FSQA Supervisor - RTE protein

We are partnering with a leading protein manufacturer to identify an experienced Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Supervisor to support and oversee food safety, quality assurance and regulatory compliance within a ready-to-eat (RTE) manufacturing environment.

This is a key supervisory position within a business where food safety, product integrity and operational excellence are critical priorities. The successful candidate will oversee day-to-day FSQA activities, support regulatory compliance and work closely with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance and plant leadership to ensure the consistent manufacture of safe, high-quality products.

The business is seeking a proactive, hands-on FSQA professional who can lead from the floor, develop team members, maintain rigorous food safety standards and ensure that issues are identified, investigated and resolved promptly.

Key Responsibilities

• FSQA Supervision: Oversee daily food safety and quality assurance activities, ensuring compliance with company procedures, regulatory requirements and customer expectations.

• Regulatory Compliance: Support compliance with applicable USDA-FSIS, FDA and other relevant federal and state regulations, depending on product classification and facility requirements.

• HACCP & Food Safety Programs: Monitor the implementation of HACCP plans, prerequisite programs, GMPs and other applicable food safety systems.

• Ready-to-Eat Food Safety: Verify food safety controls specific to RTE manufacturing, including post-lethality interventions, environmental monitoring and prevention of Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

• Environmental Monitoring: Coordinate environmental sampling, review results, identify trends and support investigations and corrective actions when necessary.

• Quality Assurance: Oversee routine product inspections, finished-product checks, quality testing, specification compliance and non-conformance management.

• Sanitation Verification: Work closely with Sanitation teams to verify cleaning effectiveness, review pre-operational inspections and ensure deficiencies are corrected before production begins.

• Audit Preparation: Support customer, regulatory and third-party audits, ensuring documentation is accurate, procedures are followed and findings are addressed promptly.

• Team Leadership: Supervise and develop FSQA technicians, quality assurance personnel and other direct reports, ensuring consistent execution of food safety procedures.

• Corrective & Preventive Actions: Investigate food safety and quality deviations, support root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

• Production Support: Partner with Production and Operations teams to resolve quality issues, verify process compliance and maintain food safety standards throughout manufacturing.

• Documentation & Recordkeeping: Ensure accurate completion and review of HACCP records, monitoring logs, inspection reports, quality documentation and other required records.

• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve food safety practices, quality performance, audit readiness and operational consistency.

• Shift Oversight: Maintain consistent FSQA standards across assigned shifts, ensuring effective communication, handovers and escalation of critical issues.

• Food Safety Culture: Promote accountability and compliance across the facility, ensuring employees understand and follow established food safety and quality procedures.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be an experienced FSQA professional with a strong background in food manufacturing and the ability to lead day-to-day food safety and quality activities within a fast-paced production environment.

Key requirements include:

• Previous experience in FSQA within a food manufacturing environment, ideally at a supervisory or senior technician level.

• Experience within ready-to-eat protein manufacturing, preferably involving cooked, smoked, sliced or further-processed meat and poultry products.

• Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, sanitation programs and food safety management systems.

• Understanding of USDA-FSIS regulatory requirements and inspection processes within meat or poultry manufacturing.

• Familiarity with Listeria control, environmental monitoring, post-lethality interventions and pathogen prevention.

• Experience supporting customer, regulatory and third-party audits.

• Previous experience supervising, training or developing FSQA team members.

• Ability to investigate food safety and quality deviations, identify root causes and implement effective corrective actions.

• Strong attention to detail and the ability to maintain accurate records in a regulated manufacturing environment.

• Excellent communication skills and the confidence to challenge practices that may compromise food safety or product quality.

• A hands-on approach, with the ability to spend significant time on the production floor supporting operations and verifying compliance.

• A degree or relevant qualification in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology or a related discipline would be advantageous.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

Leadership Opportunity: Take ownership of day-to-day FSQA activities and develop your leadership capabilities within an established protein manufacturing business.

Technical Development: Gain valuable experience in RTE food safety, environmental monitoring, pathogen prevention and regulatory compliance.

Operational Influence: Work directly with Production, Sanitation and plant leadership to improve food safety and quality performance.

Career Progression: Develop your technical and leadership skills within a business that values food safety, continuous improvement and employee development.

Meaningful Impact: Play a critical role in protecting consumers, maintaining product integrity and ensuring the facility consistently meets the highest food safety standards.