Food Safety & Quality Auditor

Sartori Cheese Brand•Plymouth, WI

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Supplier Quality & Food Safety Auditor is responsible for ensuring supplier compliance with food safety, quality, regulatory, customer, and company requirements through supplier qualification, auditing, verification, and continuous improvement activities. This role supports Sartori’s risk-based supplier management program by evaluating and monitoring suppliers, identifying and mitigating supply chain risks, and maintaining the integrity of ingredients, packaging, co-manufacturing, and warehousing partners. The position partners closely with Procurement, Supply Chain, Operations, and Food Safety & Quality teams to support compliance, supplier performance, and business continuity.

Requirements

Associate degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field, required.
3-5 years of experience in Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Supplier Quality, or a related field, required.
Experience conducting second-party supplier audits or auditing certification, required.
Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) Certification, required within one year of accepting the role.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, STEM, or a related discipline, preferred.
Experience in dairy manufacturing or a regulated food manufacturing environment, preferred.
Experience serving as a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) or supporting food safety plan development and reassessments, preferred.
Experience working with high-risk ingredients, including dairy, spices, nuts, produce, or ready-to-eat foods, preferred.
Experience utilizing supplier management systems, SAP, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office applications, preferred.

Responsibilities

Communicates Sartori food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements to suppliers and Sartori-operated facilities and ensures compliance with established standards.
Leads supplier approval, qualification, onboarding, and ongoing verification activities using a risk-based approach.
Maintains supplier compliance records and documentation to meet regulatory, customer, and company retention requirements.
Supports the Item Set-Up process through the review and approval of new suppliers, facilities, ingredients, and materials.
Provides input into the selection and evaluation of new suppliers and alternative materials.
Develops and executes supplier audit plans based on supplier risk, performance history, and business priorities.
Conducts food safety and quality assessments of ingredient suppliers, packaging suppliers, co-manufacturers, warehouses, and service providers.
Prepares audit reports identifying observations, risks, non-conformances, and required corrective actions.
Reviews supplier corrective and preventive action responses and verifies the effectiveness of implemented actions through closure.
Identifies, assesses, and communicates supplier food safety and quality risks to appropriate stakeholders and recommends mitigation strategies.
Monitors supplier performance trends and recurring issues to identify opportunities for systemic improvement.
Maintains awareness of current food safety regulations, industry standards, emerging hazards, and regulatory developments.
Supports preventive controls verification activities and supplier risk assessment programs.
Partners with Procurement, Supply Chain, Operations, and Food Safety & Quality teams to support supplier performance management, sourcing decisions, and compliance objectives.
Manages supplier documentation reviews for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with Sartori vendor management requirements.
Leads the timely review and resolution of product and raw material holds to support inventory compliance and operational excellence.
Participates in Sartori’s Supplier Cheese Grading Program and related product evaluation activities.
Builds collaborative relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders to support issue resolution and continuous improvement initiatives.
Complies with all company food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
Immediately reports any food safety or quality issues to management or other individuals authorized to initiate action.