Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager

Summary Manages the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Program in accordance with Stampede Culinary Partners policies and procedures, USDA and FDA regulations, customer requirements, and applicable federal, state, and local food safety standards. Provides leadership, direction, and accountability for food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance programs within the facility to ensure the production of safe, legal, and high-quality products. Leads Food Safety and Quality Assurance personnel while partnering with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, and other departments to identify risks, implement corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement. These duties are performed personally or through supervisory staff and team members. The Director of Food Safety will serve as the designated backup when the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager is unavailable.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Oversees HACCP plans, prerequisite programs, and food safety systems within the facility.
• Provides leadership for facility food safety and quality programs to ensure compliance with company, customer, and regulatory requirements.
• Serves as the primary facility resource for food safety matters and coordinates issue resolution.
• Supports the Approved Supplier Program by ensuring facility compliance with approved supplier requirements.
• Conducts internal audits and supports supplier, customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• Provides technical training and guidance on food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Conducts HACCP and other food safety-related training programs.
• Works closely with USDA inspection personnel to maintain regulatory compliance.
• Maintains food safety documentation and ensures procedures are implemented in accordance with company requirements.
• Develops and maintains facility-specific procedures and work instructions.
• Supports HACCP reassessments and validation activities while overseeing CCP verification activities.
• Oversee environmental monitoring programs and ensures appropriate corrective actions are implemented.
• Implements and monitors corrective actions related to food safety, quality, and regulatory non-compliances.
• Maintains food safety records, product hold records, returned goods documentation, and other required records.
• Monitors pest control program effectiveness and follows up on identified deficiencies.
• Maintains foreign material investigation records and ensures timely completion of corrective actions.
• Maintains knowledge of USDA & FDA regulations, HACCP principles, and industry best practices.
• Oversees quality programs and supports investigations related to customer complaints, product non-conformances, and quality incidents.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Directly supervises Food Safety and Quality Assurance personnel and carries out leadership responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies, food safety standards, and applicable laws. Responsibilities include recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, and developing employees; planning and directing work; establishing performance expectations; conducting performance evaluations; addressing employee concerns; and fostering a culture of food safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement. Provides leadership and direction to ensure departmental objectives are achieved while maintaining compliance with company, customer, and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Regular attendance is required.

Education and/or Experience

Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Food Science, Meat Science, Microbiology, Biology, Animal Science, or a related field preferred. Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in food safety, quality assurance, HACCP, or regulatory compliance within a food manufacturing environment. Experience in a USDA-regulated facility and previous leadership or supervisory experience preferred.

Language Skills

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret scientific and technical publications, regulatory requirements, customer specifications, and legal documents. Ability to respond effectively to inquiries from customers, regulatory agencies, auditors, and members of the business community. Ability to prepare reports, procedures, training materials, and business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information to management, employees, customers, auditors, and regulatory personnel.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to apply mathematical concepts such as percentages, ratios, proportions, statistical analysis, and trend evaluation. Ability to interpret and analyze data to support food safety, quality, regulatory, and operational decision-making.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to define problems, collect and analyze data, establish facts, identify root causes, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret technical instructions, regulations, specifications, and procedures and apply them to a variety of food safety, quality, and operational situations. Ability to make sound decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment while managing multiple priorities and competing demands.

Computer Skills

To perform this job successfully, an individual should be proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Experience with quality management systems, document control systems, audit management software, ERP systems, and food safety databases is preferred. Ability to analyze data, prepare reports, maintain records, and manage electronic documentation.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

HACCP Certification required. Advanced HACCP Certification and Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) Certification are required within one (1) year of employment. Additional food safety, quality, auditing, or regulatory certifications are preferred.

Other Skills and Abilities

Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills. Strong understanding of USDA regulations, HACCP principles, prerequisite programs, and food safety systems. Ability to train, coach, and develop employees while fostering a culture of food safety and accountability. Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, regulatory agencies, auditors, and customers. Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

Other Qualifications

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear and taste or smell. Position requires use of keyboard. The employee is occasionally required to sit. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts and fumes or airborne particles. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud.C,A10012_119_0