Quality & Food Safety Manager

A growing, well-established pet food manufacturer is adding a Quality & Food Safety Manager to its plant leadership team. This role owns site-level food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance programs, and will lead both direct and indirect QA staff. This is a high-visibility leadership role with strong executive interaction and influence on plant performance.

What You'll Be Responsible For

Lead plant-wide food safety and quality programs

Ensure compliance with FSMA, HACCP, Preventive Controls, and regulatory requirements

Maintain and strengthen GFSI/BRC certification and audit readiness

Manage site quality systems, SOPs, and documentation controls

Serve as primary contact for regulatory bodies and third-party auditors

Drive CAPA, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives

Oversee testing, environmental monitoring, and product evaluation programs

Lead, coach, and develop QA team members

Support supplier quality and raw material approval programs

Partner cross-functionally with Operations, R&D, Maintenance, and Plant Leadership

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Quality, or related field (or equivalent experience)

5-10 years in food manufacturing quality/food safety

At least 3 years of leadership or supervisory experience

Experience in FDA and/or USDA regulated environments

Strong working knowledge of FSMA, HACCP, and Preventive Controls

Experience with GFSI certification programs (BRC preferred)

HACCP and/or PCQI certification preferred

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced plant

Preferred Background

Statistical process control and data-driven quality improvement

Supplier quality and raw material approval programs

R&D and process improvement support

CAPA and root cause leadership experience

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations.

GPAC (Growing People and Companies) is an award-winning search firm specializing in placing quality professionals within multiple industries across the United States since 1990. We are extremely competitive, client-focused and realize that our value is in our ability to deliver the right solutions at the right time.