Assistant Food Safety & QA Manager

Smithfield Foods•Crete, NE

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Assistant Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager, you’ll play a key role in ensuring our products meet the highest standards of safety and quality. You’ll oversee sanitation checks, ensure compliance to HACCP and USDA regulations, and use your technical expertise to track product flow and implement preventive and corrective actions when needed. Your work will directly impact our ability to deliver safe, delicious products to customers and consumers every day. In this role, you will work closely with both plant and corporate FS/QA leaders, gaining valuable experience in implementing food safety procedures and maintaining compliance with USDA and FDA standards. This is a great opportunity to grow your knowledge, contribute to a collaborative team, and make a meaningful impact in a fast-paced, high-quality food production environment. If you’re detail-oriented, proactive, and ready to be part of something bigger, we’d love to have you on board.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university and 3+ years of relevant experience in the food industry; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience acting as a lead by providing training, coaching or mentoring to less experienced staff or through managing a process or project.
Ability to complete required applicable forms in English, which requires the ability to read and write in English.
Hands-on experience with microbiological testing of meat and poultry products, along with a solid understanding of foodborne pathogens, microbiological and limited chemistry testing.
Comprehensive knowledge of USDA, FSIS, HACCP, and SSOP requirements, and familiarity with QMS systems, SAP, and various database and inventory software tools.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to address inquiries from regulatory agencies, customers, and internal stakeholders.
Skilled in decision-making, problem-solving, and responding to quality and compliance issues in a timely and effective manner.
Maintains a high standard of documentation and compliance.
Proven ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment with professionalism and adaptability.
Willingness to travel up to 10% and work extended hours or weekends as needed.

Nice To Haves

USDA/HACCP Certification
SQF Certified Expert
Knowledge and understanding of quality assurance principles, food science and meat processing, SPC and statistics
Bilingual skills

Responsibilities

Ensure all food safety, quality, and regulatory programs are being followed and documented properly.
Verify USDA compliance through sound, science-based decisions, lead investigations into product issues, take corrective actions, and support audits and USDA system assessments.
Proactively work with FSQA and Operations teams to prevent HACCP, SSOP, and product/process failures.
Drive continuous improvement and ensure product consistency and safety through training, quality planning, and strong process controls.
Assess raw materials, conduct production tests, collect and analyze data, and troubleshoot issues with upstream processes.
Collaborate with multiple departments to address process control needs and optimize yield, safety, and quality.
Manage the sanitation program, including writing regulatory documents, verifying sanitation effectiveness through micro sampling, and responding to negative shelf-life or micro data.
Lead GMP and sanitation audits, train staff, and work closely with USDA to ensure high sanitation standards.
Maintain and reassess the SQF Quality Plan, ensuring compliance with all relevant sections and adapting to changes in production.
Communicate system updates, manage FSQA personnel performance and schedules, and ensure your team supports the ongoing integrity of the SQF system.

Benefits

Robust, flexible and affordable benefit plans and programs
Out-of-pocket costs, on average, 20 percent less than plans offered by other employers
Be Well programs offer tools and resources to enhance your quality of life, at no additional cost
Support for elective surgeries, weight loss, mental health, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, smoking cessation, asthma, maternity management
Comprehensive training and professional development programs
LinkedIn Learning access
Tuition assistance covering English language learning, high school completion, and degree programs
Leadership development initiatives
Smithfield Scholarship Program for employees’ children
Relocation Package Available