QA & Food Safety Manager
We are seeking a proactive, detail-oriented QA & Food Safety Manager to lead and maintain our food safety and quality assurance programs. This position plays a critical role in ensuring regulatory compliance, maintaining the highest product quality standards, and fostering a strong food safety culture. The ideal candidate will have a proven background in food manufacturing, team management, and expertise in quality and safety certifications.
Key Responsibilities:
- Food Safety Leadership: Develop, implement, validate, verify, and maintain Food Safety Plans, Quality Plans, and prerequisite programs.
- Compliance Management: Ensure compliance with SQF standards, FDA/USDA regulations, HACCP, and customer requirements.
- Program Oversight: Lead programs for HACCP, Food Defense, Food Fraud, Recall, and Crisis Management.
- Supplier & Material Approvals: Oversee supplier approval, raw material/ingredient/packaging verification, and product release/hold processes.
- Audit Management: Manage internal, third-party, regulatory, and customer audits, ensuring thorough preparation, execution, and follow-up.
- Sanitation & GMP Standards: Direct sanitation programs, GMP compliance, environmental monitoring, and SSOP adherence.
- Training & Culture: Develop and deliver food safety training programs while fostering a strong and sustainable food safety and quality culture.
- Continuous Improvement: Oversee QA activities including inspections, line checks, product testing, Corrective Action Preventive Action (CAPA), labeling compliance, and process improvement initiatives.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Production, R&D, and Procurement to drive quality and safety throughout the supply chain.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Collect, analyze, and validate data to support food safety improvements and inform decision-making.
Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related scientific field.
- Experience: 3-5 years of experience in QA or food safety, preferably in food manufacturing.
- Certifications: HACCP certification required; SQF Practitioner Certification preferred (or ability to obtain within 6 months).
- Regulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of FDA, USDA, HACCP, GMP, and GFSI standards.
- Skills:
- Excellent communication and organizational skills.
- Strong problem-solving and auditing abilities.
- Proficiency in food safety and quality software, statistical analysis, and reporting.
- Bilingual English/Spanish is required.
- Attributes:
- Hands-on leadership approach with a commitment to teamwork.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Dedication to fostering continuous improvement and maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.