Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager - Ready-to-Eat Food Manufacturing

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: FSQS Superintendent (Food Safety & Quality Systems) – Ready-to-Eat Food Manufacturing

Location: Reidsville, NC 27320 (Onsite)
Schedule: Full-time, onsite with required rotating weekend coverage
Compensation: Base salary + 8–10% bonus eligibility
Relocation: Up to $5,000 relocation bonus + 30 days housing support

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced FSQS Superintendent to lead Food Safety and Quality Systems in a ready-to-eat (RTE) food manufacturing facility. This role provides hands-on leadership across HACCP, SSOP, regulatory compliance, and plant-wide food safety execution. The FSQS Superintendent ensures product integrity, audit readiness, and continuous improvement while supporting cross-functional production and quality operations.

This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for supervising FSQS staff, managing regulatory compliance, supporting third-party audits, and serving as acting FSQS Manager or supervisor as needed, including weekend rotation coverage.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily FSQS operations and communicate key updates with FSQS Manager and plant leadership
• Ensure compliance with HACCP, SSOP, USDA/FSIS or FDA food safety regulations
• Participate in and independently support third-party and regulatory audits
• Oversee product hold, release, investigation, and disposition decisions
• Ensure integrity and handling of laboratory samples and quality records
• Supervise FSQS team including scheduling, cross-training, performance reviews, and discipline
• Maintain SOPs, food safety documentation, and daily compliance reporting
• Support contamination investigations and cross-functional root cause analysis with Production
• Manage FSQS supplies, inventory, and assist with budget oversight
• Serve in rotational leadership coverage (including weekends and acting manager duties)
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives and food safety culture across the facility

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Meat Science, or related field
• 5+ years of Food Safety / Quality Assurance experience in food manufacturing
• Strong background in ready-to-eat (RTE) food production (poultry, pork, deli, or prepared foods preferred)
• Hands-on experience implementing HACCP and SSOP programs
• Experience with USDA/FSIS or FDA regulatory requirements and audit participation
• Proven supervisory experience (staff scheduling, coaching, performance management)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, reporting tools)
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills in plant environments

Certifications

• HACCP Alliance Basic & Advanced HACCP certification required or must be obtained upon hire
• Annual food safety and plant safety training participation required

Preferred Experience

• Prior leadership in RTE meat or processed food manufacturing environments
• Experience managing third-party audits (SQF, BRC, USDA FSIS)
• Experience leading cross-functional food safety or process improvement projects
• Multi-year stability in QA/FSQS leadership roles (preferred 3+ years in current role)

Work Environment

• Onsite role in a food manufacturing facility
• Exposure to production environments requiring PPE
• Occasional lifting up to 25 lbs
• Regular interaction with plant operations, labs, and production areas

Why Join

This role offers the opportunity to lead food safety systems in a fast-paced RTE manufacturing environment with strong visibility, leadership responsibility, and direct impact on product quality, compliance, and consumer safety.