Senior Manager Quality and Food Safety

Shearer’s Foods, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Massillon, OH, is a leading manufacturer of salty snacks, cookies, and crackers. Specializing in private label and co-manufacturing, Shearer’s is the largest supplier of private brand salty snacks and the second-largest supplier of private brand cookies and crackers. With a strong focus on innovation, service, quality, and sustainability, Shearer’s has earned the food industry’s highest award for environmental sustainability and multiple Supplier of the Year awards. The company operates 16 locations across North America and employs over 5,000 team members, driven by core values of People, Grow, Impact, and Win.

About the Role

The Sr. Manager of Quality & Food Safety is responsible for leading the quality assurance and food safety program at our Perham, Minnesota facility. This role involves collaborating with customers, suppliers, the corporate quality team, and manufacturing staff to ensure every product consistently meets safety, quality, and brand expectations. You will own the site’s quality and food safety systems end-to-end, translating customer expectations and regulatory requirements into actionable standards, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement. This is a senior leadership position reporting to the Plant Director, with responsibility for managing, coaching, and developing a team of 4 quality professionals (Technicians and Supervisors).

Responsibilities

• Lead and continuously improve the site’s Quality and Food Safety Management Systems, including SQF (Safe Quality Foods), Food Safety Plan, GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices), and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of all products manufactured by the plant, as well as the raw materials, packaging materials, and operations required in the manufacturing process, including quality specifications and standards.
• Monitor, support, and enforce all Shearer’s Foods food safety processes and procedures, including AIB standards, SQF standards, and customer-specific standards.
• Serve as the SQF Practitioner and Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI). Participate in weekly Food Safety Inspections.
• Act as a key member of the Food Safety Team, ensuring risks are identified, assessed, and mitigated proactively.
• Investigate and respond to customer complaints. Track complaints and address emerging issues or trends by engaging the appropriate functions (e.g., production, maintenance, product development) to resolve.
• Ensure all programs are designed and executed to protect the consumer and maintain audit readiness at all times.
• Oversee sanitation and prerequisite programs to ensure hygienic design and execution across the facility.
• Develop and leverage data-driven insights (SPC, trend analysis, defect tracking) to improve performance and reduce variability.
• Establish and align quality objectives with plant and corporate goals, balancing consumer protection, efficiency, and cost.
• Drive structured problem-solving and continuous improvement initiatives focused on defect reduction and customer satisfaction.
• Build a culture of ownership where quality is everyone’s responsibility.
• Partner with operations to embed quality at the source, minimizing reliance on inspection.
• Deliver training programs that connect frontline work to real customer impact and brand reputation.

Requirements

• Minimum requirement of a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Animal Science, Microbiology, Biology, or another science-related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of overall professional experience in Quality Assurance, Food Safety, and Sanitation.
• Minimum of 5 years in a supervisory or management position in a plant of similar complexity and size.
• Certifications: PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual), SQF Practitioner (or other GFSI), HACCP.
• Strong knowledge of FSMA, FDA, and global food safety standards.
• Experience working directly with customers and suppliers in a quality capacity.
• Demonstrated success using data and statistical methods to drive improvement.
• Demonstrated experience leading change.
• Broad knowledge and experience in quality and food safety management gained at successive levels of responsibility in a plant atmosphere.
• Demonstrated ability to direct, coach, and train associates, as well as plan, monitor, and schedule work.
• Experience leading “Best in Class” behaviors with a focus on food safety, quality assurance, and plant regulatory compliance.