FSQA Manager (RTE/COOKED)

CSG Talent; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

CSG Talent is seeking an experienced FSQA Manager to lead Food Safety and Quality Assurance in a high-volume ready-to-eat/cooked meat facility. You will ensure compliance with USDA/FSIS, HACCP, and customer standards, while guiding the team in corrective actions and CAPA.

The role requires at least 5 years of progressive experience in food manufacturing, with strong knowledge of regulatory requirements and pathogen control. A collaborative leader who can drive CI and audit readiness is essential.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive Food Safety/Quality experience in food manufacturing.
• Experience working in a USDA/FSIS-inspected facility.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, SSOPs, environmental monitoring, sanitation, allergen control, and microbiological testing.
• Demonstrated experience managing food safety and quality teams in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with RTE/post-lethality processing and pathogen control, especially Listeria.

Responsibilities

• Lead the site's Food Safety and Quality Assurance programs to ensure USDA/FSIS compliance.
• Oversee environmental monitoring, pathogen control, sanitation verification, allergen control, and other prerequisite programs.
• Lead investigations into customer complaints, product defects, deviations, and CAPA actions.
• Coordinate audits (USDA/FSIS, GFSI, customer, third-party) and ensure corrective actions.
• Develop and mentor FSQA personnel and drive a strong food safety culture across the plant.
• Drive continuous improvement using data and root-cause analysis across processes.

Skills

Leadership

HACCP

GMP/SSOPs

Root-cause analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science

PCQI certification

Tools

Job description

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced FSQA Manager to lead Food Safety and Quality Assurance activities within a high-volume ready-to-eat/cooked meat manufacturing operation. This is a key leadership position responsible for ensuring the facility consistently produces safe, high-quality products while maintaining compliance with USDA/FSIS regulations, HACCP requirements, customer standards, and internal food safety and quality programs . The successful candidate will have strong experience within ready-to-eat meat, cooked meat, poultry, or prepared foods manufacturing , with a proven ability to lead food safety programs in a fast-paced production environment.

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

Lead and manage the site's Food Safety and Quality Assurance programs. Ensure compliance with USDA/FSIS regulations and applicable federal, state, and local requirements . Maintain and continuously improve the site's HACCP and Preventive Controls programs . Oversee environmental monitoring, pathogen control, sanitation verification, allergen control, foreign material prevention, and other prerequisite programs. Ensure accurate completion, review, and maintenance of food safety and quality documentation. Serve as a key point of contact for USDA/FSIS personnel , customer representatives, auditors, and regulatory authorities. Manage responses to regulatory findings, non-conformances, corrective actions, and follow-up activities.

Quality Assurance

Establish and maintain quality standards for raw materials, in-process production, finished products, packaging, and labeling. Lead investigations into customer complaints, product defects, deviations, and quality incidents. Develop and implement effective Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) . Monitor quality trends and use data to identify recurring issues and opportunities for improvement. Partner closely with Production, Operations, Maintenance, Sanitation, R&D, and Supply Chain teams to resolve quality and food safety issues.

Ready-to-Eat / Cooked Product Controls

Provide technical leadership for ready-to-eat and cooked meat processing operations . Ensure effective control of critical food safety risks associated with cooking, cooling, chilling, handling, slicing, packaging, and post-lethality environments. Oversee validation and verification of thermal processing, lethality, cooling, and other critical food safety controls. Lead environmental pathogen control programs, including Listeria control and post-lethality exposure prevention. Ensure appropriate controls are in place to prevent cross-contamination and recontamination of finished RTE products. Work with technical and production teams to investigate microbiological and process-related issues.

Audits & Customer Requirements

Lead preparation for and execution of USDA/FSIS, GFSI, customer, and third-party audits . Maintain the facility's food safety and quality certification requirements. Coordinate corrective actions arising from internal, customer, regulatory, and third-party audits. Ensure compliance with customer-specific specifications, standards, and food safety requirements. Develop audit readiness programs and ensure the site remains continuously prepared for unannounced inspections and audits.

Leadership & Team Management

Lead, develop, and mentor the FSQA team. Establish clear objectives, performance expectations, and accountability across the Quality and Food Safety function. Recruit, train, and develop FSQA personnel as required. Build a strong food safety culture across the manufacturing facility. Deliver food safety, GMP, HACCP, allergen, sanitation, and quality training to employees. Work collaboratively with plant leadership to ensure food safety remains a shared operational responsibility.

Continuous Improvement

Drive continuous improvement across food safety, quality, sanitation, and manufacturing processes. Use data, trend analysis, root-cause analysis, and risk assessment to improve site performance. Identify opportunities to reduce waste, rework, deviations, customer complaints, and food safety risks. Support new product introductions, process changes, equipment installations, and facility improvements from an FSQA perspective.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have: 5+ years of progressive Food Safety/Quality experience within food manufacturing. Strong experience in ready-to-eat, cooked meat, poultry, processed meat, or prepared foods manufacturing. Experience working within a USDA/FSIS-inspected facility . Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, SSOPs, environmental monitoring, sanitation, allergen control, and microbiological testing . Demonstrated experience managing food safety and quality teams within a manufacturing environment. Experience with RTE/post-lethality processing and pathogen control , particularly Listeria control. Experience preparing for and managing GFSI and customer audits . Strong understanding of regulatory requirements and the ability to work effectively with USDA/FSIS personnel. Proven experience conducting root-cause analysis, investigations, CAPA, and corrective actions . Strong leadership, communication, and influencing skills. Ability to operate effectively in a high-volume, fast-paced manufacturing environment .

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Animal Science, Quality, or a related discipline .
• HACCP certification.
• PCQI certification.
• Experience with SQF, BRCGS, FSSC 22000, or another GFSI-benchmarked standard .
• Experience with environmental monitoring programs and pathogen control.
• Experience with thermal process validation/verification.
• Experience with customer-specific food safety programs and specifications.
• Experience leading or supporting USDA/FSIS regulatory responses.
• Strong knowledge of statistical process control and quality improvement methodologies.