Food Safety Quality Manager

About the Opportunity

We’re supporting a search for a Food Safety & Quality Manager with a food manufacturing organization in Ohio. This role is responsible for maintaining the Food Safety and Quality Management Systems for the site, promoting customer satisfaction, and ensuring compliance with FDA and USDA regulations, FSMA, and applicable GFSI standards. Key focus areas include facility quality, food safety, AAFCO, GMPs, SOPs, SSOPs, HACCP/HARPC, regulatory compliance, sanitation, audits, documentation, and customer complaint resolution.

You’ll lead food safety and quality activity with a focus on compliance, audits, product quality, regulatory requirements, sanitation, and team oversight.

• Manage activities related to food safety, product quality, microbiological performance criteria, finished products, HACCP/HARPC systems, and regulatory compliance
• Support compliance with FDA, APHIS, USDA, FSMA, GFSI, AAFCO, GMPs, SOPs, and SSOPs
• Manage internal and external inspection criteria
• Lead customer complaint investigation and response
• Develop, implement, review, and maintain food safety and quality systems
• Maintain food safety fundamentals, food safety plans, and food quality plans
• Ensure the integrity of food safety, quality, and regulatory systems
• Review paperwork for accuracy and verification
• Work with management and required personnel on policies, procedures, and objectives related to quality and food safety
• Stay current with technical and regulatory developments in the industry
• Perform audits of manufacturing and warehouse locations, including food defense
• Administer hold and release policies
• Lead successful completion of food safety and quality regulatory certification audits
• Maintain, review, and audit HACCP/HARPC, GMP, and GFSI programs
• Maintain an effective sanitation program
• Inspect raw materials, COAs, finished product documentation, handling, and processing for compliance with standards
• Refine plant measurement techniques, micro laboratory testing procedures, record keeping, and data analysis
• Develop and train personnel on food safety, quality, and sanitation procedures
• Maintain certifications and paperwork for exports, FDA, USDA, APHIS, GFSI, and state regulatory bodies
• Support R&D with new or improved product processes and product compliance
• Manage quality staff and day-to-day quality activities
• Support special projects and other duties as assigned

You are a food safety and quality leader with strong regulatory knowledge and the ability to manage systems, audits, documentation, and day-to-day quality activity.

You are organized, analytical, and comfortable working across food safety plans, sanitation, regulatory requirements, customer complaints, and quality staff leadership.

You would do well here if you can maintain strong compliance standards, support continuous improvement, and communicate clearly across the organization.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience writing and managing food safety plans
• HACCP certification required
• PCQI certification required or willingness to become certified within 1 year
• SQF Practitioner or GFSI experience a plus
• Experience with USDA meat processing, ready-to-eat, or high-risk process industry preferred
• Experience in kibble pet food, AAFCO, USDA, or APHIS export and regulatory work a plus
• Knowledge of AAFCO requirements for pet food
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Microsoft Office Suite experience
• Ability to manage quality staff and day-to-day quality activities

This role matters because food safety, quality systems, regulatory compliance, sanitation, and customer complaint resolution are critical to site performance. The Food Safety & Quality Manager will maintain and strengthen the systems needed to support safe, compliant, and high-quality production.