Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager

• Continuous improvement mindset

Cérélia is a leading food manufacturing company with small-town roots. We are dough and batter experts and proudly serve rolled dough, cookies, pancake and waffle products across Europe, Asia, and North America.

Cérélia’s products are commercialized under its clients’ brands, both retailers and industrial companies, as well as under its own brands:
English Bay Bakery, Jus Rol, Croustipate, Jan, Pop! Bakery and Crêapan in particular. While we continue to grow and expand, our history of trade partnership, production excellence, well-founded innovation, and sustainable development is deeply rooted in more than 40 years of industry know-how.

As part of the global Cérélia Group, headquartered in France, Cérélia Canada partners with major retailers and food brands to deliver high-quality, innovative products. It is committed to food safety, product innovation, and continuous improvement, while fostering a collaborative and dynamic workplace for its employees.

Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Quality & Compliance, the Manager, Food Safety & Quality Assurance is responsible for safeguarding product quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance at the facility. This position leads the implementation and continuous improvement of the Quality Management System, ensuring that all products are manufactured in accordance with customer specifications, regulatory requirements, and company standards.

The role works closely with Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to proactively manage quality performance, lead audits and customer interactions, investigate quality issues, and develop a high-performing Quality team committed to delivering safe, consistent, and superior products.

This role has direct responsibility for our baked facility and invader warehouse. Other duties or site responsibility may be assigned as required.

• Food Safety & Quality Management Systems
• Actively participate in the development of the food safety and quality management program along with the QA leadership team
• Lead the implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the site's Food Safety and Quality Management System.
• Serve as the designated SQF Practitioner and ensure compliance with SQF, HACCP, GMP, CFIA, FDA, FSMA, customer requirements, and company standards.
• Ensure prerequisite programs, HACCP plans, validation, verification, risk assessments, food defense, food fraud, allergen management, and environmental monitoring programs are effectively maintained.
• Maintain site readiness for regulatory, customer, and third-party audits at all times.
• Quality Assurance & Operational Excellence
• Partner with Operations and cross-functional teams to ensure food safety and quality requirements are fully integrated into manufacturing processes.
• Establish and monitor quality performance metrics and lead initiatives to improve product consistency, process capability, customer satisfaction, and waste reduction.
• Provide quality leadership for new product launches, process changes, troubleshooting activities, and continuous improvement projects.
• Ensure effective product hold, disposition, release, and non-conforming product management processes.
• Audit, Regulatory & Customer Compliance
• Lead customer, regulatory, and third-party audits and inspections.
• Ensure timely completion and verification of corrective and preventive actions arising from audits, inspections, complaints, and non-conformances.
• Maintain positive working relationships with customers, regulatory agencies, certification bodies, and suppliers.
• Support customer quality reviews, scorecards, and issue resolution activities.
• Oversee the development, review, approval, and maintenance of product specifications, quality standards, and customer requirements.
• Ensure products consistently meet agreed customer specifications and regulatory requirements.
• Lead investigations related to customer complaints, quality incidents, and specification deviations.
• Communicate quality performance and corrective action plans…