Food Safety & Quality Manager

Food Safety & Quality Manager 

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

Primary Purpose 

The Food Safety & Quality Manager provides hands-on leadership and strategic direction to ensure that all Nassau Candy manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution operations meet or exceed SQF, FDA, state, and regulatory standards. This individual will drive compliance through monitoring, evaluation, auditing, training, investigation, and corrective action. They will oversee the development and implementation of SOPs and QMS documentation, manage all customer complaints and CAPAs, and ensure facilities remain audit-ready at all times. 

This role requires a data-driven leader who thrives on the production floor, can collaborate cross-functionally, and serves as a role model for quality and food safety excellence. 

Essential Functions 

Food Safety & Quality Program Management 

• Lead and maintain all Food Safety Policies, SQF SOPs, HACCP Plans, Food Defense, cGMP, GDPs, FSMA Preventive Controls, and related prerequisite programs and training materials across all Nassau Candy sites.
• Heighten SQF System and FSMA compliance through training, auditing, monitoring, and corrective action.
• Participate in SQF audits, distribution center audits, regulatory inspections, and customer/external audits.
• Conduct annual internal SQF QMS audits, including mock recalls and traceability exercises.
• Ensure plants, sites, and DCs remain audit-ready every day with complete and accurate records for all planned and unplanned audits, including social and environmental.

Operational Oversight & Floor Presence 

• Provide daily floor support, guidance, and leadership to ensure Total Quality Compliance, follow-up on non-conformances, and drive effective CAPA implementation.
• Perform daily walkthroughs to monitor manufacturing and packaging processes, hygiene practices, allergen control, and records compliance.
• Monitor temperatures, machine settings, and line speeds; maintain data to support product specifications and process operating guides.

• Evaluate facilities and equipment for maintenance or structural issues impacting food safety and initiate timely corrective work orders.

Complaint Management & CAPA 

• Manage all customer complaints, investigations, root cause analyses (RCA), CAPA development, and timely response to customers.
• Maintain internal and external CAPA databases and ensure thorough documentation and follow-up.

Training & Continuous Improvement 

• Lead ongoing training programs for all personnel regarding quality, sanitation, food safety, and compliance protocols; maintain training records.
• Serve as a cross-functional partner and change agent, driving continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Support pest control monitoring and sanitation excellence to maintain high environmental and quality standards.

Safety & Regulatory Compliance 

• Enforce and promote a safe and sanitary work environment, ensuring compliance with OSHA, FDA, state, and local regulations.
• Conduct Job Safety Analyses, inspections, safety meetings, and accident investigations.
• Collaborate with HR and Safety leadership to ensure appropriate work accommodations, training, and compliance measures.
• Possess authority to stop production to address potential food safety issues and oversee investigations through resolution.
• Serve as the backup to the Sanitation Manager as needed.

Qualifications 

• Required
  • Proven experience developing and implementing SQF Safe Quality Food Systems, including leading and closing third-party audits.
  • Strong knowledge of FDA 21 CFR, FSMA, QMS, QA/QC, HACCP, HARPC Preventive Controls (PCQI), GMPs, GDPs, allergen control, and CAPA systems.
  • Experience managing multi-site social accountability and customer audits.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and other quality management software tools.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to train, lead, and collaborate cross-functionally.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, prioritize effectively, and maintain high attention to detail.
• Commitment to promoting and enforcing a safe and sanitary work environment.

• Preferred
  • Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field.
  • 10% travel availability.

Physical Requirements 

• Ability to speak and hear clearly to communicate across teams.
• Visual acuity to examine product and documentation.
• Comfort working in both hot and cold environments.
• Ability to move throughout the facility regularly and travel independently as needed.

🌟 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.