Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager

Cerelia Bakery Canada LP•Mississauga, ON

1d•CA$90,000 - CA$95,000•Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Quality & Compliance, the Manager, Food Safety & Quality Assurance is responsible for safeguarding product quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance at the facility. This position leads the implementation and continuous improvement of the Quality Management System, ensuring that all products are manufactured in accordance with customer specifications, regulatory requirements, and company standards. The role works closely with Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to proactively manage quality performance, lead audits and customer interactions, investigate quality issues, and develop a high-performing Quality team committed to delivering safe, consistent, and superior products. This role has direct responsibility for our baked facility and invader warehouse. Other duties or site responsibility may be assigned as required.

Requirements

Minimum 5-8 years of related experience in a similar role
University Degree in food sciences, microbiology, chemistry and food processing experience and knowledge, with relevant food safety expertise
Ability to improve an organizations people, processes and systems
Strong communication, facilitation and leadership skills
Strong analytical ability with a bias for making decisions
High level of integrity
Ability to deal effectively with all levels of hourly and management personnel
Willingness and proven ability to make decisions and hold people accountable for their performance
Computer skills – Excellent MS Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Leader that measures their own success by that of the company they work for, individuals and teams they lead and professionals they partner with both internally and externally
HACCP, PCQI and SQF practitioner

Nice To Haves

Solid experience with SQF or BRC standards preferred
Lean six Sigma and/or Lean Manufacturing trained a plus

Responsibilities

Actively participate in the development of the food safety and quality management program along with the QA leadership team
Lead the implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the site's Food Safety and Quality Management System.
Serve as the designated SQF Practitioner and ensure compliance with SQF, HACCP, GMP, CFIA, FDA, FSMA, customer requirements, and company standards.
Ensure prerequisite programs, HACCP plans, validation, verification, risk assessments, food defense, food fraud, allergen management, and environmental monitoring programs are effectively maintained.
Maintain site readiness for regulatory, customer, and third-party audits at all times.
Partner with Operations and cross-functional teams to ensure food safety and quality requirements are fully integrated into manufacturing processes.
Establish and monitor quality performance metrics and lead initiatives to improve product consistency, process capability, customer satisfaction, and waste reduction.
Provide quality leadership for new product launches, process changes, troubleshooting activities, and continuous improvement projects.
Ensure effective product hold, disposition, release, and non-conforming product management processes.
Lead customer, regulatory, and third-party audits and inspections.
Ensure timely completion and verification of corrective and preventive actions arising from audits, inspections, complaints, and non-conformances.
Maintain positive working relationships with customers, regulatory agencies, certification bodies, and suppliers.
Support customer quality reviews, scorecards, and issue resolution activities.
Oversee the development, review, approval, and maintenance of product specifications, quality standards, and customer requirements.
Ensure products consistently meet agreed customer specifications and regulatory requirements.
Lead investigations related to customer complaints, quality incidents, and specification deviations.
Communicate quality performance and corrective action plans to customers as required.
Lead root cause analysis and CAPA activities related to food safety, quality incidents, consumer complaints, audit findings, and process deviations.
Analyze quality data, trends, and performance indicators to identify opportunities for improvement and risk mitigation.
Champion food safety culture and continuous improvement initiatives throughout the facility.
Participate in Management Review activities and provide recommendations to improve system effectiveness.
Lead, coach, mentor, and develop the Food Safety & Quality Assurance team.
Ensure employees receive appropriate training in food safety, quality systems, GMPs, HACCP, allergen management, and customer requirements.
Establish performance objectives, conduct performance reviews, and support career development of team members.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, engagement, and continuous learning.