Sr. Quality and Food Safety Manager (Newberry)
Artisan Kitchens, Newberry, SC, United States
Position Summary
The Senior Manager, Food Safety & Quality is responsible for leading the site Food Safety, Sanitation, and Quality Management Systems to ensure regulatory compliance, product safety, product quality, and continuous improvement. This role provides strategic leadership for quality and food safety programs, sanitation effectiveness, risk management, and fosters a proactive food safety and quality culture throughout the organization.
Reports To:
Director of Operations
Duties & Responsibilities
Food Safety, Quality & Sanitation Systems Leadership
Lead and manage all Food Safety, Sanitation, and Quality Assurance functions, including but not limited to:
SQF system management and certification readiness
Preventive Controls / PCQI programs
HACCP program oversight
Food Quality Plan management
Allergen control, gluten program, organic program, and other prerequisite programs
Sanitation program oversight, validation, verification, and continuous improvement
Environmental monitoring and hygienic controls
Document control and quality system records management
Maintain and continuously improve the site Food Safety, Sanitation, and Quality Management Systems to ensure compliance with regulatory, customer, and certification requirements.
Provide oversight of sanitation performance, sanitation effectiveness, pre-operational readiness, and sanitation-related corrective actions.
Serve as the site quality authority with responsibility for product hold, release, disposition decisions, and escalation of food safety or quality risks, including stop-production authority when warranted.
Audit, Compliance & Risk Management
Lead all internal, customer, certification, and regulatory audits and maintain audit readiness.
Lead food safety, sanitation, and quality incident investigations, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), and recall readiness activities.
Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements, customer standards, and company policies.
Lead risk assessments and support crisis management response related to food safety and quality events.
Performance & Continuous Improvement
Develop, monitor, analyze, and communicate quality and sanitation metrics and KPIs; drive actions to close performance gaps.
Lead initiatives to improve process capability, reduce defects, strengthen sanitation effectiveness, lower cost of quality, and improve operational efficiencies.
Recommend and support quality, sanitation, production, and process improvements through data-driven problem solving and cross-functional collaboration.
Leadership & Cross-Functional Support
Provide strategic quality and food safety support to the Senior Leadership Team.
Lead, coach, and develop the Quality and Sanitation teams, fostering accountability, capability growth, and a strong food safety culture.
Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Maintenance, Sanitation, Supply Chain, and other departments to drive shared ownership of food safety and quality.
Support supplier and customer quality initiatives, complaint investigations, and customer audit requirements as needed.
Perform other duties and strategic initiatives as assigned in support of business objectives.
Qualifications & Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Engineering, or related scientific field preferred.
SQF Practitioner certification or equivalent experience.
PCQI certification.
HACCP certification.
Minimum 7+ years progressive experience in Food Safety and Quality within food manufacturing, including leadership experience.
Experience in GFSI-certified manufacturing environments preferred.
Demonstrated experience managing food safety and quality systems within USDA and FDA regulated environments, including regulatory inspections, compliance programs, and agency interactions preferred.
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Food and Drug Administration
Experience leading sanitation programs, environmental monitoring systems, and hygienic design controls preferred.
Working knowledge of manufacturing processes, process controls, and continuous improvement methodologies.
Experience with root cause analysis, CAPA systems, and data-driven performance management.
Lean / Six Sigma experience preferred.
Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
The Senior Manager, Food Safety & Quality is responsible for leading the site Food Safety, Sanitation, and Quality Management Systems to ensure regulatory compliance, product safety, product quality, and continuous improvement. This role provides strategic leadership for quality and food safety programs, sanitation effectiveness, risk management, and fosters a proactive food safety and quality culture throughout the organization.
Reports To:
Director of Operations
Duties & Responsibilities
Food Safety, Quality & Sanitation Systems Leadership
Lead and manage all Food Safety, Sanitation, and Quality Assurance functions, including but not limited to:
SQF system management and certification readiness
Preventive Controls / PCQI programs
HACCP program oversight
Food Quality Plan management
Allergen control, gluten program, organic program, and other prerequisite programs
Sanitation program oversight, validation, verification, and continuous improvement
Environmental monitoring and hygienic controls
Document control and quality system records management
Maintain and continuously improve the site Food Safety, Sanitation, and Quality Management Systems to ensure compliance with regulatory, customer, and certification requirements.
Provide oversight of sanitation performance, sanitation effectiveness, pre-operational readiness, and sanitation-related corrective actions.
Serve as the site quality authority with responsibility for product hold, release, disposition decisions, and escalation of food safety or quality risks, including stop-production authority when warranted.
Audit, Compliance & Risk Management
Lead all internal, customer, certification, and regulatory audits and maintain audit readiness.
Lead food safety, sanitation, and quality incident investigations, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), and recall readiness activities.
Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements, customer standards, and company policies.
Lead risk assessments and support crisis management response related to food safety and quality events.
Performance & Continuous Improvement
Develop, monitor, analyze, and communicate quality and sanitation metrics and KPIs; drive actions to close performance gaps.
Lead initiatives to improve process capability, reduce defects, strengthen sanitation effectiveness, lower cost of quality, and improve operational efficiencies.
Recommend and support quality, sanitation, production, and process improvements through data-driven problem solving and cross-functional collaboration.
Leadership & Cross-Functional Support
Provide strategic quality and food safety support to the Senior Leadership Team.
Lead, coach, and develop the Quality and Sanitation teams, fostering accountability, capability growth, and a strong food safety culture.
Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Maintenance, Sanitation, Supply Chain, and other departments to drive shared ownership of food safety and quality.
Support supplier and customer quality initiatives, complaint investigations, and customer audit requirements as needed.
Perform other duties and strategic initiatives as assigned in support of business objectives.
Qualifications & Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Engineering, or related scientific field preferred.
SQF Practitioner certification or equivalent experience.
PCQI certification.
HACCP certification.
Minimum 7+ years progressive experience in Food Safety and Quality within food manufacturing, including leadership experience.
Experience in GFSI-certified manufacturing environments preferred.
Demonstrated experience managing food safety and quality systems within USDA and FDA regulated environments, including regulatory inspections, compliance programs, and agency interactions preferred.
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Food and Drug Administration
Experience leading sanitation programs, environmental monitoring systems, and hygienic design controls preferred.
Working knowledge of manufacturing processes, process controls, and continuous improvement methodologies.
Experience with root cause analysis, CAPA systems, and data-driven performance management.
Lean / Six Sigma experience preferred.
Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration skills.