Food Safety & Quality Assurance Supervisor

The Fresh Factory•Bolingbrook, IL

About The Position

The Fresh Factory is a contract manufacturer producing dressings, sauces, jams, dips, and baked products for customer brands. The Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Supervisor leads the day-to-day execution of the site’s food safety and quality programs and directly supervises Quality Technicians. The role verifies food safety records, manages product holds and releases, coordinates laboratory testing, prepares Certificates of Analysis (COAs), and supports customer quality requests and complaint investigations. It is a hands-on position that spends a significant part of each shift on the production floor resolving food safety and quality issues and supporting the QA team. The position supports the site’s HACCP / FSMA Preventive Controls food safety plan and GFSI-benchmarked program, such as SQF or BRCGS. It participates in audits, regulatory inspections, corrective actions, root cause analysis, CAPA, mock recalls, and continuous improvement. The role reports to the FSQA Manager.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, or a related field; equivalent experience will be considered.
At least 3 years of food safety or quality assurance experience in food manufacturing, including at least 1 year in a lead or supervisory role.
HACCP certification required.
Bilingual English/Spanish required.
Strong working knowledge of GMPs, HACCP, FSMA, allergen management, sanitation, and environmental monitoring.
Understanding of microbiological and analytical testing, sampling methods, and interpretation of laboratory results against specifications.
High attention to detail and strong documentation practices.
Ability to lead, train, and motivate a team and make sound decisions under time pressure.
Clear written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods and lift up to 50 lbs.
Must follow GMP, safety, and PPE requirements.
Must be available to work flexible hours, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, or overtime as production requires.

Nice To Haves

Experience in sauces, dressings, dips, jams, bakery, or co-manufacturing environments.
PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) certification, or willingness to obtain it within 6 months of hire.
SQF Practitioner training.
Better Process Control School certification.
Experience with ERP systems such as Plex, SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamix.

Responsibilities

Review, verify, and sign daily food safety and quality records; ensure records are complete, accurate, legible, and audit ready, and that deviations have appropriate corrective actions.
Place nonconforming product, ingredients, and packaging on hold; ensure identification, segregation, and ERP documentation; investigate causes with Production and Maintenance and recommend disposition to the FSQA Manager.
Maintain the hold log and report open holds and their status to the FSQA Manager.
Coordinate sample collection, labeling, storage, packing, and shipment; complete Sample Analysis Request Forms accurately; review, file, and assess laboratory results and escalate out-of-specification or positive results.
Support in-house analytical testing and the environmental monitoring program, including swab collection, result tracking, and follow-up actions.
Prepare and issue accurate COAs for shipped lots based on verified results and customer specifications.
Respond to customer quality questions and documentation requests and support complaint investigations with records, retained samples, and test data.
Supervise Quality Technicians, including scheduling, task assignment, attendance, and performance management; train, coach, and verify their competency; cover their duties when needed.
Spend a significant part of each shift on the production floor monitoring GMPs, allergen controls, foreign material controls, and food safety plans.
Troubleshoot food safety and quality issues and lead immediate responses and corrective actions with Production and Maintenance; communicate issues to Production Supervisors, operators, and the FSQA Manager.
Support maintenance of the HACCP / FSMA Preventive Controls food safety plan and a GFSI-benchmarked program such as SQF or BRCGS.
Participate in internal, customer, and third-party certification audits and regulatory inspections, and help close corrective actions on time.
Help write and update SOPs, work instructions, and forms; participate in root cause analysis, CAPA, mock recalls, and continuous improvement projects.
Perform other duties as assigned by the FSQA Manager.