Food Safety & QA Supervisor

Smithfield Foods•Mason City, IA

About The Position

The Food Safety & QA Supervisor oversees food safety and quality assurance programs in assigned production areas, ensuring products meet safety, quality, regulatory, and customer standards. The role conducts sanitation inspections, manages HACCP and related programs, tracks and investigates product or process failures, and implements corrective actions. The supervisor works with plant management, production teams, FSQA staff, and the USDA to support compliance and continuous improvement. The position owns and maintains the SQF system, including regularly reassessing the SQF Plan, communicating updates, and ensuring effective implementation. It also manages assignments, training, and development for food safety and quality assurance staff. The work takes place in office and plant settings, including production environments with wet or humid conditions, temperature extremes, moving mechanical parts, airborne particles, chemicals, and potentially loud noise. Travel up to 20% and extended hours or weekends may be needed. A relocation package is available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university and at least 2 years of relevant food safety or quality assurance experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience acting as a lead by training, coaching, or mentoring less experienced staff, or by managing a process or project.
Familiarity with meat processing, USDA requirements, HACCP, SSOP, and SQF.
Ability to uphold regulatory, company, and customer standards and address inquiries or complaints.
Ability to complete forms in English.
Ability to travel up to 20% and work extended hours or weekends as needed.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and foster positive relationships and a team-oriented atmosphere.
Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
Ability to meet the physical demands of frequently standing, walking, handling objects, reaching, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, talking, and hearing; specific vision includes close and distance vision, focus adjustment, and color differentiation.

Nice To Haves

HACCP certification.
SQF certification.
Proficiency with databases, inventory and manufacturing software, QMS systems, SAP, and MS Office.
Strong written and oral communication, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities.
Strong planning, multitasking, and project management skills.

Responsibilities

Ensure Food Safety, Quality Assurance, SQF, and regulatory programs are executed and documented accurately.
Investigate and resolve product and process failures promptly, minimizing downtime and maintaining safety and quality standards.
Collaborate with plant management, production teams, and the USDA to improve food safety, quality, and sanitation.
Manage HACCP, SSOP, and product specifications to prevent failures.
Lead product-quality and process-improvement efforts in partnership with FSQA staff and Operations.
Oversee and participate in plant committees and task forces, including the Health and Safety Committee.
Conduct operational and pre-operational sanitation inspections and microbial sampling.
Own, maintain, and regularly reassess the SQF Plan and communicate updates to support effective implementation.
Manage work assignments, training, and development of food safety and quality assurance staff.
Perform other duties as assigned.