Quality Assurance Manager

Quality & Food Safety Manager

Location: Eastern Pennsylvania

Industry: Food and Beverage Manufacturing

Schedule: Full-time, on-site

Compensation: $120,000–$135,000 base salary

This is a hands-on plant leadership role requiring strong technical knowledge of low-acid aseptic processing and the ability to build accountability across quality, operations, maintenance, sanitation, and supply chai

n.Key Responsibiliti

• esLead the site’s quality assurance, food safety, sanitation, laboratory, environmental monitoring, and regulatory compliance program
• s.Maintain compliance with FDA Low-Acid Canned Food requirements, FSMA Preventive Controls, GMPs, applicable PMO requirements, customer standards, and GFSI certification requirement
• s.Develop, implement, and continuously improve HACCP, preventive controls, allergen control, food defense, environmental monitoring, and sanitation program
• s.Maintain process documentation and verification records for critical control points, preventive controls, commercial sterility, and preserved product validation
• s.Oversee quality and food safety requirements for low-acid aseptic processing, UHT systems, filling equipment, and related manufacturing processe
• s.Manage finished-product release, product hold and disposition, nonconforming materials, traceability, and recall readines
• s.Review batch records, deviation reports, laboratory results, corrective actions, and product-release documentatio
• n.Lead investigations related to customer complaints, quality deviations, process failures, and product nonconformance
• s.Facilitate root-cause analysis and implement effective corrective and preventive action
• s.Manage and verify cleaning validation for blending, filling, CIP, and SIP systems to control microbial and cross-contamination risk
• s.Oversee laboratory testing, including microbiological, chemical, and physical analysi
• s.Monitor testing related to pH, Brix, commercial sterility, yeast, mold, total plate count, preservative concentrations, and other finished-product specification
• s.Maintain allergen controls, label verification, lot-code accuracy, shelf-life programs, and product traceabilit
• y.Lead internal audits, mock recalls, customer audits, regulatory inspections, and third-party certification audit
• s.Manage supplier quality requirements, incoming-material specifications, supplier verification, and applicable foreign-supplier program
• s.Partner with R&D, operations, engineering, supply chain, and commercial teams during new-product development and commercializatio
• n.Establish product specifications, quality requirements, and food safety validation plans for new products and processe
• s.Develop and deliver training related to food safety, sanitation, GMPs, quality systems, and regulatory complianc
• e.Lead, coach, and develop the site quality team, including laboratory and quality technician
• s.Provide visible quality leadership on the production floor and reinforce a culture in which food safety and quality are shared operational responsibilitie
• s.Maintain accurate quality records and product-disposition activity within the company’s ERP and quality management system

s.Candidate Profi

• leBachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, or a related technical disciplin
• e.At least 10 years of quality assurance or food safety experience within beverage, dairy, juice, or another highly regulated food manufacturing environmen
• t.At least four years of experience leading a plant-level quality function or supervising quality and food safety employee
• s.Direct experience with low-acid aseptic beverage manufacturing is strongly preferre
• d.Experience with dairy, plant-based beverages, coffee, creamers, juice, or other shelf-stable beverage products is highly valuabl
• e.Strong knowledge of FDA 21 CFR Part 117, applicable Low-Acid Canned Food requirements, GMPs, HACCP, preventive controls, and GFSI standard
• s.Working knowledge of commercial sterility, UHT processing, pasteurization validation, CIP/SIP validation, environmental monitoring, and laboratory managemen
• t.Experience managing product release, quality holds, deviations, nonconforming material, CAPA, and customer complaint
• s.Experience supporting FDA inspections, customer audits, and third-party certification audit
• s.Strong understanding of microbiological controls and shelf-life determination within an aseptic manufacturing environmen
• t.Experience working with ERP and electronic quality management system

s.Certificatio

• nsPreventive Controls Qualified Individual certification require
• d.HACCP certification require
• d.Better Process Control School or comparable low-acid processing certification require
• d.FSSC 22000, SQF, or BRC Lead Auditor certification preferre
• d.Internal Auditor certification preferre

d.Leadership Sty

leThe successful candidate will be a technically strong and highly visible quality leader who is comfortable working on the production floo

r.
This individual must be able to independently protect food safety and product integrity while also building productive relationships with operations, maintenance, engineering, sanitation, and corporate leadersh

ip.
The right leader will communicate directly, make sound product-disposition decisions, develop their team, and ensure corrective actions address the underlying cause rather than simply closing the is

sue.
Work Enviro

nmentThis position combines office, laboratory, and production-floor responsibilities. The Quality & Food Safety Manager must be comfortable working in both refrigerated and ambient manufacturing environm

ents.
Occasional weekend or off-shift availability may be required during audits, production issues, equipment commissioning, or significant quality e