Food Safety & Quality Assurance Specialist

Smithfield Foods; Denison (IA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Smithfield Foods in Iowa is seeking a Food Safety & Quality Assurance professional to monitor sanitation, enforce HACCP, and ensure products meet top quality standards from production to packaging.

You will conduct quality verifications, assist in root-cause analysis, train staff, and help maintain USDA compliance while partnering with production teams to reduce waste and improve processes.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• For internal candidates with 4+ years with the company, the discretion to waive educational requirements.
• Ability to read and write in English.
• Knowledge of quality assurance principles, food science, meat processing, and USDA regulations.
• Capable of creating, interpreting, and maintaining technical documents, reports, and manuals with clear written/verbal communication.
• Experience using monitoring equipment, analyzing data, and responding to regulatory or customer inquiries with evidence-based decisions.
• Proficient in office software and able to interpret/follow instructions in various formats.

Responsibilities

• Quality Verification: you conduct routine inspections including process, metal detection, cooking, and chilling to ensure products meet quality standards; identify and address out-of-spec items.
• Quality Improvement: you drive continuous improvement by addressing deficiencies, identifying root causes, and supporting QA programs, including training and spec reviews.
• Food Safety & HACCP Compliance: you help develop and enforce HACCP programs, monitor critical control points, and ensure safety protocols.
• Regulatory & Sanitation Oversight: you ensure USDA requirements are met, assist with safety documentation, and perform pre-op sanitation checks.
• Communication & Training: you report safety issues, recommend actions, and support plant training; step in or delegate responsibilities as needed.

Skills

Quality assurance

Food science

Meat processing

USDA regulations

Written & verbal communication

Data analysis

Office software

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Associate's degree (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Monitoring equipment

Job description

Smithfield Foods in Iowa is seeking a Food Safety & Quality Assurance professional to monitor sanitation, enforce HACCP, and ensure products meet top quality standards from production to packaging.

You will conduct quality verifications, assist in root-cause analysis, train staff, and help maintain USDA compliance while partnering with production teams to reduce waste and improve processes.