Job Overview: The Quality Assurance Manager - Innovation is a collaborative Food Safety and Quality partner to the Innovation and co-manufacturing teams. Reporting to the Director of Regulatory and Supplier Quality, this role champions food safety while bringing a creative, practical, and solutions-oriented mindset to the innovation process. The Manager partners across Innovation, R&D, Regulatory, Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA), Purchasing/Procurement and Operations to assess risk; help validate new technologies, processes, and standards; and enable innovative growth from concept through commercialization. With no current direct reports, the Manager drives results through influence rather than formal authority, building trusted relationships, aligning stakeholders, and securing cross-functional commitment to food safety and quality priorities. Success requires a "can-do" approach-removing barriers, navigating competing priorities, and developing win-win solutions without compromise.
Essential Duties and responsibilities - Serve as the primary Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) partner for innovation projects, guiding teams from concept through commercialization.
- Translate food safety, quality, supplier, and regulatory requirements into clear project deliverables, decisions, and approval pathways.
- Lead cross-functional risk assessments and coordinate technical reviews and approvals for breakthrough and breakout innovations.
- Drive FSQA readiness for trials, scale-up, first production, and launch, ensuring specifications, validations, quality criteria, and functional approvals are complete.
- Support internal and external production trials, document launch risks and actions, and escalate unresolved issues to accountable owners.
- Coordinate the transfer of specifications, controls, technical knowledge, and open actions to R&D, FSQA, Operations, Regulatory, and other receiving teams.
- Partner with Innovation, Procurement, Supplier Quality, and R&D to assess external manufacturers and new material or packaging suppliers, and coordinate their launch readiness.
- Support material investigations, substitutions, and corrective actions while providing innovation-specific input into supplier qualification and performance processes.
- Embed food safety and regulatory requirements into innovation projects, partnering with Regulatory, Corporate Food Safety, and Legal on labeling, claims, allergens, product integrity, and compliance.
- Provide technical guidance, monitor launch performance and lessons learned, improve innovation processes, and communicate project status, risks, and escalations to leadership.
Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Nutrition, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
- Minimum 5-7 years of progressive food manufacturing quality assurance and food safety experience.
- Strong working knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, prerequisite programs, GFSI standards, FSMA, and applicable regulatory and customer requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaborative and cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment with practical decision-making.
- Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority, build trusted relationships, navigate competing priorities, and secure alignment and commitment to shared goals.
- Experience collaborating with internal cross-functional teams and external co-manufacturers and supply partners, domestically and internationally, to align food safety and quality requirements and support successful commercialization.
- Practical application of specifications, non-conformance management, quality review, corrective actions, customer complaints, operational quality metrics, and R&D/first production support.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, prioritization, and communication skills with the ability to act with urgency while maintaining compliance and product integrity.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and familiarity with quality, production, database, and specification management systems.
Current employees please note: this position is referral bonus eligible! See our policy for more details.What's in it for you?Join High Liner Foods for a career where you shape your path, backed by great benefits, flexible work, and a culture of diversity, innovation, and sustainability. Immerse yourself in opportunities to make a real impact and grow with us in our mission to nourish lives. Start your adventure where endless possibilities to thrive together await.
- Competitive Salary
- Heath, dental & vision coverage
- Pay for performance incentives
- Employee & Family assistance programs
- Wellness Programs
- Retirement Planning
- Supplemental Parental Leaves
- Disability Support
- Family friendly Flex policies & Summer hours
- Volunteer hours
- Learning and mentorship opportunities
- Safety focused work environment
To learn more please visit our Career/LinkedIn/Indeed page
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