Quality Plant Manager

conagrabrands; Fayetteville (AR); On-site; USD 109,000 - 159,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits and wellness programs

401(k) match and stock plan

Bonus incentives

Job summary

Conagra Brands is seeking a Plant Food Safety & Quality leader to drive the facility's safety and quality programs, ensuring products meet regulatory and company standards. You will work with Operations, Maintenance, Sales, R&D, and Regulatory teams to champion a culture of food safety ownership across the plant.

Responsibilities include leading GMPs, training, regulatory liaison, and continuous improvement initiatives, with direct reports and cross-functional collaboration to resolve issues and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Biology, or a related scientific discipline.
• Experience leading food safety and quality programs in a food manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of USDA regulatory standards and experience leading quality and food safety programs in a manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead plant food safety and quality programs to ensure compliance with company standards and regulatory requirements.
• Promote and maintain a strong food safety culture across all plant functions.
• Ensure all plant personnel follow GMPs, sanitation, hygiene and food safety procedures.
• Develop, deliver, and maintain employee training programs on food safety and compliance.
• Partner with Operations and Maintenance to drive ownership of safety and quality.
• Manage direct reports and coach development.
• Establish and monitor key food safety and quality metrics and drive improvement.
• Investigate issues, analyze trends, implement corrective actions.
• Serve as primary plant contact for USDA and FDA regulatory matters.
• Lead HACCP, Safe Quality Food, environmental monitoring, recalls, pest management, product specs.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Root cause analysis

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science/ Biology or related

Job description

Reporting to the Director of Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory Affairs, you will lead the plant's food safety and quality programs to ensure the production of safe, high-quality products that meet regulatory, customer, and company standards. You will provide leadership across food safety, quality systems, compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives while partnering with Operations, Maintenance, Sales, Research & Development, and Regulatory teams. As a member of the plant leadership team, you will drive a culture of food safety and quality ownership throughout the facility.

A Taste of Your Responsibilities

• Lead plant food safety and quality programs to ensure compliance with company standards and regulatory requirements.
• Promote and maintain a strong food safety culture across all plant functions.
• Ensure all plant personnel follow Good Manufacturing Practices, sanitation requirements, personal hygiene standards, and food safety procedures.
• Develop, deliver, and maintain employee training programs focused on food safety, quality systems, and annual compliance requirements.
• Partner with Operations and Maintenance teams to drive ownership of food safety and quality performance throughout the facility.
• Manage direct reports and support their development through coaching, training, and performance management.
• Establish and monitor key food safety and quality metrics, including quality incident reduction, complaint reduction, quality index performance, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Investigate food safety and quality issues, evaluate trends, and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Serve as the primary plant contact for regulatory agencies, including the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
• Lead compliance efforts related to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point programs, Safe Quality Food certification, environmental monitoring, recall readiness, pest management, and finished product specifications.
• Oversee customer complaint investigations and ensure timely resolution of food safety and quality concerns.
• Partner with Sales, Research & Development, Operations, and Regulatory teams to address technical, quality, and customer issues.
• Support supplier quality activities by helping resolve vendor-related food safety and quality concerns.
• Lead quality planning and support successful commercialization of new products using established company processes and validation tools.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives and serve as the Food Safety & Quality pillar owner within the Conagra Performance System.

Ingredients Required for Your Success

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Biology, or a related scientific discipline.
• Experience leading food safety and quality programs in a food manufacturing environment.
• 4 or more years of Quality Assurance leadership experience in food manufacturing or related industry
• Knowledge of USDA regulatory standards and experience leading quality and food safety programs in a manufacturing environment
• Knowledge of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point programs, sanitation, environmental monitoring, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Experience working with regulatory agencies and food industry standards.
• Leadership experience with coaching and developing team members.
• Strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of food manufacturing operations, auditing, sanitation practices, and process controls.
• Experience managing multiple priorities and collaborating across functions.

Physical Requirements

More information about essential tasks and the facility will be shared during the hiring process. This role may require you to be in our manufacturing facilities. When visiting these sites, the physical requirements below may apply: You may be required to walk around the facility, climb stairs/ladders, kneel, or perform repetitive tasks that require hand-eye coordination. You may be required to lift or carry materials that can vary in weight and size. This is a manufacturing environment with large, moving equipment. Noise levels can be high, and temperatures may vary.

Compensation

Pay Range:$109,000-$159,000

The annual salary listed above is the expected offering for this position. An employee's actual annual salary will be based on but not limited to: location, relevant experience/level and skillset, while balancing internal Conagra employees' equity. Conagra Brands will comply with applicable law regarding minimum salaries for exempt employees.

Our Benefits

• Health: Comprehensive healthcare plans, wellness incentive program, mental wellbeing support and fitness reimbursement
• Wealth: Great pay, bonus incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock p