Food Quality / QRC Innovation professional

PRI Global; Hershey (PA); Hybrid; USD 41,000 - 69,000; Part time

Job summary

PRI Global is seeking a Food Quality / QRC Innovation Consultant in Hershey, PA. This hybrid role supports BFY, protein, and functional foods innovation, focusing on food safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and speed-to-market for new product categories.

The consultant collaborates with R&D, Operations, Engineering, Packaging, Regulatory, Commercial, Marketing, and external partners, to ensure compliance and robust design reviews while guiding QA activities and documentation.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant Food Quality / Food Safety experience.
• Experience in food manufacturing.
• Experience with Protein, BFY, Functional Foods, or related food categories.
• Knowledge of Food Safety, HACCP, GMPs, FDA regulations, and Quality Design principles.
• Experience supporting New Product Development (NPD) and product lifecycle activities.
• FDA PCQI certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Represent QRC on innovation, Joint Venture, and early-stage product development projects.
• Ensure food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements are incorporated into product development.
• Conduct Quality Design Reviews.
• Support ingredient and packaging approvals.
• Transfer project and product-change knowledge to regional QRC teams.
• Provide on-site support during manufacturing trials and production runs.
• Stay current with FDA regulations, food safety trends, and related policies.

Skills

Food Safety

HACCP

GMPs

FDA regulations

NPD

Quality Design

Regulatory compliance

Food Manufacturing

SOPs

Problem solving

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Teams

Job description

Food Quality / QRC Innovation Consultant

Location: Hershey, PA

Work Arrangement: Hybrid – Candidate must be local to Hershey, PA and able to provide on-site support as needed, including potentially several consecutive weeks.

Assignment Duration: 12–18 months

Schedule: Part-time, up to 30 hours/week, with potential opportunity to transition to full-time

Training: Approximately 1 week / 20 hours

Position Overview

Food Quality / QRC Innovation professional to support BFY (Better For You), Protein, and Functional Foods Innovation. This role will focus on food safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and speed-to-market for new and emerging product categories, including non-traditional and Joint Venture approaches.

Working under the Manager, QRC Innovation, the consultant will collaborate with R&D, Operations, Engineering, Packaging, Regulatory, Commercial, Marketing, Sales, and external manufacturing partners.

Key Responsibilities

QRC Leadership & Innovation Support – 75%

• Represent QRC on innovation, Joint Venture, and early-stage product development projects.
• Ensure food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements are incorporated into product development.
• Conduct Quality Design Reviews.
• Support ingredient and packaging approvals.
• Transfer project and product-change knowledge to regional QRC teams.

Program & Process Support – 20%

• Support ingredient and packaging supplier approval processes.
• Prepare documentation supporting Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory Compliance.
• Provide on-site support during manufacturing trials and production runs.
• Troubleshoot and resolve quality issues involving manufacturing, distribution, and logistics.
• Develop reports and communicate quality/service issues to appropriate partners.
• Stay current with FDA regulations, food safety trends, pest control requirements, GMPs, HACCP, and related policies/procedures.
• Support global food safety and quality standards with external manufacturing partners.
• Identify opportunities for program and process improvement.
• Use audits, KPIs, gap analysis, and benchmarking to establish improvement goals.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant Food Quality / Food Safety experience.
• Experience in food manufacturing.
• Experience with Protein, Better For You (BFY), Functional Foods, or related food categories.
• Strong knowledge of:
• Food Safety
• HACCP
• GMPs
• FDA regulations
• Quality Design principles
• Experience supporting New Product Development (NPD) and product lifecycle activities.
• Ability to troubleshoot food quality issues and anticipate potential risks.
• FDA PCQI certification preferred.
• Must be comfortable working in a fluid, fast-changing innovation environment.
• Must be local to Hershey, PA and available for on-site support as needed.

Manufacturing Knowledge

Experience or understanding of manufacturing processes involving:

• Sweeteners
• Cereal
• Peanuts & tree nuts
• Flour
• Baking
• Extrusion
• Warehousing

Software

• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Teams
• SAP

Target Candidate Background

Ideal candidates may come from food manufacturing companies with experience in Food Quality, Food Safety, Regulatory, Quality Assurance, R&D, or New Product Development.