Food Safety and Quality Manager

Vanns Spices is seeking an experienced Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) Manager to lead and strengthen our food safety systems within a growing spice and dry ingredient manufacturing operation.

This role owns the entire food safety and quality management system, including SQF, HACCP, Organic, Kosher, supplier programs, sanitation oversight, audit readiness, and customer compliance. The FSQ Manager serves as the site SQF Practitioner and must be capable of independently leading external audits and maintaining continuous audit readiness.

This position also serves as the primary lead for all customer audits and prospective customer qualification audits, representing the company with confidence and professionalism.

The FSQ Manager is expected to maintain a strong, consistent presence on the production floor, actively engage with operations, identify risks in real time, and reinforce food safety culture through visible leadership. Success in this role requires both strategic program ownership and hands‑on involvement in daily manufacturing activities.

This position requires a proactive leader who can confidently own food safety systems, effectively partner with cross‑functional teams, and lead by example.

• Serve as the site SQF Practitioner and primary audit lead.
• Lead all external audits, including SQF, Organic, Kosher, Non‑GMO, and regulatory audits.
• Independently lead all customer and prospective customer audits.
• Represent the facility during customer qualification visits.
• Ensure continuous audit readiness across all departments.
• Lead corrective actions and root cause investigations.

• Manage and maintain Organic certification compliance (segregation, documentation, traceability, supplier verification).
• Manage and maintain Kosher certification compliance and coordinate with certifying agencies.
• Oversee Non‑GMO and other certification programs.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, GFSI, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Lead and develop Quality Assurance and Sanitation teams.
• Provide coaching, accountability, performance management, and development.
• Drive a strong Food Safety Culture throughout the facility.
• Partner with Operations and Maintenance to ensure compliance while maintaining efficiency.

• Resolve customer complaints using a structured root‑cause methodology.
• Support Sales and Commercial teams with technical documentation and audit preparation.
• Oversee supplier approval and compliance programs.
• Strengthen internal auditing and verification programs.
• Improve documentation control and system robustness.

• Identify risk areas and implement preventive controls.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science or related field.
• 5+ years of Food Safety / Quality experience in food manufacturing.
• 3+ years in a leadership role managing QA or FSQ teams.
• Demonstrated experience independently leading SQF or other GFSI audits.
• Experience leading customer audits and qualification audits.
• Experience managing Organic and/or Kosher certification programs.
• Certified SQF Practitioner (or ability to obtain immediately).
• PCQI certification required.
• Strong working knowledge of HACCP, HARPC, GMPs, allergen control, and traceability.
• Strong root cause and corrective action leadership.

• No routine weekend operations.
• Occasional flexibility is required to support audits or critical situations.

• External audits (SQF, Organic, Kosher, customer) were executed confidently and successfully.
• Customer audits are handled professionally with minimal corrective actions.
• Programs are maintained in a continuous, audit‑ready condition.
• QA & Sanitation teams operating with accountability and clarity.
• Strong cross‑functional alignment with Operations and Commercial teams.