Assistant Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager

Smithfield Foods • Cudahy, WI

6d • Onsite

About The Position

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! THE VALUE YOU’LL BRING: The position summary states the general nature and purpose of the job. Overall accountabilities are defined in this section. Are you ready to lead with purpose and make a real difference in food safety and quality? 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.
• Must have the ability to complete required applicable forms in English, which requires the ability to read and write in English.
• Technical Knowledge and Regulatory Compliance: Possesses hands-on experience with microbiological testing of meat and poultry products, along with a solid understanding of foodborne pathogens, microbiological and limited chemistry testing. Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of USDA, FSIS, HACCP, and SSOP requirements, and familiarity with QMS systems, SAP, and various database and inventory software tools.
• Communication and Analytical Skills: Demonstrates 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 are a valuable asset, allowing you to communicate effectively in diverse, multicultural environments and enhance team collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Quality & Food Safety Compliance: You ensure all food safety, quality, and regulatory programs are being followed and documented properly—providing the proof needed to show we’re producing safe, wholesome products. You verify USDA compliance through sound, science-based decisions, lead investigations into product issues, take corrective actions, and support audits and USDA system assessments.
• Continuous Improvement & Risk Prevention: You proactively work with FSQA and Operations teams to prevent HACCP, SSOP, and product/process failures. Through training, quality planning, and strong process controls, you help drive continuous improvement and ensure product consistency and safety.
• Process Control & Problem Solving: You assess raw materials, conduct production tests, collect and analyze data, and troubleshoot issues with upstream processes. You collaborate with multiple departments to address process control needs and optimize yield, safety, and quality.
• Sanitation Oversight & Micro Response: You manage the sanitation program, including writing regulatory documents, verifying sanitation effectiveness through micro sampling, and responding to negative shelf-life or micro data. You lead GMP and sanitation audits, train staff, and work closely with USDA to ensure high sanitation standards.
• SQF & Team Leadership: You maintain and reassess the SQF Quality Plan, ensuring compliance with all relevant sections and adapting to changes in production. You communicate system updates, manage FSQA personnel performance and schedules, and ensure your team supports the ongoing integrity of the SQF system.

Benefits

• Smithfield is proud to offer robust, flexible and affordable benefit plans and programs to support our team members and their loved ones, and with out-of-pocket costs, on average, 20 percent less than plans offered by other employers.
• Beyond our medical plans, our Be Well programs offer tools and resources to enhance your quality of life, at no additional cost. These programs are uniquely tailored to our Smithfield team and provide support for elective surgeries, weight loss, mental health, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, smoking cessation, asthma, maternity management and more.
• Our company invests in your future. We offer comprehensive training and professional development programs designed to help you reach your full potential. Through LinkedIn Learning, employees can access on‑demand courses, professional certificates, and skill‑based training to build capabilities aligned with career and business needs.
• Our partnership with GUILD supports your continuing education with tuition assistance covering English language learning, high school completion, and degree programs, while our leadership development initiatives nurture high‑potential talent. We also offer unique benefits like our Smithfield Scholarship Program for employees’ children.
• Smithfield’s Education Reimbursement Program provides financial reimbursement to team members who want to further their formal education by obtaining a GED/High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma or by pursuing an academic degree at an accredited college or university that is not a Guild learning partner.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees