Quality Assurance Manager – Innovation

High Liner Foods Incorporated.; Portsmouth (NH); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits

Job summary

High Liner Foods Incorporated in Portsmouth, NH is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager – Innovation to lead food safety and quality for new products from concept through commercialization. This role collaborates across Innovation, R&D, Regulatory, FSQA, Purchasing, and Operations to translate requirements into actionable deliverables and ensure launch readiness.

You will influence cross-functional teams, manage risk assessments, and drive specifications, validations, and compliance for

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Nutrition, or related field preferred.
• 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 influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience with internal and external co-manufacturers and supply partners, domestically and internationally.
• Practical application of specifications, non-conformance management, quality review, corrective actions, customer complaints, and R&D/first production support.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, prioritization, and communication skills; proficient with Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary FSQA partner for innovation projects, guiding teams from concept through commercialization.
• Translate food safety, quality, supplier, and regulatory requirements into clear project deliverables, decisions, and approval pathways.
• 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, ensuring specifications, validations, quality criteria, and functional approvals are complete.
• 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

Quality assurance

Food safety

Cross-functional influence

Regulatory compliance

Risk assessment

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science / related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Portsmouth USHQ
Portsmouth, NH 03801, USA

Description

Job Overview:

The Quality Assurance Manager – Innovation is a collaborative Food Safety and Quality partner to the Innovation and co-manufacturing teams. Reporting to the Director of Regulatory and Supplier Quality, this role champions food safety while bringing a creative, practical, and solutions-oriented mindset to the innovation process. The Manager partners across Innovation, R&D, Regulatory, Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA), Purchasing/Procurement and Operations to assess risk; help validate new technologies, processes, and standards; and enable innovative growth from concept through commercialization. With no current direct reports, the Manager drives results through influence rather than formal authority, building trusted relationships, aligning stakeholders, and securing cross-functional commitment to food safety and quality priorities. Success requires a “can-do” approach—removing barriers, navigating competing priorities, and developing win-win solutions without compromise.

Essential Duties and responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) partner for innovation projects, guiding teams from concept through commercialization.
• Translate food safety, quality, supplier, and regulatory requirements into clear project deliverables, decisions, and approval pathways.
• 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, ensuring specifications, validations, quality criteria, and functional approvals are complete.
• 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.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Nutrition, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• Minimum 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.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaborative and cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment with practical decision-making.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority, build trusted relationships, navigate competing priorities, and secure alignment and commitment to shared goals.
• Experience collaborating with internal cross-functional teams and external co-manufacturers and supply partners, domestically and internationally, to align food safety and quality requirements and support successful commercialization.
• Practical application of specifications, non-conformance management, quality review, corrective actions, customer complaints, operational quality metrics, and R&D/first production support.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, prioritization, and communication skills with the ability to act with urgency while maintaining compliance and product integrity.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and familiarity with quality, production, database, and specification management systems.

Current employees please note: this position is referral bonus eligible! See our policy for more details.

What's in it for you?

Join High Liner Foods for a career where you shape your path, backed by great benefits, flexible work, and a culture of diversity, innovation, and sustainability. Immerse yourself in opportunities to make a real impact and grow with us in our mission to nourish lives. Start your adventure where endless possibilities to thrive together await.

• Pay for performance incentives
• Employee & Family assistance programs
• Wellness Programs
• Retirement Planning
• Disability Support
• Family friendly Flex policies & Summer hours
• Learning and mentorship opportunities
• Safety focused work environment

About High Liner Foods

Founded in 1899 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, High Liner Foods has grown from a small salt fish company into a leading North American processor and marketer of value-added frozen seafood. Our trusted brands — including High Liner, Fisher Boy, Mirabel, Sea Cuisine, C.Wirthy & Co, Mrs. Paul’s, Van de Kamp’s, and Icelandic Seafood — are enjoyed by families, restaurants, and institutions across Canada and the United States.

Guided by our purpose of Reimagining Seafood to Nourish Life, we combine over a century of expertise with innovation, consumer insight, and responsible practices to deliver high-quality seafood people can trust.

At High Liner Foods, we are a people-first organization. We invest in our employees through development opportunities, collaborative teamwork, and a culture where safety, well-being, and growth are priorities. Whether in our offices, plants, or distribution teams, our people work together to deliver excellence and drive the future of seafood.

Our Values

Serve with Purpose – We put our customers and consumers at the heart of everything we do, creating quality products that help to nourish lives and foster connections that go beyond the plate.

Do the Right Thing – We lead with integrity, act responsibly, and make choices that support our people, our partners, and our planet..

Innovate & Reimagine – We challenge the norm, embrace fresh ideas, and turn innovation into impact.

All Hands on Deck – Powered by people and driven by purpose, we lead with courage, hold one another accountable, and celebrate as a team

Ready to make waves with us? Join High Liner Foods and help shape the future of seafood.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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