Quality Assurance Specialist

Position Summary:

The Quality & Food Safety Specialist plays a key role in ensuring Bakery Express of Central Florida consistently meets regulatory requirements and delivers safe, high‑quality products to our customers. This role supports, validates, and verifies the Food Safety & Quality Management System and helps maintain compliance with Safe Quality Foods (SQF) Code. The position also supports daily administrative operations that keep production running efficiently.

This role works in a fast‑paced, multicultural, and highly collaborative environment, and weekends and holidays will be required based on production and business needs.

The ideal candidate is eager to grow with the position and advance within the company as our operations and quality programs continue to expand.

As a member of the Food Safety Planning Team, this role contributes to the development, implementation, and ongoing verification of food safety programs. Responsibilities include ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, SQF Code requirements, and customer expectations. Continuous learning is expected through participation in audits, review of industry publications (SQFI, IFSQN, FDA updates), state and local guidance, SQF Code updates, AIB coursework, Safefood360 training, and ongoing professional development in food safety.

Key Responsibilities:

Quality & Food Safety

• Support the development, implementation, and ongoing monitoring of HACCP, Preventive Controls, SOPs, GMPs, and other food safety and quality programs.
• Serve as the alternate SQF Practitioner and PCQI, and act as the Quality lead when the QA & Regulatory Compliance Manager is unavailable.
• Provide technical guidance to managers and staff; escalate quality deviations to department leaders and the QA & Regulatory Compliance Manager.
• Maintain accurate documentation to support compliance, traceability, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Communicate with suppliers regarding raw material quality issues, deviations, and audit requirements.
• Investigate customer complaints, document findings, and recommend corrective actions.
• Conduct and support internal audits to verify compliance with regulatory, customer, and SQF requirements.
• Lead food safety and quality training for employees and assist with production‑related safety and skills training.
• Use SPC and other analytical tools to identify trends and drive process improvements.
• Oversee the in‑house microbiological testing program and coordinate with third‑party laboratories.
• Assist in preparing for customer, corporate, and third‑party audits.
• Update and maintain specifications for raw materials, packaging, and finished products.
• Support supplier approval and monitoring programs, ensuring raw materials meet quality and food safety expectations.
• Stay current on emerging technologies, regulatory updates, and industry best practices related to food safety and quality.
• Provide back-up support for the Quality Assurance Manager as needed.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Administrative & Production Support

• Collect and process daily customer order data.
• Analyze order trends to generate accurate next‑day production forecasts.
• Upload customer order data into production systems for processing.
• Update customer route changes and maintain accurate product/pricing information.
• Participate in the hiring process: review applications, assess candidates, conduct interviews, and support selection decisions.
• Deliver onboarding and training on company policies, values, procedures, and job‑specific skills.
• Work effectively with team members from diverse cultural, linguistic, and educational backgrounds, fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace.

Required Skills & Certifications

• HACCP certification
• FSMA PCQI certification
• SQF Practitioner certification
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Proficiency in Excel and general computer systems
• Bachelor’s degree in a science‑related field (preferred but not required)
• Experience in food manufacturing
• Working knowledge of HACCP, Preventive Controls, FDA regulations, GMPs, SQF Code, quality assurance principles, and food microbiology
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to train, coach, and support employees from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to work weekends and holidays as required
• Professional, positive, and team‑focused attitude
• Motivation to grow professionally and take on increasing responsibility within the company