Quality Manager

About Snack Innovations

Snack Innovations is a leading manufacturer of better-for-you salty snack food located in Piscataway, NJ. We produce a wide range of snack chips, sticks, straws, curls, and popcorn.

Responsibilities

• Food Safety, Regulatory Compliance & Audit Leadership
  • Own and maintain the facility's food safety plan, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) program, preventive controls, and supporting prerequisite program
  • Ensure compliance with Food and Drug Administration requirements, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), BRCGS or Safe Quality Food (SQF) requirements, other applicable GFSI-recognized standards, customer requirements, and company policies
  • Independently lead plant preparation and execution for BRCGS or SQF certification audits, customer audits, internal audits, and regulatory inspections, including timely closure of identified findings
  • Maintain continuous audit readiness through effective internal audits, record review, traceability exercises, mock recalls, food defense reviews, and emergency response activities
  • Manage environmental monitoring, allergen control, sanitation verification, pre-operational inspection, and other plant food safety verification programs
• Quality Control, Laboratory Operations & Product Release
  • Oversee incoming material, in-process, packaging, and finished product quality controls against approved specifications and sampling plans
  • Manage required analytical and sensory testing, including moisture, sodium, nitrogen or package gas, microbiological testing, weight, appearance, taste, texture, seasoning application, packaging integrity, coding, and other product-specific requirements
  • Ensure testing is completed accurately using approved methods and that laboratory and production testing equipment is properly calibrated, verified, maintained, and documented
  • Review production records, laboratory results, quality documentation, complaints, and product trends to identify risks and recurring issues
  • Ensure product specifications, formulas, labels, packaging requirements, and quality standards are current, accurate, and consistently followed
  • Manage product holds, release decisions, nonconforming materials, deviations, and disposition in partnership with Operations
  • Exercise authority to place product on hold, prevent product release, reject nonconforming materials, or stop production when food safety, quality, legality, or regulatory compliance may be compromised
• Investigation, Corrective Action & Continuous Improvement
  • Lead investigations of customer complaints, product deviations, out-of-specification results, foreign material events, and other quality or food safety concerns
  • Direct root cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions, ensuring actions are documented, completed, verified, and sustained
  • Track food safety and quality metrics and communicate trends, risks, priorities, and required actions to plant and quality leadership
  • Verify that required food safety, quality, laboratory, and production records are complete, accurate, timely, and audit-ready
  • Identify practical opportunities to strengthen process control, reduce recurring defects, improve documentation, and support new products, processes, equipment, and specifications
• Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership
  • Lead, coach, and develop Quality Shift Supervisors and Quality Techs across assigned shifts, including clear expectations, work priorities, accountability, and follow-through
  • Maintain a strong presence on the production floor and ensure quality and food safety concerns are addressed promptly and effectively
  • Train employees on GMPs, food safety, allergens, quality requirements, testing procedures, documentation, and related plant procedures
  • Partner closely with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance, Warehouse, Research and Development, Supply Chain, and Corporate Quality Systems to prevent and resolve issues
  • Manage plant execution of supplier approval, incoming material, and supplier performance requirements in coordination with Corporate Quality Systems
  • Promote a strong food safety culture based on ownership, consistency, sound judgment, and continuous improvement

Requirements

• Minimum of five years of quality assurance, food safety, or quality control experience in food manufacturing, including supervisory or management responsibility
• Demonstrated experience leading the quality function in a sizable food manufacturing facility and managing multiple employees across shifts
• Prior experience independently leading BRCGS or SQF certification audits with successful audit outcomes is required
• Experience in snack manufacturing or a closely related high-volume food production environment is required
• Bachelor's degree in food science, microbiology, biology, chemistry, or a related field preferred; equivalent directly related experience will be considered
• Strong working knowledge of FDA regulations, FSMA preventive controls, GMPs, HACCP, allergen control, sanitation programs, environmental monitoring, and GFSI-recognized certification requirements
• Qualification as a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual and formal HACCP training required
• Working knowledge of laboratory and sensory testing methods, equipment calibration, product specifications, quality documentation, and data analysis
• Strong leadership, audit management, investigation, root cause analysis, decision-making, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work across shifts, maintain regular production-floor presence, and respond to urgent food safety or quality issues as needed
• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred

Benefits

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance