Qa Food Safety Supervisor

QA Food Safety Shift Supervisor

The Food Safety Supervisor is responsible for overseeing and maintaining all food safety, sanitation verification, regulatory compliance, and preventive control programs within a cheese and whey manufacturing facility. This position ensures compliance with FDA, USDA, HACCP, SQF/BRC, GMP, and company food safety standards while promoting a strong food safety culture throughout the facility.

The Food Safety Supervisor works closely with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance, and Operations teams to ensure safe, compliant, and high-quality food manufacturing processes.

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Lead implementation and maintenance of food safety systems, including HACCP, GMPs, SSOPs, allergen controls, environmental monitoring, and preventive controls.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, state dairy regulations, and third-party food safety standards such as SQF or BRC.
• Conduct routine food safety inspections, audits, and verification activities throughout the facility.
• Manage corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) related to food safety deviations and audit findings.
• Coordinate and support customer, regulatory, and third-party food safety audits.
• Maintain all food safety documentation, records, and verification logs.

Sanitation & Environmental Monitoring

• Verify the effectiveness of sanitation procedures and SSOP compliance.
• Oversee environmental monitoring and pathogen control programs.
• Partner with sanitation and operations teams to address hygienic design and sanitation concerns.
• Investigate food safety risks and implement corrective actions to prevent contamination events.

Training & Food Safety Culture

• Train employees on GMPs, sanitation, allergen awareness, HACCP principles, and food safety procedures.
• Promote a proactive food safety culture across all departments.
• Conduct refresher training and ongoing food safety awareness programs.
• Support onboarding and qualification of new employees related to food safety practices.

Continuous Improvement

• Monitor food safety trends, audit results, and compliance metrics to identify improvement opportunities.
• Participate in root cause investigations and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to strengthen food safety systems and operational compliance.

Other Duties As Assigned:

• Monitor adherence to Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), HACCP, and SQF requirements.
• Ensure all records and data are properly documented, stored, and available for audits.
• Support internal and external audits (regulatory, customer, and certification bodies).
• Foster a culture of safety, accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement within the laboratory.
• Provide technical guidance and troubleshoot analytical methods when necessary.
• Partner with production, maintenance, sanitation, and warehouse teams to ensure product quality and compliance with specifications.
• Communicate effectively with plant management on quality trends, issues, and opportunities for improvement.
• Actively participate in teams and on projects to improve the metrics for the given area of responsibility.
• Perform any other relevant duties and responsibilities defined in company policies and procedures, applicable legislation, or the SQF code.
• Regular attendance is an essential function of this position.
• Comply with all applicable food safety regulations and mandates (Safe Quality Foods, Food and Drug Admin, Pasteurized Milk Ordinance).
• Complies with all company food safety policies and procedures (including Good Manufacturing Practices).
• Responsible for providing food safety and quality feedback to the laboratory manager.
• Assist technicians with daily duties when needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in food science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 3-5 years of food safety experience in food or dairy manufacturing.
• Cheese and whey processing experience is strongly preferred.
• Prefer one year of supervisory experience.
• Proven ability to implement process improvement initiatives.
• Strong understanding of HACCP, FMSA, GMPs, sanitation programs, and environmental monitoring.
• Preferred certifications in HACCP, PCQI, and SQF Practitioner
• Knowledge of USDA, FDA, and SQF, and customer requirements for a food manufacturing plant.
• Knowledge of database software, internet software, spreadsheet software, and word processing software.
• Punctual and regular attendance is required.
• Participate in proactive team efforts to achieve departmental and company goals.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, handle multiple projects simultaneously, and delegate assignments to others.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Comply with all safety policies, practices, and procedures. Report all unsafe activity to the supervisor and/or Human Resources.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to uphold regulatory, company, and customer…