Food Safety Quality Assurance Manager; FSQA

Job Description

The FSQA Manager works directly with the processing plant manager to ensure compliance with Foster Farms, FSIS/USDA, and customer requirements. The incumbent administers, executes, and verifies the effective implementation of Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) policies and programs to ensure the safety, legality, and quality of products.

This position manages and develops FSQA Assistant Manager, Supervisors, a HACCP Coordinator, and an extensive technical staff at the processing plant level to achieve department and company goals. The position has the sole in‑plant authority to release or retain products on FSQA Hold for quality or regulatory concerns, thus sound judgment is required.

Pay Range: $125,300 - $156,625 per year

• Function as the primary FSQA leader; manage and enforce implementation, verification, and validation of Food Safety programs such as HACCP/SSOP Plans; ensure adherence with GFSI and internal audit standards; manage regulatory relationships with USDA/FSIS/AMS; retain non‑conforming products; render product dispositions, including release into commerce.
• Manage implementation, maintenance, evaluation, and enforcement of USDA regulations and company FSQA policies and programs (environmental monitoring, GMP, pest control, allergen control, finished product specification compliance) and all product monitoring programs.
• Oversee all team members at the processing facility (including visitors and contractors) to ensure competence in maintaining food safety and quality compliance. Design, coordinate, and execute required training in collaboration with Human Resources, Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, and FSQA teams.
• Lead pathogen testing root‑cause investigations in partnership with Operations management to address and correct processing, sanitation, and maintenance deficiencies that might impact finished product safety, quality, or regulatory compliance.
• Lead investigations to determine root causes for finished product quality non‑compliance and customer or consumer complaints and correct and prevent manufacturing, mechanical, formulation, or process‑control deficiencies that may lead to noncompliance.
• Coordinate with Operations manager to schedule meetings and communicate with local USDA/FSIS/AMS to resolve regulatory non‑compliance and provide corporate management with data and reports to address trends.
• Evaluate facility‑specific FSQA programs and procedures to established standards and modify programs to conform with regulatory requirements and company policies.
• Manage and improve FSQA data reporting systems, communicate trends and root‑cause analyses to corporate management.
• Lead team projects to drive continuous improvement in product safety and quality, including commercialization projects organized by R&D for new products.
• Manage all Company and FSQA Key Performance Indicators to ensure achievement of corporate FSQA objectives.

• A Bachelor of Science (or equivalent) degree from a 4‑year accredited college or university, preferably in food or animal science, chemistry, microbiology or related field is required. Extensive experience and demonstrated equivalent knowledge may be considered in lieu of formal education.
• An advanced degree is preferred.
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office products is required; experience with SAP and enterprise data management systems is strongly preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of work experience in food processing with supervisory and management experience for food safety and quality systems.
• Previous managerial experience supervising salaried and non‑salaried team members is required.
• Demonstrated proficiency leading and managing cross‑functional teams is required.