Senior Food Safety & QA Technologist

About the role

At Smithfield Foods—one of the nation’s top 25 consumer packaged goods companies—you’ll play a vital role in ensuring our products meet the highest standards of safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. In this role, you’ll take ownership of routine sanitation checks, enforce HACCP and USDA regulations, and track products from start to finish with precision and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement: Ensure products meet all required specifications through regular inspections and in-process checks, and contribute to continuous improvement efforts.
• Food Safety & HACCP Compliance: Support the implementation and day-to-day compliance of HACCP plans, monitor critical control points, verify records, and ensure protocols are followed without exception.
• Regulatory & Sanitation Oversight: Ensure compliance with USDA regulations, perform pre-operational sanitation checks, and coordinate resampling and follow-ups as needed.
• Leadership, Training & Coverage: Serve as a resource for newer team members, offer guidance, and share knowledge of FS/QA processes, and assist in covering essential tasks or delegating responsibilities when needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in meat science, food science, microbiology, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience, required.
• Solid knowledge of QA principles, food safety, USDA, HACCP, SSOP; with HACCP and SQF certifications preferred.
• Strong technical expertise in quality and regulatory programs.
• Able to read, write, and complete required documentation in English.

Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including regulatory and customer interactions.
• Committed to upholding regulatory, company, and customer standards.
• Proficient in problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict resolution.
• Skilled in interpreting and writing technical documents, reports, and SOPs.
• Able to interpret various instructions (written, oral, diagram, or schedule).
• Experienced with monitoring equipment and data interpretation.
• Competent in Microsoft Office and other standard business software.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those an employee should possess to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Office and plant setting.
• Wet or humid conditions (non-weather related), extreme cold and heat (non-weather related), working near moving mechanical parts, exposure to fumes or airborne particles, and chemicals.
• Noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but can be loud when in the production area.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision includes close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• Frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear.