FSQ Manager RTE Manager
About The Position
The FSQ RTE Manager (Technical Authority) is the single point of authority for food safety within all Ready-to-Eat (RTE) production and packaging operations. This role is responsible for ensuring that no contamination pathway exists between environmental, personnel, or process risks and finished product. The position operates as a real-time risk controller, making immediate decisions on product safety, production continuation, and release. In this structure: Sanitation executes cleaning (Plant Manager) FSQ RTE defines standards and approves effectiveness. This role is accountable for closing the gap between what should happen vs. what actually happens on the floor.
Requirements
- 8+ years in food safety/QA leadership
- RTE food experience (strongly required)
- Deep expertise in: HACCP, FSMA, GMPs, Hygienic zoning, Sanitation systems
- Proven ability to: Enforce standards, Make high-pressure decisions
Responsibilities
- Make final decisions on: Product release / hold, Line startup approval, Production shutdowns
- Lead escalation and response to: Deviations, Sanitation failures, Environmental risks
- Define and enforce: RAW → RTE separation, Personnel and material flow, Controlled entry/exit points
- Audit zoning behavior daily: Boot wash compliance, Tool segregation
- Eliminate all cross-contamination pathways
- Define sanitation expectations: 7-step cleaning system
- Validate cleaning effectiveness through: Direct observation, ATP and micro results
- Reject sanitation that does not meet standard
- Own pre-op verification standards
- Audit high-risk equipment and repeat issue areas
- Ensure no production begins under unsafe conditions
- Interpret trends, Identify harborage points, Lead response to Listeria risks, Eliminate repeat contamination zones
- Define and enforce controls for: Drains, Condensation, Equipment niches
- Enforce drain segregation and no-spray policies
- Maintain strong floor presence
- Correct GMP violations immediately
- Hold operations, sanitation, and maintenance accountable
- Ensure the RTE process is scientifically sound, controlled, and safe
- Own Process & Food Safety Authority (Highest Risk Area)
- Own Kill step (smokehouse lethality)
- Own Cooling, drying, post-lethality handling
- Own RTE contamination prevention (Listeria risk)
- Own Process Validation
- Own Thermal validation
- Own Challenge studies
- Own Scientific basis of controls
Benefits
- medical
- dental
- vision benefits
- life and disability insurance
- 401k participation
- paid holidays
- paid time off
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Education Level
No Education Listed
