Sr. Manager, Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA)

We are seeking a strategic, hands-on FSQA leader to elevate and scale our food safety and quality systems across multiple production facilities in California. This role is pivotal as we expand into scratch cooking and more complex fresh food production, requiring a leader who can build robust, scalable systems while maintaining operational agility.This is a high-visibility role with direct impact on operations, product quality, and regulatory compliance, overseeing Northern & Southern CA Operations (two sites).Key ResponsibilitiesServe as the primary liaison with USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and local health departments, ensuring all facilities maintain a constant state of audit readiness and confidently leading all regulatory inspectionsDesign, validate, and continuously evolve HACCP programs across all applicable USDA categories, acting as the final authority on critical control points, including thermal processing (kill steps) and rapid cooling cycles for Ready-to-Eat (RTE) productsPartner closely with Culinary and R&D to integrate new products into production, ensuring every recipe is fully embedded into HACCP plans, preventive controls, and analytical programs prior to launchOversee the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP), leveraging microbiological data, production trends, and operational insights to drive robust corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), root cause analysis (RCA), and continuous improvementWork in close partnership with Operations leadership to balance high-speed, high-volume production with uncompromising food safety and quality standards, ensuring efficiency targets are achieved without introducing riskStandardize and scale FSQA programs across NorCal and SoCal operations, building systems that support increased complexity, consistency, and growthLead, coach, and develop FSQA teams across multiple sites, elevating capability, accountability, and performanceEstablish clear KPIs, reporting cadence, and governance to ensure visibility and ownership of food safety and quality outcomesWhat You Bring10+ years of progressive FSQA leadership experience within high-volume, USDA- and FDA-regulated food manufacturing environmentsBilingual in English and Spanish required, with the ability to communicate effectively in both written and verbal formats with frontline teams to reinforce food safety and quality standardsProven ability to build, scale, and improve FSQA systems in complex, multi-site operationsDeep technical expertise in food processing systems, including kill steps, cooling curves, and sanitary designStrong working knowledge of HACCP, FSMA Preventive Controls, GMPs, SSOPs, and environmental monitoring programsExperience supporting or leading scratch cooking or fresh food production environments highly preferredDemonstrated ability to influence and partner cross-functionally with Operations, Culinary, and Supply Chain leadersHands-on leadership style with a track record of driving both strategic initiatives and day-to-day executionPCQI and HACCP certifications required, with expert-level understanding of USDA HACCP categories and regulatory expectationsBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related fieldSchedulePrimary hours align to production, typically 6:00 AM – 2:30 PM, with a strong on-site presence across NorCal and SoCal facilitiesHighly floor-facing and hands-on during peak production to ensure food safety and quality standards are consistently executed20–30% travel required between Northern (San Lorenzo) and Southern California (Commerce) locations to maintain alignment and visibilityFlexibility needed to support early startups, regulatory inspections, new product launches, and critical operational issuesSalary Range: $145,000 - $175,000