QRC Specialist

The QRC Specialist supports better-for-you (BFY) protein and functional food innovation by ensuring food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance throughout the agile innovation process and other early-stage initiatives. This role focuses on enabling safe and rapid speed-to-market for new BFY products, including non-traditional and joint venture approaches to development, manufacturing, and commercialization. The position operates in a dynamic and evolving category, requiring the ability to understand emerging product spaces, respond quickly to changing business needs, and work effectively in a fluid, cross-functional environment.

Responsibilities

• Support food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance for BFY protein and functional food innovation projects within the agile innovation process and other early-stage initiatives.
• Represent QRC on front-of-funnel innovation, joint venture, and other projects related to protein, BFY, and functional food initiatives, ensuring food quality and food safety requirements are fully integrated into project planning and execution.
• Conduct Quality Design Reviews for new products, processes, and changes, and ensure that quality and food safety considerations are addressed throughout the development lifecycle.
• Identify, evaluate, and facilitate approval of ingredients and packaging materials, working closely with regulatory, packaging, and R&D teams to ensure compliance with internal standards and external regulations.
• Conduct quality system assessments of ingredient and packaging suppliers, manufacturing locations, and distribution sites to verify compliance with food safety, quality, and regulatory expectations.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies and procedures that support innovation in BFY and functional foods, including food safety and quality requirements for new and non-traditional manufacturing approaches.
• Develop and support Food Safety and Quality Plans for new products and processes, ensuring alignment with HACCP, GMPs, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Provide on-site support at manufacturing facilities during trials and production runs to oversee food safety and quality practices, troubleshoot issues, and ensure adherence to established standards.
• Investigate and follow up on quality issues involving manufacturing sites, distribution, and logistics groups, and prepare reports that document issues, root causes, corrective actions, and resolutions.
• Communicate timely updates and issue resolutions to cross-functional partners, ensuring transparency and alignment on service-related matters from manufacturing and distribution locations.
• Collaborate with QRC, Engineering, Packaging, Regulatory, and R&D teams to identify, standardize, and implement best practices, new technologies, and methods related to food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Work with centers of excellence and subject matter experts to develop and implement global standards for food safety and quality at external manufacturing partners.
• Partner with Marketing, Sales, and Operations teams to ensure that quality requirements are clearly defined and incorporated into contractual agreements with external partners.
• Prepare and maintain documentation required to support food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance for innovation projects, including records for audits and regulatory reviews.
• Stay current with government regulations, enforcement trends, FDA requirements, food safety programs, pest control regulations, and changes in HACCP-related policies and procedures, and translate these into practical guidance for innovation projects.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives by using audit results, key performance indicators, gap analyses, and consumer packaged goods benchmarking to establish and achieve annual food safety and quality goals.
• Effectively communicate and transfer knowledge on projects and product changes to regional QRC personnel to ensure consistent implementation of standards across locations.
• Utilize SAP, Microsoft Office, and collaboration tools such as Teams to manage data, documentation, reporting, and cross-functional communication related to QRC activities.

• At least 5 years of experience in food quality, food manufacturing, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience in food quality management within the food industry, including familiarity with quality management systems and manufacturing plant support.
• Hands-on experience in food manufacturing environments, including support of production trials and full-scale manufacturing runs.
• Experience with new product development, particularly in food or beverage categories, with emphasis on integrating food safety and quality into the development process.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP principles and their application to food safety programs.
• Practical understanding of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and their implementation in manufacturing facilities.
• Working knowledge of FDA regulations, FDA requirements, and food safety programs relevant to food manufacturing and BFY products.
• Ability to develop, assess, and maintain quality systems, including supplier assessments and site quality evaluations.
• Proficiency with SAP for managing quality or production-related data and documentation.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, to create reports, analyses, and presentations.
• Ability to use collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams for communication and project coordination.
• Strong communication skills to represent QRC on cross-functional teams and effectively convey food safety and quality requirements.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, fluid environment and respond quickly to changing business needs and project priorities.

• FDA Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certification preferred.
• HACCP certification preferred, with the ability to lead or support HACCP-based food safety programs.
• Experience working with protein-based, better-for-you, or functional food products.
• Familiarity with continuous improvement methodologies, including the use of audit data, KPIs, and gap analysis to drive program enhancements.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams such as R&D, Engineering, Packaging, Regulatory, Marketing, Sales, Operations, and external partners.
• Ability to develop and implement policies and procedures that support innovation while maintaining food safety and quality standards.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to investigate quality issues and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Comfort working with external manufacturing partners and contributing to the development of global standards for food safety and quality.

The role operates in a dynamic, innovation-focused environment centered on better-for-you protein and functional foods, where priorities can shift quickly and projects often involve non-traditional and joint venture manufacturing approaches. The QRC Specialist works closely with cross-functional teams across R&D, Operations, Engineering, Packaging, Regulatory, Marketing, Sales, and external manufacturing partners. The position involves a combination of office-based work, using tools such as SAP, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Teams for documentation, analysis, and collaboration, and on-site work at manufacturing and distribution facilities to support trials, production runs, and quality system assessments. The work environment emphasizes agility, continuous improvement, and adherence to food safety and quality standards in line with government regulations, industry best practices, and internal programs.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Hershey, PA.

The pay range for this position is $55.00 - $65.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a hybrid position in Hershey,PA.

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 23, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.

Salary : $55 - $65