Food Safety Manager

Adams Group Inc.•Arbuckle, CA

3d•$130,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

Adams Group is a fifth-generation, family-owned specialty food company with over 110 years of history, focused on providing high-quality specialty grains, oils, and seeds. They are committed to quality, sustainability, and integrity, combining agricultural expertise with innovation. Adams Group offers more than just careers; they provide opportunities to be part of something meaningful, nourishing lives and communities across generations. They emphasize caring for their people, building strong relationships, delivering for customers, and enriching communities. The company values quality, integrity, building relationships, adapting to change, and leaving the world better than they found it. Their food safety policy emphasizes adherence to industry and regulatory standards, with all employees trained and accountable for food safety, empowered to resolve issues.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Microbiology, Food Safety, or related field
5+ years experience in food production, especially in infant or early nutrition spaces
Experience managing 1+ direct reports
Proficient in food safety documentation and electronic quality management systems.
Strong communication, organizational, and leadership skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with refined oils, expeller pressing, degumming, deodorization, and grain milling or storage is a plus.
Project Management certification or training preferred.

Responsibilities

Executing the development, implementation, review, and continuous improvement of the food safety management system and regulatory compliance programs across all producing locations.
Ensuring each facility maintains a robust food safety management system in line with the chosen GFSI standard for certification and all applicable regulatory and certification standards (FDA, FSMA, FGIS/USDA, etc.).
Collaborating with Quality Director, Food Safety Director, Site Quality Manager and SQF Practitioners to continuously improve holistic Food Safety Management programs.
Partnering with operations, supply chain, sales, and other departments to integrate food safety into culture and work procedures.
Co-leading each site’s audit readiness programs, including third-party (GFSI, FDA, CDFA, etc.) and customer audits.
Substituting as SQF Practitioner for AVO and AGC.
Overseeing the development, implementation, review, and management of each site’s SQF System, understanding the current edition of the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing and its requirements.
Taking appropriate action to ensure the integrity of the SQF System and communicating essential information for its effective implementation and maintenance.
Acting as a certified HACCP practitioner competent in implementing, maintaining, and auditing HACCP-based food safety plans.
Overseeing company Food Safety training for Quality and Operations personnel.
Overseeing internal auditing and inspection programs and Incident & Loss/Non-Conformance programs.
Overseeing customer Food Safety complaints, holds, and product return programs.
Overseeing division documented validation activities.
Serving as Alternate Recall Coordinator to the Food Safety Director.
Scheduling, documenting, and completing action registers for regular meetings with executive and site leadership.
Ensuring proper implementation of required prerequisite programs (allergen, CAPA, sanitation, foreign material control, pest control, environmental monitoring, employee hygiene, etc.) and verification and validation programs.
Conducting hazard analyses, identifying Preventive Controls and Critical Control Points, and validating control measures.
Managing corrective actions and root cause analysis for food safety deviations and customer complaints related to food safety.
Conducting risk assessments and root cause analyses to identify and correct food safety issues.
Delivering training and coaching to staff on GMPs, sanitation, HACCP/PCHF rule, food safety awareness, and other programs as per regulatory and GFSI requirements.
Maintaining and reporting KPIs for New Hire and employee refresher training.
Staying current with changes in regulatory requirements and industry best practices.
Leading the Food Safety Team and ensuring regular review and updates to the Food Safety Plan.
Acting as a key partner with other departments to support cross-functional initiatives, resolve food safety challenges, and drive continuous improvement.
Collaborating with R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, and Quality teams to support continuous improvement and new product development from a food safety standpoint.
Serving as one of Adams Group’s PCQIs responsible for document review in accordance with FDA’s requirements.
Managing customer-facing Food Safety documentation and informational packets.
Acting as the first point of contact for food safety incidents (often in collaboration with Site Quality Manager).
Investigating and problem-solving incidents & losses in real-time, independently and collaboratively.
Conducting monthly reviews of incidents, analyzing trends, and compiling findings for management, operations, and sales teams.
Promptly informing management of known or anticipated problems.
Exercising tact and discretion in interpersonal contacts and respecting confidentiality.