ambient shelf-stable and refrigerated food manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of wet sauce processing and manufacturing operations.
• Experience managing environmental monitoring, allergen control, sanitation, and preventive controls.
• Experience leading FDA, customer, and third-party certification audits.

• Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certification preferred.
• Better Process Control School (BPCS) certification required or ability to obtain shortly after hire.
• HACCP Certification required.
• SQF Practitioner certification is considered an asset.

• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Proven problem-solving and root cause analysis skills.
• Strong decision-making ability under pressure.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• High attention to detail and documentation accuracy.
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a hands-on approach.