Food Safety & Quality Manager

Job #: 794256 Title: Food Safety & Quality Manager Location: Independence, IA Salary Range: $120,000 - $130,000 Position: Quality Manager Description:
Must have Protein or meat based production experience + PCQI / SQF certifications preferred
Our client is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering the growth of local communities through superior-quality food production. We pride ourselves on our rigorous processes that meet stringent safety and food safety regulations. We're focused on building long-term business partnerships, promoting a collaborative work environment, and actively supporting our local communities. Our company is dedicated to innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence, ensuring we remain leaders in the food production industry.
Overview :
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Food Safety and Quality Manager with extensive experience in leading and managing teams to establish high standards for food production facilities. The ideal candidate will implement robust quality control protocols, maintain a compliant food safety environment, and oversee sanitation protocols. This candidate must possess a strong understanding of FDA and USDA regulations, as well as experience in quality system management. In this role, you will provide leadership to the food safety and quality team, guiding them to uphold best practices and achieve excellence. The candidate will develop, implement, and maintain food safety and quality SOPs and lead training initiatives for teams in established practices. The Food Safety and Quality Manager will manage team accountability for audit readiness, handle customer inquiries, administer lab results, and drive process improvement programs related to food safety and quality. This leadership role requires proactive troubleshooting skills to resolve quality assurance challenges, implement timely corrective actions, and develop preventative measures that align with company standards.
Responsibilities :
The Food Safety and Quality Manager is responsible for leading and overseeing all aspects of food safety and quality assurance within the production facility. This is a customer-facing role requiring the ability to instill confidence with our customers, regulators, and partners. This role works closely with the plant's senior leadership team (SLT) -to enforce rigorous cleaning and sanitation schedules, develop a high-performance team, and uphold the highest standards of food safety and quality. Additionally, the manager leads coordination with customers, third-party vendors, labs, and regulators to ensure full compliance with federal, state, local, and organizational regulations and policies. The role involves daily leadership and oversight of food quality processes, managing team inspections and assessments, implementing HACCP principles, maintaining thorough quality records, and addressing any potential hazards to ensure ongoing compliance and operational excellence.

• Oversee and manage comprehensive quality control systems: Implement and maintain a robust qualitymanagement system to ensure product quality and consistency at every stage of production.
• Lead internal audits: Coordinate and conduct regular inspections and audits of production processes, equipment, and facilities to ensure strict compliance with safety, regulatory, and quality standards.
• Manage corrective and preventive actions (CAPA): Identify potential hazards, address non-conformance issues, and implement corrective and preventive measures to eliminate food safety and quality risks.
• Collaborate with and lead cross-functional teams: Partner with production, plant engineer, operations, and maintenance teams to embed food safety and quality practices into all operational workflows.
• Establish and oversee sanitation and cleaning programs: Design, implement, and monitor comprehensive cleaning and sanitation processes to maintain a hygienic production environment.
• Train, mentor, and engage staff on food safety and quality standards: Develop tailored training programs to ensure all employees understand and uphold food safety and quality requirements.
• Oversee product testing and analysis: Manage lab testing of raw materials, in-process products, and finished goods to verify compliance with safety and quality specifications.
• Develop and implement food safety protocols: Design and enforce food safety programs, including HACCP, ensuring compliance with regulatory and industry standards.
• Ensure audit readiness and maintain thorough documentation: Prepare and organize all required documentation, reports, and records to meet the expectations of third-party audits & regulatory inspections.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives: Lead the identification and implementation of process enhancements to improve food safety and quality, leveraging industry best practices and emerging trends.
• Ensure strict adherence to SOPs: Maintain and monitor compliance with Standard Operating Procedures, including inspection records, swabbing results, audits, and regulatory documentation.
• Ensure compliance with customer formula specifications: Monitor production to guarantee adherence to customer-specific formulas and quality standards.
• Monitor and address customer complaints and feedback: Establish a system to track, analyze, and resolve customer complaints, including implementing corrective actions to prevent recurring issues.
• Oversee chemical usage and pest management protocols: Develop and monitor programs for proper chemical handling, pest management, and environmental control to maintain safety and compliance.

• Bachelor's degree in food science, microbiology, chemistry, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in a leadership role within food safety, quality assurance, or quality control within a food production environment.
• In-depth knowledge of food safety regulations and standards (HACCP, GMP, FDA, USDA, FSMA).
• Proven experience in risk mitigation & crisis management must proactively identify, assess & mitigate food safety and regulatory risks, lead incident investigations and ensure compliance.
• Experience with Vidas environmental testing and Foss fat/protein/moisture testing preferred.
• SQF practitioner certification and PCQI certification are required as a must.
• Direct experience collaborating and working with USDA and FDA is a must
• Proven leadership ability with a strong work ethic, capable of mentoring, guiding & managing cross- functional teams in food safety and quality practices.