Sr. Manager, Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA)

About the role

This role serves as the primary liaison with USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and local health departments, ensuring all facilities maintain a constant state of audit readiness and confidently leading all regulatory inspections.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary liaison with USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and local health departments, ensuring all facilities maintain a constant state of audit readiness and confidently leading all regulatory inspections
• Design, validate, and continuously evolve HACCP programs across all applicable USDA categories, acting as the final authority on critical control points, including thermal processing (kill steps) and rapid cooling cycles for Ready-to-Eat (RTE) products
• Partner closely with Culinary and R&D to integrate new products into production, ensuring every recipe is fully embedded into HACCP plans, preventive controls, and analytical programs prior to launch
• Oversee the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP), leveraging microbiological data, production trends, and operational insights to drive robust corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), root cause analysis (RCA), and continuous improvement
• Balance high-speed, high-volume production with uncompromising food safety and quality standards, ensuring efficiency targets are achieved without introducing risk
• Standardize and scale FSQA programs across NorCal and SoCal operations, building systems that support increased complexity, consistency, and growth
• Lead, coach, and develop FSQA teams across multiple sites, elevating capability, accountability, and performance
• Establish clear KPIs, reporting cadence, and governance to ensure visibility and ownership of food safety and quality outcomes

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive FSQA leadership experience within high-volume, USDA- and FDA-regulated food manufacturing environments
• Bilingual in English and Spanish required, with the ability to communicate effectively in both written and verbal formats with frontline teams to reinforce food safety and quality standards
• Proven ability to build, scale, and improve FSQA systems in complex, multi-site operations
• Deep technical expertise in food processing systems, including kill steps, cooling curves, and sanitary design
• Strong working knowledge of HACCP, FSMA Preventive Controls, GMPs, SSOPs, and environmental monitoring programs
• Experience supporting or leading scratch cooking or fresh food production environments highly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to influence and partner cross-functionally with Operations, Culinary, and Supply Chain leaders
• Hands-on leadership style with a track record of driving both strategic initiatives and day-to-day execution
• PCQI and HACCP certifications required, with expert-level understanding of USDA HACCP categories and regulatory expectations
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field

Qualifications

• PCQI and HACCP certifications required, with expert-level understanding of USDA HACCP categories and regulatory expectations
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field

Skills

• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines

Benefits

• Flexible schedule to accommodate peak production times and on-site presence
• Competitive salary range: $145,000 - $175,000
• 20–30% travel required between Northern (San Lorenzo) and Southern California (Commerce) locations to maintain alignment and visibility

Pay

• $145,000 - $175,000

Schedule

• Primary hours align to production, typically 6:00 AM – 2:30 PM, with a strong on-site presence across NorCal and SoCal facilities
• Highly floor-facing and hands-on during peak production to ensure food safety and quality standards are consistently executed
• 20–30% travel required between Northern (San Lorenzo) and Southern California (Commerce) locations to maintain alignment and visibility
• Flexibility needed to support early startups, regulatory inspections, new product launches, and critical operational issues