Food Safety & Compliance Manager

Kettle Cuisine•Lynn, MA

2d•$90,000 - $105,000

About The Position

At the heart of our company is a deep passion for creating fresh, healthy, and artisan-quality food that brings people together. We honor the craft of artisan cooking—using scratch-made stocks, hand-chopped herbs, and only the highest-quality ingredients—complemented by cutting-edge technology. This allows us to deliver consistently safe, exceptional products on a large scale. But it's not just about the food. Our culture is built on principles that shape how we grow, both as individuals and as a team. One of our core values, Honoring Development, guides us to actively seek out, celebrate, and nurture one another's talents, strengths, and interests. By fostering each other's growth, we strengthen our relationships and capabilities, driving both personal and professional success. We also believe in Honoring Each Other. We surround ourselves with passionate people who share our love for great food. Through mutual respect and collaboration, we create an environment where employees are empowered to thrive, building trusting, and rewarding relationships with our clients, partners, and one another. If you're looking for a place where your skills, passion, and ideas can flourish, we invite you to explore the opportunities available within our dynamic and supportive team. Job Summary The Food Safety & Compliance Manager is responsible for leading, developing, planning and directing food safety and quality activities in support of Kettle Cuisine's quality assurance operations and goals, ensuring that company standards are exceeded with a targeted emphasis on continuous improvement, providing support, structure and documented formal training for employees within the organization in all areas. This position is a key member of the leadership team and has direct budget responsibility for all areas which fall under his/her supervision. The position requires a hands-on, self-starter with the ability to motivate and lead subordinates and others. The Food Safety and Compliance Manager must be a skilled communicator who can convey information, ideas and policy to all levels within the organization. In the absence of the Food Safety and Compliance Manager the duties will be performed by either the Director of FS&QA, QA Manager, or as prescribed by the company's organizational chart.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required in a field of science.; preferably Food Science or Microbiology.
HACCP Certified, PCQI Certified, SQF Practitioner, with USDA and FDA experience.
Requires 5+ years of experience.
On-the-job training of 3-6 months.
Creates advanced templates linking databases, spreadsheets and other documents.
Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, ERP system, LIMS and Quality system experience desired.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of Statistical Process Control, HACCP, microbiology, laboratory functions, Sanitation, and Hygienic design.
Aptean-Ross system experience preferred.
Knowledge of Food Processing equipment, preferably in a RTE facility.
Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing concepts and Strong Defect Root Cause Analysis process.
Strong project management skills; mathematical, statistical, analytical and problem solving skills.
Demonstrated ability to drive continuous improvement and manage to/achieve metrics.
Strong communication skills with the ability to interact effectively with frontline employees, peers, and executives.
Ability to drive positive change in both processes and systems and culture.
Strong internal and external customer focus with great follow-up.
Ability to provide afterhours support to a 24 X 7 operation for critical issues.
Self-directed with high integrity and the maturity commensurate with being an effective leader.
Bilingual (English and Spanish) - is preferred, not required.
Must be able manage multiple assignments and perform in a demanding, fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain food safety programs such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), Preventive Controls and FSMA compliance.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local food safety regulations (FDA, USDA, SQF, OG).
Main POC for USDA IIC information sharing and connection to plant LEMP and LTD monitoring test results and documentation.
Oversee third-party and regulatory audits — help prepare documentation, connect with Department Managers on their RACI.
Lead internal audits and inspections and implement appropriate corrective actions.
Create, update, and enforce quality policies, SOPs, and specifications for raw materials, packaging, and finished goods.
Help establish and monitor quality metrics (e.g., defect rates, customer complaints, product rejections).
Maintain traceability and recall systems to ensure products can be tracked and recalled if needed.
Oversee the internal lab's microbiological, chemical, and sensory testing of soups and raw material ingredients data.
Validate cleaning and sanitation effectiveness and environmental monitoring programs.
Investigate non-conformance of soups and vendor quality issues, deviations, and customer complaints to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.
Oversee and mentor QA lab technicians and QA Inspectors.
Conduct training sessions for employees on food safety, hygiene, allergen control, GMP and internal SPL's.
Foster a culture of quality throughout the production facility.
Collaborate with production, maintenance, R D, and supply chain teams to improve processes and product consistency.
Lead corrective and preventive action (CAPA) programs.
Audit and ensure QA Admin is maintaining detailed records for audits and traceability.
Prepare FS&Q reports for management showing trends, KPIs, and areas for improvement.
Manage supplier quality controllable findings — help to approve new vendors, review COAs, and conduct supplier audits when needed.
Other duties as required.