Assistant Food Safety & QA Manager

If you are currently employed at Smithfield, please log into Workday and submit your application through the Jobs Hub.

A great job-and a great future-awaits you at Smithfield Foods. We are an American food company with a leading position in packaged meats and fresh pork products. We’re looking for motivated people who want to join our team and grow lasting and meaningful careers with us. Apply Now!

Your Opportunity

As part of our FS/QA team, you would conduct routine sanitation checks, ensuring that HACCP and USDA regulations are strictly enforced. Providing technical expertise to track product from start to finish and develop corrective actions when needed. You will be responsible for ensuring that we are able to safely deliver the best Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan’s Famous, or any of our product brands to customers and consumers.

Responsible for managing the Plant Food Safety and Quality Assurance Department to provide safe, high quality products that meet customer expectations. This role has the overall accountability of ensuring the food safety system is properly written, validated, documented and implemented as directed to ensure USDA and FDA regulatory compliance and the production of safe and wholesome products. Is accountable for the plant’s Quality System and must provide solid leadership to achieve company, plant, and department goals through various management, evaluation and improvement skills and strategies that improve overall quality and profitability. The Plant Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager reports to the Plant Manager, the Corporate Food Safety Manager and the Corporate Quality Assurance Manager.

Core Responsibilities

Quality and Food Safety Verification and Compliance

• Verifies that all Food Safety, Quality Assurance and Regulatory programs are functioning as designed, being followed and correctly documented – thus ensuring the facility has the “regulatory evidence” required to prove they have produced safe and wholesome products.

• Ensures USDA regulatory compliance by making scientifically defendable decisions that do not result in unjustified decreases in operational productivity or efficiency.

• Able to quickly and thoroughly investigate a product/process failure, determine the root cause and take prompt corrective actions, while minimizing product exposure and production down time.

• Revise and update food safety and quality programs and procedures as directed.

• Accountable for the preparation and the execution of USDA daily verification tasks, as well as numerous 3rd party audits and USDA food safety system assessments. Takes appropriate corrective action because of any findings generated.

• Develops and fosters a strong working relationship with the USDA.

Food Safety and Quality Improvement

• Prevents HACCP, SSOP and process or product failures by working with Food Safety and Quality Assurance staff members and Operations to drive continuous improvement of product quality through developing food safety and quality plans, process controls, attention to process and specifications, food safety and quality training.

Process Control

• Perform special assignments as needed for the department including production tests, data collection, upstream process evaluation and problem solving.

• Assess raw materials, analyze results, report, and summarize findings for food safety, quality, and yield improvements.

• Facilitate communication with Sanitation, FSQA, Maintenance and Operations regarding Process Control needs for the facility.

• Review, assess and refine Critical Quality points and control points from Plant Quality Plan(s) to deliver in spec product consistently.

Sanitation and Food Safety

• Accountable for the overall design of the facility’s sanitation program. Including authoring a written USDA regulatory program, sanitation performance tracking, training of applicable facility production and meeting regularly with the USDA to discuss sanitation findings.

• Ensures that operational and pre-operational sanitation is acceptable. Implements and develops necessary verification activities including micro sampling to verify the effectiveness of sanitation activities. Takes action in response to negative micro and Shelf Life data to drive improvement.

• Manages daily activities, in-depth training and development of the Food Safety and Quality staff members.