Quality Assurance Manager - K12 Food Service - Jacksonville, Fl

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Position Title: QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGER – K12 FOOD SERVICE – JACKSONVILLE, FL

Salary: $55,000 – $70,000

Chartwells K12's goal is to make sure students leave the cafeteria happier and healthier than they came in, by serving food kids love to eat and creating custom dining programs. With more than 16,000 associates in 4,500 schools, ranging from large public institutions to small charter and private schools, Chartwells K12 is built on decades of food, education and operational experience driven by top culinary, nutrition, wellness, and sustainability talent.

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The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining food safety and quality assurance programs to ensure compliance with USDA, FDA, FSIS, FSMA, customer, and corporate requirements. This role provides leadership in protecting product integrity, ensuring regulatory compliance, and fostering a strong food safety culture across manufacturing operations. Strong knowledge of FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food and food manufacturing environments is required.

• Lead the development, execution, and continuous improvement of food safety and quality programs supporting operational excellence and regulatory compliance.
• Develop, implement, and maintain the facility Food Safety Plan, including hazard analysis, preventive controls, validation, verification, and corrective actions.
• Identify program gaps and implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure HACCP programs, GMPs, sanitation preventive controls, supply‑chain controls, allergen controls, and prerequisite programs meet USDA, FDA, FSIS, FSMA, and corporate standards.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on process flow, engaging cross‑functional teams throughout all stages of production.
• Manage the Allergen Preventive Controls Program, including accurate labeling and prevention of cross‑contact.
• Maintain and execute the recall program, including traceability exercises and mock recalls.
• Ensure complete traceability of raw materials and finished goods through effective lot coding and documentation.
• Oversee labeling programs to ensure accuracy of ingredients, allergens, and nutritional information.
• Lead and manage regulatory, customer, and third‑party audits, ensuring timely and effective corrective actions.
• Respond to customer food safety and quality concerns, including investigation, root cause analysis, and corrective/preventive actions.

• Analyze food safety and quality data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Prepare reports and documentation for internal stakeholders, auditors, and regulatory agencies.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to food safety, quality, and operations.
• Maintain accurate, compliant food safety and quality records.

• Minimum of 6 years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance and Food Safety within a food manufacturing environment.
• Strong experience with HACCP program development and FSMA compliance.
• PCQI (Preventive Controls for Human Food) certification required; HACCP certification required.
• Working knowledge of USDA, FDA, and FSIS regulations and food industry best practices.
• Experience with third‑party and GFSI audits and standards; GFSI auditor certification preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or related field, and/or equivalent experience.
• Experience in prepared foods manufacturing strongly preferred.
• Proven QA and food safety leadership experience in meat, poultry,…