FSQA Manager

The FSQA Manager is the senior leader responsible for the company's Food Safety, Quality Assurance, and Sanitation programs. This position owns the systems, standards, and processes that ensure regulatory compliance, food safety, product quality, and customer expectations are consistently met across the organization. This is a hands-on leadership position that requires a strong presence on the production floor to verify that standards are consistently executed, as well as disciplined management of the FSQA systems. Reports to: Director of Operations Status: Full-Time / Exempt Schedule: Monday - Friday 6:00 am - End / Weekends may be required depending on projects or other departmental needs Occasionally, additional hours may be required to complete tasks and/or projects. Essential Duties/Responsibilities: 1. FSQA Leadership & Accountability - Own the company's food safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and sanitation systems and establish clear standards and expectations across the organization. - Lead, coach, develop, and hold the Quality team accountable for execution, documentation, responsiveness, and professional performance. - Responsible for recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, development, and performance management of quality employees. - Create and oversee weekly shift schedules and allocate employees to optimize QC coverage and performance. - Maintain a highly visible presence throughout Production and Warehouse operations to verify compliance, identify risks, and provide real-time leadership and coaching. - Establish clear escalation expectations and ensure food safety and quality concerns are addressed promptly and appropriately. 2. Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance - Own and maintain the HACCP system, prerequisite programs, GMPs, sanitation verification, and other applicable food safety programs. - Maintain an inspection- and audit-ready facility at all times and ensure compliance with USDA and applicable regulatory requirements. - Serve as the primary FSQA contact with USDA and other applicable regulatory agencies, including management of regulatory findings and corrective actions. - Lead investigations and responses to significant food safety, regulatory, and compliance issues. - Own and lead all internal, customer, regulatory, and third-party audits, including SQF, USDA, and other applicable certification or customer audits. Use audit findings and trends to identify systemic risks and drive continuous improvement. 3. Quality Systems & Product Compliance - Establish and maintain product specifications, quality standards, SOPs, testing programs, and verification procedures to ensure products consistently meet company, regulatory, and customer requirements. - Oversee product holds, nonconformances, product disposition, label and packaging verification, traceability, and other product compliance programs. - Conduct all monthly and annual product/environmental testing. 4. Operational Accountability - Partner with Production, Warehouse, Sanitation, Maintenance, and other functional leaders to ensure food safety and quality requirements are effectively executed. - Hold operational leaders accountable for correcting deficiencies, completing corrective actions, and preventing recurring issues - Lead root-cause investigations and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes for customer complaints, regulatory findings, product issues, process deviations, and internal nonconformances. - Establish action owners, timelines, and verification requirements and ensure corrective actions are completed and effective. 5. FSQA Reporting - Establish and maintain meaningful KPIs and provide regular reporting to operational and executive leadership. Track metrics including customer complaints, nonconformances, sanitation performance, and quality performance. - Serve as a key member of the operational leadership team and provide FSQA expertise in business and operational decisions. - All other duties as assigned. Requirements • 5+ years of progressive experience in Food Safety, Quality Assurance, or a related leadership role within food manufacturing. • Bachelor's degree in food science or related field. • Certification in HACCP required. • Certification in SQF required. • Strong working knowledge of USDA FSIS regulations and food safety requirements. • Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with employees, supervisors, senior leadership, customers, and regulatory personnel. • Demonstrated critical-thinking and problem-solving ability, with the confidence to make timely decisions when food safety or quality is at risk. • Experience developing, implementing, and maintaining food safety and quality management systems. • Experience leading USDA, customer, and third-party audits. • Detail Oriented. • Display a Positive Attitude and is a positive agent for change. • Proficient with Microsoft Office 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams) • Professionalism - Demonstrates a high level of professionalism in exercising judgment and discretion.