Food Safety & Quality Specialist in Potomac, Maryland

Food Safety & Quality Specialist

Latin Goodness Foods, LLC (DBA Mas Panadas) is seeking a Food Safety & Quality Specialist in Rockville, MD - On-site. This full-time, exempt position offers a compensation range of $62,000 - $70,000 annually, commensurate with experience. The role reports to the Operations Manager and requires English proficiency, with Spanish strongly preferred.

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.

The Food Safety & Quality Specialist owns the day-to-day execution and continuous improvement of Mas Panadas' food safety and quality systems. This is a practitioner-level role for a credentialed food safety professional - someone who has owned HACCP plans, managed SQF documentation, and operated in a USDA-regulated or FSMA-regulated facility. You will work directly with the Operations Manager and interface with USDA inspectors, SQF auditors, and retail customer representatives.

This role is not a monitoring or documentation support position. You will lead food safety system development, own HACCP plan authorship and revision, drive SQF compliance, and make real-time food safety judgments on the production floor. You will also develop the QA team's technical capability over time.

HACCP Plan Ownership & Revision

• 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
• Conduct hazard analyses for new products, ingredient changes, and process modifications
• Ensure all HACCP plans remain current, validated, and audit-ready at all times
• Train shift supervisors and QA staff on CCP monitoring procedures and corrective action requirements

SQF System Management

• Manage and continuously improve the SQF Quality System - maintain all required documentation, records, and evidence packages
• Lead pre-audit preparation and internal mock audits; serve as primary liaison during SQF third-party audits
• Drive corrective action and preventive action (CAPA) processes following observations or non-conformances
• Maintain SQF-required training records, GMP documentation, and master sanitation schedules
• Identify and close gaps in the quality system between audit cycles - not just at audit time

USDA & Regulatory Compliance

• Serve as the primary internal resource for daily USDA FSIS inspection activities - build and maintain a professional working relationship with the on-site inspector
• Ensure all regulatory records (temperature logs, cook logs, sanitation pre-ops, SSOP records) are accurate, complete, and accessible
• Respond to inspector observations, NRs (Noncompliance Records), and regulatory questions with appropriate urgency and documentation
• Monitor and communicate changes in FSIS regulations, FSMA requirements, and SQF standards that affect facility operations

Food Safety Program Development

• Own the allergen control program - maintain and enforce cross-contact prevention procedures between gluten-containing empanadas and gluten-free co-manufactured product lines
• Develop and manage the environmental monitoring program - swab schedule, testing protocols, trend analysis, and corrective actions
• Lead modified atmosphere packaging (MAP/gas flush) validation and documentation as the facility installs nitrogen gas flush on the vertical bagger
• Maintain and improve supplier approval and incoming material verification programs
• Own the facility's food defense and traceability programs

Production Floor Engagement & QA Team Development

• Be a visible presence on the production floor - conduct GMP observations, verify CCP monitoring, and reinforce food safety culture across shifts
• Coach and develop QA staff on technical food safety competencies; support the QA Manager's development toward SQF Practitioner certification
• Lead pre-shift and shift-change food safety communication with supervisors
• Investigate and close food safety incidents and customer complaints with root cause analysis and documented corrective actions

• 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 -…