Food Safety Quality Lead

Peterson Farms Inc•Hart Township, MI

19h•Onsite

About The Position

The Food Safety Quality Lead is responsible for overseeing daily food safety and quality operations to ensure compliance with regulatory, customer, and internal standards. This role provides hands-on leadership to the Quality team, supports production operations, and serves as a key point of contact for food safety programs including HACCP, GMP, and SQF. The Quality Lead plays a critical role in driving continuous improvement, audit readiness, and a strong food safety culture throughout the facility.

Requirements

High school graduate or equivalent preferred
2–5 years of experience in food safety, quality assurance, or food manufacturing.
Strong working knowledge of HACCP, GMP, SQF, and regulatory requirements.
Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with shifting priorities.
Ability to read, interpret and follow written job instructions.
Ability to follow and comply with quality standards.
Ability to comprehend and comply with GMP rules and Food Safety guidelines.
Ability to work as contributing member within the team.
Ability to frequently lift/move material weighing up to 50 pounds.
Ability to operate a PC (keyboard/mouse).
Proficient in documenting and reporting data clearly and concisely.

Responsibilities

Lead and support daily quality and food safety activities across production and laboratory operations.
Supervise, coach, and provide guidance to Food Safety Quality Technicians to ensure consistent execution of procedures and standards.
Verify daily equipment calibration, testing activities, and documentation accuracy.
Oversee raw material, in-process, finished product, and environmental testing to ensure compliance with specifications and regulatory requirements.
Review and approve quality records, SPC data, corrective actions, and product holds/releases.
Identify, investigate, and lead resolution of out-of-specification results, non-conformances, and food safety incidents.
Communicate quality and food safety issues promptly to Production, Maintenance, and Management teams.
Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, HACCP, GMP, SQF, and customer-specific requirements.
Assist in the development, implementation, maintenance, and verification of food safety and quality programs.
Lead pre-operational inspections, sanitation verification, and environmental monitoring programs.
Support internal audits, third-party audits, and regulatory inspections; act as a facility escort as needed.
Train and retrain employees on food safety, sanitation, quality standards, and procedures.
Ensure laboratory areas, equipment, and supplies are maintained in a clean, organized, and audit-ready condition.
Identify trends, risks, and opportunities for continuous improvement and recommend corrective actions.
Serve as a role model for food safety culture and enforce food safety policies consistently.
Perform other duties as assigned by the QA Manager or Quality Leadership.