Corporate Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager

THE VALUE YOU'LL BRING:

The position summary states the general nature and purpose of the job. Overall accountabilities are defined in this section.

Take charge of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at Smithfield Foods by becoming a key leader in regulatory compliance and operational excellence. As the Corporate Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager, you will audit existing procedures and implement innovative changes to ensure all facilities adhere to USDA regulations, including the Code of Federal Regulations, Policies, Directives, and Facility Notices. By championing Smithfield's Policies, Programs, Customer requirements, and specifications, you will play a pivotal role in safeguarding the quality and consistency of our products.

Collaborating closely with Operations Divisional Vice Presidents, you will drive the adoption of cutting-edge, cost-effective technologies supported by scientific rigor, elevating the production standards across our facilities. Additionally, you will deliver specialized training and conduct operational audits to empower teams with the knowledge and tools needed for sustained success. As a leader, you'll spearhead continuous improvement initiatives and inspire a culture of excellence to support both plant and company-wide objectives.

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. May perform other duties as assigned.

• Regulatory Compliance: You will ensure the food safety and quality systems are scientifically defendable and fully compliant with USDA Code of Federal regulations, policies, directives, and facility notices. You will audit areas such as written policies, enforcement, and implementation of policies in the product environment and the accuracy of regulatory reports. You will be responsible for authoring, reviewing, and updating food safety and quality policies to maintain compliance with USDA and FDA regulations, customer contract requirements, Safe Quality Foods 2000 system level 3 code, and corporate direction.

• Training and Support: You will provide training to Food Safety and Quality Assurance staff and plant employees to uphold the highest standard of practice. You will support facilities during customer audits or regulatory assessments and deliver expertise in areas like smokehouse calibration and operations, sanitary equipment design, microbiological harborage identification, quality plans, and product regulatory requirements.

• Research and Problem Solving: You will research and monitor emerging industry issues by reviewing online resources, scientific publications, and attending workshops. You will identify and implement cost-effective, scientifically supportable solutions to mitigate negative impacts from industry problems.

• Data Analysis and System Improvements: You will use scientific principles to analyze, interpret, and evaluate in-process analytics data. You will author and develop system improvements that are cost-effective and scientifically dependable and perform continuous data analysis to identify potential trends and assist operations in troubleshooting problematic systems or departments.

• Leadership: Drives a positive employee experience through leadership by way of employee development and coaching.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university and 5+ years of relevant experience in the food industry; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• 2+ years of demonstrated experience in team management/development or project leadership required.

• Proficiency in food manufacturing processes, quality assurance principles, food science and meat processing, SPC and statistics.

• Demonstrated experience using a full range of continuous improvement tools and fundamentals to drive results.

• Relevant experience with government regulatory requirements in food processing (USDA, FDA, etc.) is required.

• Ability to document expertise in design & execution of Quality/technical work.

• Demonstrated proficiency using Microsoft Office, Inventory software, Manufacturing software and SAP.

• Strong leadership skills and the ability to uphold regulatory, company, and customer standards.

• Strong decision making and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent writing, interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal).

• Excellent planning and organizational skills with demonstrated multi-tasking and project management skills.

• Must be able to travel up to 70% of the time. Travel will be primarily to our process facilities but will also…