Innovation QA Manager: Food Safety & Launch Readiness

High Liner Foods USA; Newington (NH); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Health/Dental/Vision coverage

Performance incentives

Employee assistance

Wellness programs

Retirement planning

Parental leave

Disability support

Flexible hours

Volunteer hours

Mentorship programs

Safety culture

Job summary

High Liner Foods is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager - Innovation in New Hampshire to partner across Innovation, R&D, Regulatory, FSQA, and Operations. You will drive food safety and quality considerations from concept through commercialization, ensuring risk-based decisions and cross-functional alignment to deliver innovative, compliant products.

The role requires 5–7 years of progressive QA/FSQA experience, strong HACCP/GFSI knowledge, and the ability to influence teams without direct

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of progressive food manufacturing quality assurance and food safety experience.
• Strong working knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, prerequisite programs, GFSI standards, FSMA, and applicable regulatory and customer requirements.
• Ability to work collaboratively and cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience with internal cross-functional teams and external co-manufacturers/suppliers domestically and internationally.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and familiarity with quality, production, database, and specification management systems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary FSQA partner for innovation projects from concept through commercialization.
• Translate safety, quality, supplier, and regulatory requirements into project deliverables and approvals.
• Lead cross-functional risk assessments and coordinate technical reviews and approvals for breakthrough and breakout innovations.
• Drive FSQA readiness for trials, scale-up, first production, and launch.
• Support internal and external production trials, document launch risks and actions, and elevate unresolved issues to accountable owners.
• Coordinate the transfer of specifications, controls, technical knowledge, and open actions to R&D, FSQA, Operations, Regulatory, and other receiving teams.
• Partner with Innovation, Procurement, Supplier Quality, and R&D to assess external manufacturers and new material or packaging suppliers, and coordinate their launch readiness.
• Support material investigations, substitutions, and corrective actions while providing innovation-specific input into supplier qualification and performance processes.
• Embed food safety and regulatory requirements into innovation projects, partnering with Regulatory, Corporate Food Safety, and Legal on labeling, claims, allergens, product integrity, and compliance.
• Provide technical guidance, monitor launch performance and lessons learned, improve innovation processes, and communicate project status, risks, and escalations to leadership.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Influence without authority

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Quality/specification management systems

Job description

High Liner Foods is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager - Innovation in New Hampshire to partner across Innovation, R&D, Regulatory, FSQA, and Operations. You will drive food safety and quality considerations from concept through commercialization, ensuring risk-based decisions and cross-functional alignment to deliver innovative, compliant products.

The role requires 5–7 years of progressive QA/FSQA experience, strong HACCP/GFSI knowledge, and the ability to influence teams without direct