Sr Manager Food Safety and Quality

Nature's Bakery; Hazelwood (MO); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) plan with company match

Paid vacation

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

A fast-growing snack brand is seeking a Senior Manager, Quality & Food Safety to lead and enhance quality and food safety systems across their manufacturing network. This role requires over 7 years of experience in food safety roles and a strong technical understanding of industry standards. Key responsibilities include developing quality policies, managing co-manufacturing relationships, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. This position offers competitive benefits and the opportunity to join a dynamic team focused on healthier snacking.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in Quality, Operations, or Food Safety roles.
• Strong understanding of HACCP, GMPs, GLPs, and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to travel up to 40%.

Responsibilities

• Lead QFS programs across the manufacturing network.
• Develop and implement Quality & Safety policies.
• Establish and enforce food safety requirements at co-manufacturers.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Technical guidance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in food science or related field

Tools

HACCP

GMPs

GFSI systems

Job description

Who We Are

We are Nature’s Bakery, one of the fastest growing snack brands in the category and have recently joined the Mars family of companies, to accelerate the growth of our healthier snacking platform. We have a bright future ahead of us. Come bake with us and create a world of snacking that is both good, and good for you.

Job Summary

The Senior Manager, Quality & Food Safety (QFS) plays a critical leadership role in ensuring exceptional product quality, food safety, and consumer experience across Nature’s Bakery’s manufacturing network. This role provides strategic oversight of Quality & Food Safety programs, drives continuous improvement across the network, and builds strong partnerships with co‑manufacturers, internal manufacturing sites, suppliers, 3PLs, and cross‑functional corporate teams.

You will establish, implement, and continuously strengthen QFS systems that protect the brand and elevate product performance. This position also supports broader network quality initiatives and serves as a key technical advisor to Operations, R&D, Procurement, and Supply Chain, while developing governance and performance reporting across the external manufacturing network.

Job Responsibilities

Network Quality & Food Safety System Strengthening

• Lead best practice sharing, benchmarking, and harmonization of QFS programs across the network.
• Develop and implement NB-specific Quality & Food Safety policies, SOPs, and standards to support growth and innovation.
• Support commercialization of new products at co‑mans and internal plants, ensuring process capability, specification adherence, and risk mitigation.
• Drive Continuous Improvement initiatives, including CAPA management, process capability improvement, and elimination of recurring defects.
• Develop and own network‑level QFS KPIs, scorecards, and governance processes for external manufacturing.

Co‑Manufacturing Quality Leadership

• Establish, implement, and enforce Nature’s Bakery Food Safety & Quality requirements at co‑manufacturers.
• Continuously monitor co‑man performance, ensure compliance to regulatory and NB specifications, and drive improvement plans.
• Serve as the QFS owner for assigned co‑mans, leading product quality governance, operational reviews, risk assessments, and performance scorecards.
• Partner with co‑mans to reduce consumer and customer complaints through root cause analysis and sustainable corrective actions.
• Conduct on‑site assessments, system audits, and process reviews aligned with GFSI, regulatory, and NB standards.
• Ensure co‑man readiness for commercialization, scale‑up, and long‑term capacity planning.

Issue Management & Technical Support

• Lead incident management, investigations, and escalations for co‑manufacturers in collaboration with QFS leadership.
• Provide technical guidance on food safety, regulatory compliance, allergen management, microbiology, HACCP, sanitation, and GMPs.
• Partner closely with R&D, Operations, and Supply Chain to proactively manage risk and ensure production readiness.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, Food Technology, Microbiology, Engineering, or related technical field.
• 7+ years of experience in Quality, Operations, External Manufacturing, CI, or Food Safety roles within CPG.
• Experience working with co‑manufacturers, suppliers, or external manufacturing networks.
• Strong understanding of HACCP, Food Safety Plan development, GMPs, GLPs, and GFSI systems (SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000).
• Demonstrated ability to lead audits, risk assessments, investigations, and performance improvement.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to travel up to 40 % to co‑man sites and NB manufacturing facilities.

Preferred

• MS in technical field (Food Science, Chemistry, Engineering).
• Accredited auditor certification (SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000, ISO 9001).
• ASQ certification (CQE, CQA, CMQ/OE).
• Experience in incident management, statistical analysis, sensory evaluation, or microbiological troubleshooting.

The Good Stuff – Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance offered for eligible employees
• 401(k) plan with a company match that vest on day 1 of eligibility
• Paid vacation
• Paid time off
• Holiday pay (11 days)
• Paid short‑term disability
• Paid life insurance
• Banfield Pet Insurance Discounts
• Wellness Benefits and Discounts
• Employee Assistance Program

EEO

We are committed to an inclusive workplace where diversity in all its forms is championed. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and we are an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

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