Food Safety & Quality Assurance Specialist

About the role

The Food Safety & Quality Assurance Specialist supports the implementation and maintenance of facility food safety and quality assurance programs. They assist with customer, third-party, and regulatory audits, investigate product quality issues, and support compliance initiatives and continuous improvement efforts.

Responsibilities

• Maintain compliance with HACCP, Seafood HACCP, GMPs, SSOPs, SQF, BAP, SMETA, Costco Social Compliance, and applicable regulatory and customer requirements.
• Absorb and prepare documentation for customer, third-party, and regulatory audits.
• Investigate product quality issues, customer complaints, non-conformances, and food safety concerns, and assist with root cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions.
• Maintain accurate, organized, and audit-ready food safety, quality, and compliance documentation.
• Partner with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, Human Resources, and Corporate Quality to support compliance initiatives and continuous improvement efforts.
• Monitor environmental, sanitation, and quality data, identify trends, and recommend corrective or preventive actions.
• Absorb and assist with employee training on HACCP, GMPs, food safety practices, quality systems, and regulatory requirements.
• Absorb and assist with product inspections, process verification, environmental monitoring, and other quality assurance activities as assigned.

Requirements

• Experience: Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Quality Assurance, or related field preferred. 2+ years of food safety or quality assurance experience in food manufacturing, seafood processing, or related industries.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, FDA regulations, SQF, BAP, GMPs, sanitation programs, and food safety systems.
• Experience leading customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• HACCP Certification required or ability to obtain; SQF Practitioner and PCQI certifications preferred.
• Intermediate proficiency with MS office applications, specifically, Excel.
• Familiarity with 3rd party web data sites.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Food industry-specific knowledge of ingredients, food allergens, ingredient functionality and product formulas.
• Experience working with and current understanding of nutrition, labeling, and regulatory concepts gained through technical reading, industry interaction, and/or attendance at appropriate seminars and educational courses.

Qualifications

• Intermediate proficiency with MS office applications, specifically, Excel.
• Familiarity with 3rd party web data sites.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Food industry-specific knowledge of ingredients, food allergens, ingredient functionality and product formulas.
• Experience working with and current understanding of nutrition, labeling, and regulatory concepts gained through technical reading, industry interaction, and/or attendance at appropriate seminars and educational courses.

Skills

• Intermediate proficiency with MS office applications, specifically, Excel.
• Familiarity with 3rd party web data sites.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Food industry-specific knowledge of ingredients, food allergens, ingredient functionality and product formulas.
• Experience working with and current understanding of nutrition, labeling, and regulatory concepts gained through technical reading, industry interaction, and/or attendance at appropriate seminars and educational courses.