Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) Manager

Foster Farms has been serving families since 1939. Since the founding days, Foster Farms has always been committed to providing consumers with the highest-quality, best-tasting poultry products available. Our commitment to excellence, honesty, quality, service, and our valued Team Members will shine through in everything we do.

Foster Farms is always looking for talented individuals to join the Foster Farms team. We offer the experience of a large organization; however, we operate like a family business. More than half of our job openings are filled by internal promotion, and we encourage Team Members to gain a variety of experiences across different functional groups.

The FSQA Manager works directly with the processing plant manager to ensure compliance with Foster Farms’, USDA-FSIS’s, and customers’ requirements.  The incumbent administers, executes, and verifies the effective implementation of Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) policies and programs to ensure the safety, legality, and quality of products.  This position manages and develops FSQA Supervisors and an extensive technical staff at the processing plant level to achieve department and company goals.  This position has the sole in-plant authority to release or retain products on FSQA Hold for quality or regulatory concerns, thus sound judgment in rendering a product as wholesome and compliant to specifications is required.

Job Functions

The incumbent is responsible for:

• Functioning as the primary FSQA leader; managing and enforcing the implementation, verification, and validation of Food Safety programs such as HACCP/SSOP Plans; ensuring adherence with GFSI and Company internal audit standards; managing the regulatory relationship with local USDA-FSIS and other regulatory agencies; retaining products that do not conform to finished product specifications or legal requirements; and rendering product dispositions, including the release into commerce.
• Managing the implementation, maintenance, evaluation, and enforcement of: USDA-FSIS regulations including the working relationship with local Inspection Program Personnel; company FSQA policies and programs (environmental monitoring, Good Manufacturing Practices, pest control, allergen control, and finished product specification compliance); and all product monitoring programs that have legal, customer, and company requirements.
• Overseeing all team members at the processing facility (including visitors and contractors) to ensure competence in maintaining food safety and quality compliance.  This includes the design, coordination, and execution of required training in collaboration with the Human Resources, Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, and FSQA teams to promote a culture of food safety and quality.
• Leading pathogen testing root cause investigations in partnership with Operations management to address and correct processing, sanitation, and maintenance-related deficiencies that might impact finished product safety, quality, or regulatory compliance.
• In partnership with Operations management, leading investigations to determine the root cause for finished product quality non-compliance and customer or consumer complaints and correct and prevent manufacturing, mechanical, formulation, or process control deficiencies that may lead to finished product noncompliance.
• In partnership with the site’s Operations manager, scheduling meetings, and direct communications with local USDA-FSIS inspectors to coordinate and report resolution of regulatory non-compliance, as well as providing Foster Farms’ Corporate management team with data and reports to address all noncompliance trends.
• Evaluating facility specific FSQA programs and procedures to established standards and modifying programs to conform with regulatory requirements and company policies. 
• Managing and improving the FSQA data reporting systems, communicating trends and root-cause analyses to Corporate management for noncompliance resolution and process improvement. 
• Actively leading team projects to drive continuous improvement in product safety and quality. This may include commercialization projects organized by R&D for new products.
• Actively managing all Company and FSQA Key Performance Indicators to ensure achievement of Corporate FSQA objectives.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in food or animal science, chemistry, microbiology or related field is required (extensive experience and demonstrated equivalent knowledge may be considered in lieu of formal education).
• Minimum required 5 years of work experience in food processing with supervisory and management experience for food safety and quality systems.
• Previous managerial experience supervising salaried and non-salaried team.
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office products.
• Previous managerial experience supervising salaried and non-salaried team members. This includes demonstrated proficiency coaching, mentoring, and developing management team members’ professional skills and knowledge.
• Demonstrated proficiency leading and managing cross-functional teams.
• A thorough, practical, and functional knowledge of USDA/FSIS regulatory requires must be demonstrated.
• Demonstrate a proactive problem-solving and critical thinking approach to FSQA program design, implementation, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrate initiative and the ability to work independently without regular, direct supervision or instruction.
• Possess strong writing and presentation skills, to communicate at all levels throughout the organization, including with executive management, customers, and government regulatory officials.
• Possess the ability to render sound judgment regarding food safety risks and product disposition.
• Must be able to work flexible hours to ensure adequate supervision of all processing and sanitation work schedules.
• Must have the ability to travel for business-related tasks (site visits and audits of other company-owned manufacturing facilities) or for continuing professional development (educational or industry conferences and Corporate FSQA meetings).

Preferred Qualifications

• An advanced degree is preferred (as this position is considered a key development role for advancement to the Corporate FSQA team).
• The successful applicant will be detail-oriented with a strong analytical aptitude. Experience implementing and teaching Statistical Process Control.
• Experience with SAP and enterprise data management systems.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Foster Farms is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Minorities, Females, Veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Foster Farms participates in E-Verify during the hire process at all locations for all new Team Members.