Food Safety & Quality Specialist

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Food Safety & Quality Specialist based in the United States. This is an expert-level opportunity to take full ownership of food safety, regulatory compliance, and quality assurance for a growing food brand specializing in premium, shelf-stable seafood products. As the primary individual contributor responsible for the end-to-end quality program, you will oversee everything from seafood HACCP compliance and supplier verification to product specifications, lot release, and recall preparedness. You will have the authority to make critical product release decisions and address quality issues directly with manufacturing partners. Working across internal teams, suppliers, and co-manufacturers, you will build reliable systems that protect consumers and maintain product integrity as the business scales. You will strengthen documentation, traceability, and audit readiness while turning quality data into practical improvements. This is a full-time, remote position offering significant autonomy, direct accountability, and the opportunity to shape a robust quality management system. Accountabilities - Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Own, maintain, and annually reassess the food safety plan and quality management system, including seafood HACCP importer requirements under FDA 21 CFR Part 123 and the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP), as applicable. - Recall & Traceability Management: Maintain recall and withdrawal procedures, lead recall response when needed, coordinate hazard assessments and product classifications, manage FDA and customer communications, verify recall effectiveness, and conduct at least annual mock recalls with documented corrective actions. - Documentation & Compliance Readiness: Maintain accurate, current, and easily retrievable product specifications, certificates of analysis (COAs), audit reports, import records, and other quality documentation.

Keep systems audit-ready and translate regulatory changes involving food safety, traceability, labeling, and allergens into actionable requirements. - Product Specifications & Lot Release: Manage product specifications from creation through version control, ensuring alignment across internal teams, manufacturers, and customers. Establish product-specific release criteria before first production and review COAs and production records for every lot before making and documenting hold or release decisions. - Testing & Quality Verification: Define COA requirements based on product and hazard profiles, including histamine, water activity, pH, can seam integrity, and microbiological results where applicable. Coordinate accredited third-party laboratory testing, including shelf-life validation, and advise Sales, Marketing, and Product Development on quality and food safety matters. - Supplier & Manufacturing Quality: Own approval, reverification, and audit programs for canneries, co-manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and packaging suppliers. Review third-party certifications such as BRCGS, SQF, and IFS, and maintain supplier scorecards to monitor performance and drive improvement. - Complaints, Corrective Actions & Claims: Partner with Customer Experience to investigate consumer and customer complaints, identify root causes, and ensure corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) are completed. Resolve manufacturing quality claims by documenting defects, assessing impact, and pursuing credits or replacement products while maintaining productive partner relationships. - Audits, Reporting & Process Improvement: Prepare for and support customer, retailer, third-party, and regulatory audits. Report quality KPIs and recommend actions based on trends, develop clear standard operating procedures, and establish scalable processes that maintain quality as production volume grows.