Quality & Food Safety Manager

Position Summary

The Quality & Food Safety Manager is a key member of the Plant Leadership Team responsible for leading the plant’s Quality Assurance and Food Safety functions and ensuring products are manufactured safely, consistently, and in compliance with company, customer, regulatory, and certification requirements.

This position provides leadership for Quality Assurance, Food Safety, laboratory operations, and sanitation while partnering closely with Production, R&D, Industrial Engineering, Engineering & Maintenance, Production Planning, and other plant functions to improve product quality and manufacturing performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and continuously improve the plant Quality Management and Food Safety Management Systems.
• Ensure compliance with SQF, HACCP, FSMA, GMP, allergen, sanitation, food defense, food fraud, and applicable FDA requirements.
• Provide leadership and support to the Food Safety Coordinator, who serves as the plant’s designated SQF Practitioner.
• Lead and develop Quality Supervisors, Quality Inspectors, laboratory personnel, and the Sanitation organization.
• Ensure effective product inspection, testing, hold/release, nonconforming product, and corrective action processes.
• Lead investigations of significant quality issues, consumer complaints, food safety concerns, and recurring manufacturing defects.
• Drive effective root cause analysis and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA).
• Partner with Production and Industrial Engineering to reduce variation, scrap, rework, defects, and Cost of Poor Quality.
• Provide Quality and Food Safety leadership during new product, formula, packaging, equipment, and process changes.
• Support customer, regulatory, and third-party certification audits and drive a strong plant-wide Quality and Food Safety culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Progressive Quality and/or Food Safety leadership experience in food manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, FSMA, GMPs, sanitation, allergen control, and food manufacturing regulatory requirements.
• Experience with a GFSI-recognized certification system such as SQF, BRCGS, or FSSC 22000.
• Experience with customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• Demonstrated ability to lead root cause analysis and corrective action.
• Strong leadership, communication, coaching, and cross-functional problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Confectionery or high-volume food manufacturing experience.
• PCQI and/or HACCP certification.
• SQF experience.
• Experience with SPC, process capability, and continuous improvement.
• Experience with Oracle EBS or similar manufacturing ERP systems.

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be a visible plant-floor leader who combines strong Quality and Food Safety knowledge with practical manufacturing judgment. This individual must be capable of developing people, using data to solve problems, partnering effectively with Operations, and maintaining the independence necessary to protect product quality and food safety.

Our objective is to build Quality and Food Safety into the manufacturing process—not simply inspect it into the finished product.

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Covington, TN 38019 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $71,046 - $115,160