FSQA Manager - RTE Protein

CSG Talent; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

CSG Talent partners with a leading protein manufacturer to recruit an experienced FSQA Manager to oversee food safety, quality assurance and regulatory compliance in an RTE plant.

The role leads HACCP programs, environmental monitoring, audits, and continuous improvement, partnering with Operations and Engineering to embed food safety into daily production. The ideal candidate has proven FSQA leadership, USDA-FSIS/FDA knowledge, and a track record of building strong safety cultures.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in FSQA leadership within a food manufacturing environment.
• Experience with ready-to-eat protein manufacturing and post-lethality products.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, sanitation programs and food safety management systems.
• Experience with USDA-FSIS regulatory requirements and inspection processes.
• Understanding of Listeria control and environmental monitoring.
• Experience auditing for customers, regulators and third parties.
• Ability to lead FSQA teams and influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Data-driven approach to trends, risk reduction and plant performance.

Responsibilities

• FSQA Leadership: Lead all site-level food safety and quality assurance activities, ensuring compliance with company standards, regulatory requirements and customer expectations.
• Regulatory Compliance: Maintain compliance with applicable USDA-FSIS, FDA and other relevant federal and state regulations, depending on product classification and facility requirements.
• HACCP & Preventive Controls: Develop, implement and maintain HACCP plans, prerequisite programs and other applicable food safety systems.
• Ready-to-Eat Food Safety: Oversee food safety controls specific to RTE manufacturing, including post-lethality interventions, environmental monitoring, pathogen control and prevention of Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
• Environmental Monitoring: Lead environmental monitoring programs, ensuring appropriate sampling, trend analysis, investigation and corrective actions.
• Quality Assurance: Manage product quality programs, specifications, finished-product inspections, testing and non-conformance management.
• Sanitation Oversight: Partner with Sanitation leadership to ensure effective cleaning and sanitation programs, verification activities and corrective actions.
• Audit Management: Lead customer, regulatory and third-party audits, ensuring site readiness, successful outcomes and timely closure of findings.
• Continuous Improvement: Analyze quality trends, customer complaints, microbiological results and food safety incidents to identify root causes and implement sustainable improvements.
• Team Development: Lead, coach and develop the FSQA team, establishing clear expectations, accountability and technical competency.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Production, Operations, Maintenance, Sanitation and Engineering to embed food safety and quality into everyday manufacturing processes.
• Corrective & Preventive Actions: Oversee investigations, root-cause analysis and CAPA programs to prevent recurrence of food safety and quality issues.
• Documentation & Reporting: Maintain accurate food safety records, regulatory documentation, quality metrics and management reporting.
• Customer & Supplier Quality: Support customer requirements, supplier approval programs, raw material controls and the investigation of product or ingredient-related issues.
• Food Safety Culture: Promote a culture of accountability, compliance and continuous improvement across all levels of the facility.

Skills

FSQA Leadership

Regulatory Compliance

HACCP

Listeria Control

Audits & CAPA

Cross-functional Leadership

Education

Food Science / Food Safety / Microbiology degree

Job description

We are partnering with a leading protein manufacturer to identify an experienced Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Manager to lead food safety, quality assurance and regulatory compliance within a ready-to-eat (RTE) manufacturing environment. This is a key leadership position within a business where food safety, product integrity and operational excellence are critical priorities. The successful candidate will oversee FSQA programs, ensure compliance with USDA-FSIS and applicable regulatory requirements, and work closely with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance and senior leadership to maintain the highest standards of food safety and product quality. The business is seeking a proactive, hands-on FSQA leader who can drive continuous improvement, strengthen food safety culture and ensure robust systems are in place to support consistent production of safe, high-quality finished products.

Key Responsibilities

• FSQA Leadership: Lead all site-level food safety and quality assurance activities, ensuring compliance with company standards, regulatory requirements and customer expectations.
• Regulatory Compliance: Maintain compliance with applicable USDA-FSIS, FDA and other relevant federal and state regulations, depending on product classification and facility requirements.
• HACCP & Preventive Controls: Develop, implement and maintain HACCP plans, prerequisite programs and other applicable food safety systems.
• Ready-to-Eat Food Safety: Oversee food safety controls specific to RTE manufacturing, including post-lethality interventions, environmental monitoring, pathogen control and prevention of Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
• Environmental Monitoring: Lead environmental monitoring programs, ensuring appropriate sampling, trend analysis, investigation and corrective actions.
• Quality Assurance: Manage product quality programs, specifications, finished-product inspections, testing and non-conformance management.
• Sanitation Oversight: Partner with Sanitation leadership to ensure effective cleaning and sanitation programs, verification activities and corrective actions.
• Audit Management: Lead customer, regulatory and third-party audits, ensuring site readiness, successful outcomes and timely closure of findings.
• Continuous Improvement: Analyze quality trends, customer complaints, microbiological results and food safety incidents to identify root causes and implement sustainable improvements.
• Team Development: Lead, coach and develop the FSQA team, establishing clear expectations, accountability and technical competency.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Production, Operations, Maintenance, Sanitation and Engineering to embed food safety and quality into everyday manufacturing processes.
• Corrective & Preventive Actions: Oversee investigations, root-cause analysis and CAPA programs to prevent recurrence of food safety and quality issues.
• Documentation & Reporting: Maintain accurate food safety records, regulatory documentation, quality metrics and management reporting.
• Customer & Supplier Quality: Support customer requirements, supplier approval programs, raw material controls and the investigation of product or ingredient-related issues.
• Food Safety Culture: Promote a culture of accountability, compliance and continuous improvement across all levels of the facility.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be an established FSQA professional with a strong background in food manufacturing and a thorough understanding of the technical and regulatory requirements associated with ready-to-eat protein production.

• Key requirements include: Proven experience in FSQA leadership within a food manufacturing environment.
• Previous experience within ready-to-eat protein manufacturing, ideally involving cooked, smoked, sliced, further-processed or other post-lethality products.
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, sanitation programs and food safety management systems.
• Experience with USDA-FSIS regulatory requirements and inspection processes in meat or poultry manufacturing.
• A strong understanding of Listeria control, environmental monitoring and post-lethality food safety interventions.
• Experience managing customer, regulatory and third-party audits, including corrective action and audit-readiness programs.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop FSQA teams while influencing operational stakeholders.
• Experience investigating food safety incidents, microbiological positives, customer complaints and quality deviations.
• A data-driven approach to identifying trends, reducing risk and improving plant performance.
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to challenge operational practices when food safety or product quality is at risk.
• Relevant qualifications in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology or a related discipline would be advantageous.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Leadership & Visibility: Work closely with plant leadership and senior management, influencing food safety strategy and operational performance.
• Technical Challenge: Take ownership of FSQA within a complex RTE manufacturing environment, with a particular focus on pathogen prevention, sanitation effectiveness and regulatory compliance.
• Opportunity to Improve: Drive meaningful improvements across food safety systems, audit performance, quality metrics and manufacturing processes.
• Team Development: Build and develop a capable FSQA function, strengthening technical expertise and accountability across the facility.
• Business Impact: Play a critical role in protecting consumers, maintaining customer confidence and supporting the long-term success of an established protein manufacturer.