FSQA Manager

Home Chef (Internal Employees); Bedford Park (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance

Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

401k program

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

Home Chef (Internal Employees) in Bedford Park is looking for an FSQA Manager responsible for ensuring food safety and quality across both Meal Kit and Ready-to-Heat business lines. You will lead a team, drive strategic initiatives, and manage compliance with FDA and USDA requirements.

Applicants should have a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or over 10 years of FSQA experience, along with several years in supervisory roles. The position offers a salary of $100,000 - $115,000 USD with benefits including medical insurance and a 401k program.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of experience in quality assurance, food safety, food distribution, or manufacturing.
• Proven track record in Ready-to-Eat or Ready-to-Heat operations.
• Minimum 5 years supervisory experience with multi-shift operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the FSQA team to ensure food safety and quality.
• Implement Home Chef and SQF standards.
• Manage regulatory inspections and CAPA activities.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Food Safety

Leadership

Communication Skills

Strategic Thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in food science, food technology, microbiology or related field

Job description

As the FSQA Manager, you are the strategic guardian of food safety and quality at our production facility. You will lead a high-performing team to ensure the integrity of two distinct, fast-growing business lines: our signature Meal Kit and our Ready-to-Heat (Tempo) products. This is not just a compliance role; it is a leadership position requiring a strategic mindset to drive continuous improvement, manage complex Tempo risk profiles, bridge the gap between corporate standards and site execution, and serve as a vital member of the Site Management Team.

Detailed Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Talent Development

• Coach, train, and develop a multi-shift FSQA team to ensure they possess in-depth knowledge of both raw meal kit and RTH safety principles.
• Partner with Production, Warehouse, and Continuous Improvement to integrate food safety into the facility's daily operational DNA.
• Strategically build a talent pipeline at the site level to support business growth and technical complexity.

Multi-Platform Governance & Project Management

• Lead the implementation of Home Chef and SQF standards for both business platforms, ensuring consistent compliance with FDA and USDA requirements.
• Act as the site SME for FSQA programs, overseeing program pilots, validations, and readiness assessments.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all regulatory and third-party inspections, managing CAPA activities and systemic root cause investigations.

Strategic Improvement & Risk Assessment

• Utilize internal and customer-reported data to identify trends and execute strategic initiatives that reduce errors and enhance the customer experience.
• Lead site-level FSQA risk assessments for new product launches and process changes, ensuring food safety is integrated from concept to consumer.
• Deliver against key site metrics that reflect broader company business objectives.
• Drive the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) process for any incidents, ensuring permanent corrective and preventive actions are sustained.

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability needed for this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, food technology, microbiology, or related field preferred (or 10+ years in FSQA food safety and quality assurance of equivalent high-level success).
• 7‑10 years experience in quality assurance, food safety, food distribution, food manufacturing, supply chain or related field.
• A proven track record in Ready‑to‑Eat (RTE) or Ready‑to‑Heat (RTH) operations is essential; you must understand the nuances of high-risk food environments.
• Minimum 5 years supervisory experience required with at least 3 years successfully managing multi‑shift operations or departments.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• A strategic thinker who thrives in fast‑paced, evolving environments and can make high‑stakes decisions with minimal supervision.
• Previous experience with GFSI, FDA, and USDA inspections, programs, and expectations.
• Certifications: SQF, PCQI, HACCP, and ServeSafe Manager at time of hire or within 6 months of position.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance available.
• Paid holidays, sick time and vacation time.
• 401k program.
• Flexible spending accounts for qualified medical, dependent care, parking, or transit expenses.

We welcome people of all races, colors, religions, national origin or ancestry, sex (including sexual identity), age, physical or mental disabilities, pregnancy, veteran or military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, order of protection status, citizenship status, arrest record or expunged/sealed convictions, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law.

Home Chef is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Home Chef will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact our People team [e-mail].

$100,000 - $115,000 USD