Food Safety & Quality Specialist in Garrett Park

Food Safety & Quality Specialist

Latin Goodness Foods, LLC (DBA Mas Panadas) is seeking a Food Safety & Quality Specialist to own the day-to-day execution and continuous improvement of food safety and quality systems. This is a practitioner-level role for a credentialed food safety professional with experience in HACCP plans, SQF documentation, and operations in a USDA-regulated or FSMA-regulated facility.

Mas Panadas is a USDA-inspected, SQF-certified food manufacturer producing retail empanadas and co-manufactured products for national retail accounts including Walmart, Costco, and Publix. We operate a 12,000 sq ft production facility in Rockville, MD under daily USDA FSIS oversight, with an SQF score of 95 and active HACCP plans covering raw and cooked beef and chicken. We are in a period of rapid growth - new retail authorizations, private label expansion, and a NRTE-to-RTE product conversion are all in motion - and this role is central to executing that growth safely and compliantly.

• Own and maintain all active HACCP plans - currently covering raw ground beef, raw ground chicken, and co-manufactured gluten-free products
• Lead HACCP revisions required by active operational changes: transition from raw to precooked meat sourcing, and NRTE-to-RTE conversion for private label Costco product
• Manage and continuously improve the SQF Quality System - maintain all required documentation, records, and evidence packages
• Serve as the primary internal resource for daily USDA FSIS inspection activities - build and maintain a professional working relationship with the on-site inspector
• Own the allergen control program - maintain and enforce cross-contact prevention procedures between gluten-containing empanadas and gluten-free co-manufactured product lines
• Be a visible presence on the production floor - conduct GMP observations, verify CCP monitoring, and reinforce food safety culture across shifts

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, or a closely related field - required
• Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certification - required
• Demonstrated hands-on experience managing SQF documentation, audit preparation, and corrective action in a food manufacturing facility - required
• Formal HACCP training and direct experience authoring or revising HACCP plans in a production environment
• Experience working in a USDA FSIS-inspected or FDA-regulated food manufacturing facility
• 3-6 years in a food safety, quality assurance, or FSQA role in food manufacturing - CPG, meat/poultry, or prepared foods preferred
• English required;
  Spanish proficiency strongly preferred

This is not a QA technician role, a floor monitoring role, or a documentation-only position. Candidates without formal food safety credentials and direct HACCP/SQF ownership experience are not the right fit for this position.

To apply, submit your resume and a brief description of a HACCP plan or food safety system you have directly owned or revised.