Food Safety & Quality Manager

📍 Hicksville, NY | 🏭 Manufacturing | 🕓 Full-Time | 💼 Exempt

Primary Purpose

The Food Safety & Quality Manager is responsible for providing ongoing support, training, and hands-on leadership across all Nassau Candy manufacturing, packing, warehouse, and distribution locations. This role oversees quality and food safety functions through continuous monitoring, evaluation, auditing, investigation, reporting, and follow-up corrective actions.

Key responsibilities include developing and implementing SOPs, food safety plans, and SQF documentation; ensuring compliance with FDA, state, and regulatory requirements; managing customer complaints and CAPA; and maintaining audit readiness and high certification scores. This position also plays a critical role in daily floor oversight, cross-functional collaboration, process improvement, and team coaching.

Essential Functions Food Safety, SQF & Regulatory Compliance

• Maintain and support all Food Safety Policies, SQF SOPs, HACCP Plans, Food Defense, cGMP, GDP, FSMA, Preventive Controls, and all prerequisite programs.
• Drive awareness and compliance with SQF and FSMA through training, monitoring, auditing, and corrective actions.
• Participate in SQF audits, DC audits, regulatory inspections, customer audits, and other external assessments.
• Conduct annual internal audits, mock recalls, and traceability exercises.
  
  

Quality Assurance & Process Oversight

• Provide daily floor support to ensure total quality compliance from receiving to shipment.
• Perform daily walk-throughs monitoring processes, employee practices, hygiene, allergen control, and documentation.
• Maintain audit-ready facilities at all times across all sites.
• Manage customer complaints, conduct investigations and RCA, draft CAPA, and maintain internal/external CAPA databases.
• Ensure strong sanitation practices and assist with maintaining highest sanitation standards.
• Evaluate facility and equipment conditions and issue timely work orders for corrective actions.
• Support pest control program through regular monitoring and issue reporting.
  
  

Leadership & Team Collaboration

• Provide positive, effective leadership in a fast-paced environment.
• Work cross-functionally to ensure compliance across Manufacturing, Packaging, Warehousing, and Product Development.
• Assist with training personnel on Quality, Food Safety, Sanitation, and Compliance.
• Promote and model a safe, sanitary working environment.
  
  

Data, Records & Technical Responsibilities

• Monitor and record temperatures, machine settings, line speeds, and other data to build product specs and operating guides.
• Recommend solutions for product or ingredient issues and ensure corrective actions are implemented early in production.
• Maintain all non-conformance data, analyze findings, develop action plans, and implement CAPA.
• Maintain training records, audit documentation, and food safety/quality records.
  
  

Safety Responsibilities (Leadership Role)

• Maintain safe working conditions through job safety analysis, inspections, meetings, and training.
• Monitor work activities to prevent unsafe behaviors.
• Ensure prompt reporting and response to injuries; provide first aid and investigate accidents.
• Enforce safety rules, PPE use, machine guarding, and workplace standards.
• Brief employees on new hazards and conduct weekly safety meetings.
• Support safety committees, OSHA compliance, and insurance recommendations.
  
  

Additional Responsibilities

• May assume Sanitation Manager responsibilities during absence.
• Responsible for stopping production when food safety risks arise and ensuring timely investigation and resolution.
• Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned.
  
  

Requirements Technical & Regulatory Requirements

• Experience developing and maintaining SQF systems with successful 3rd-party audit closures.
• Knowledge of FDA 21 CFR, FSMA, and regulatory compliance for manufacturing & distribution.
• Strong understanding of QMS, QA/QC, CAPA, HACCP, HARPC/Preventive Controls (PCQI required).
• Knowledge of allergens, GMPs, GDPs, and food defense.
• Ability to manage multi-site social accountability and customer audits.
• Preferably a degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field.
• Computer-literate with strong communication skills.
  
  

Leadership & Behavioral Skills

• Self-motivated, disciplined, and capable of working independently.
• Strong trainer, communicator, and team collaborator.
• Able to enforce sanitary and safety standards; leads by example.
• Excellent follow-up skills and strong organizational discipline.
  
  

Travel & Site Allocation

• Approximately 10% travel required.
• Expected time allocation: 80% at WJS site, 20% at Lanco site.
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Ability to speak clearly and work with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to hear with or without accommodation.
• Adequate vision to examine products.
• Able to work in cold and hot environments.
• Must move throughout facilities daily and travel independently.
  
  

🌟 Why Nassau Candy

For over 90 years, Nassau Candy has been a leading manufacturer and distributor of specialty confections, gourmet foods, and promotional products. Join a fast-growing, nationally recognized organization where your expertise in food safety and quality will directly impact customer satisfaction and brand excellence.