Food Safety & Quality Assurance NSIS Technologist

Smithfield Foods • Denison, IA

6d

About The Position

As a member of Smithfield’s Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FS/QA) team, the NSIS Technologist helps maintain food safety standards by conducting routine sanitation checks and ensuring compliance with HACCP and USDA regulations. The role performs New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) procedures, including critical inspections of live hogs, heads, carcasses, and viscera. It identifies and controls potential hazards related to pathological conditions and contamination during processing to help ensure product safety and quality.

The position also supports product monitoring, inspection documentation, collaboration across departments, and continuous quality improvement. Work takes place in a plant setting that may include wet or humid conditions, extreme heat or cold, moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles, chemicals, production-area noise, and work in livestock areas with live animals.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED required; educational requirements may be waived at the Company’s discretion for internal candidates with at least four years of company experience.
• Ability to complete required applicable forms in English, including reading and writing in English.
• Ability to follow written and verbal directions and create and interpret technical documents, including quality specifications, safety rules, and manuals.
• Ability to use monitoring equipment and software such as spreadsheets, presentations, and word processing applications.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for reporting and responding to inquiries from customers or regulatory agencies.
• Ability to make decisions, solve problems, and collaborate in a fast-paced environment while fostering positive relationships and teamwork.
• Ability to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, perform repetitive tasks, and stand for prolonged periods.
• Vision requirements include close and distance vision, ability to adjust focus, and ability to identify colors to detect abnormalities.
• Ability to continually stand; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear.
• Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination for handling inspection tools and knives and conducting detailed examinations.

Nice To Haves

• At least two years of experience in harvest processing, as a USDA inspector, or in FSQA in a related field.
• Bilingual skills.
• Strong understanding of quality assurance principles, food science, meat processing, and USDA regulations; ability to uphold standards and interpret and apply corrective actions and regulatory expectations.

Responsibilities

• Recognize and identify diseases, consumer concerns, and contamination in pork and swine, ensuring compliance with federal regulations, directives, and guidelines.
• Ensure products meet RTC pork definitions; communicate with helpers about the correct tags and markings; and verify inspection documentation with USDA officials and Plant Management.
• Work with other departments to implement procedure changes and address non-compliance issues.
• Apply technical knowledge to prevent and resolve product and process failures.
• Interpret customer specifications and make subjective quality decisions about product appearance, texture, and other qualities.
• Support continuous improvement of product quality through attention to processes and ongoing improvements.
• Perform NSIS inspections of live hogs, heads, carcasses, and viscera.
• Conduct routine sanitation checks and help ensure HACCP and USDA requirements are followed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: High school or GED