Quality Manager

Snack Innovations•Piscataway Township, NJ

27d•$100,000 - $130,000•Onsite

About The Position

Snack Innovations is seeking an experienced, hands-on Quality Manager to lead plant-level quality assurance, food safety, and quality control operations at its manufacturing facility in Piscataway, New Jersey. The role reports to the Director of Quality and is intended for someone who has managed quality at a sizable food manufacturing facility, led BRCGS or SQF audits, and understands snack production. The Quality Manager owns the facility's food safety programs and regulatory compliance, leads certification and other audits, and maintains audit readiness. The position oversees quality controls, laboratory testing and equipment, specifications, records, product holds and releases, and nonconforming materials. It also leads investigations and corrective actions, tracks quality and food safety performance, and identifies opportunities for continuous improvement. The role leads and develops Quality Shift Supervisors and Quality Technicians across shifts, maintains a production-floor presence, trains employees, and partners with plant and corporate teams to prevent and resolve quality and food safety issues. The position requires the ability to respond to urgent issues as needed.

Requirements

At least five years of quality assurance, food safety, or quality control experience in food manufacturing, including supervisory or management responsibility.
Demonstrated experience leading the quality function in a sizable food manufacturing facility and managing multiple employees across shifts.
Prior experience independently leading BRCGS or SQF certification audits with successful audit outcomes.
Experience in snack manufacturing or a closely related high-volume food production environment.
Strong working knowledge of FDA regulations, FSMA preventive controls, GMPs, HACCP, allergen control, sanitation programs, environmental monitoring, and GFSI-recognized certification requirements.
Qualification as a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual and formal HACCP training.
Working knowledge of laboratory and sensory testing methods, equipment calibration, product specifications, quality documentation, and data analysis.
Strong leadership, audit management, investigation, root cause analysis, decision-making, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work across shifts, maintain regular production-floor presence, and respond to urgent food safety or quality issues as needed.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in food science, microbiology, biology, chemistry, or a related field; equivalent directly related experience will be considered.
Bilingual English/Spanish.

Responsibilities

Own and maintain the facility's food safety plan, HACCP program, preventive controls, and supporting prerequisite programs.
Ensure compliance with FDA requirements, FSMA, current GMPs, BRCGS or SQF requirements, other applicable GFSI-recognized standards, customer requirements, and company policies.
Lead preparation and execution for BRCGS or SQF certification audits, customer audits, internal audits, and regulatory inspections, and ensure findings are closed on time.
Maintain audit readiness through internal audits, record review, traceability exercises, mock recalls, food defense reviews, and emergency response activities.
Manage environmental monitoring, allergen control, sanitation verification, pre-operational inspection, and other plant food safety verification programs.
Oversee incoming material, in-process, packaging, and finished-product quality controls against approved specifications and sampling plans.
Manage analytical and sensory testing, including relevant laboratory and production testing, and ensure approved methods are followed.
Ensure testing equipment is calibrated, verified, maintained, and documented.
Review production records, laboratory results, quality documentation, complaints, and product trends to identify risks and recurring issues.
Ensure product specifications, formulas, labels, packaging requirements, and quality standards are current, accurate, and followed.
Manage product holds, release decisions, nonconforming materials, deviations, and disposition in partnership with Operations.
Place product on hold, prevent product release, reject nonconforming materials, or stop production when food safety, quality, legality, or regulatory compliance may be compromised.
Lead investigations of customer complaints, product deviations, out-of-specification results, foreign material events, and other quality or food safety concerns.
Direct root cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions, ensuring actions are documented, completed, verified, and sustained.
Track food safety and quality metrics and communicate trends, risks, priorities, and required actions to plant and quality leadership.
Verify food safety, quality, laboratory, and production records are complete, accurate, timely, and audit-ready.
Identify opportunities to strengthen process control, reduce recurring defects, improve documentation, and support new products, processes, equipment, and specifications.
Lead, coach, and develop Quality Shift Supervisors and Quality Technicians across assigned shifts.
Maintain a strong production-floor presence and ensure quality and food safety concerns are addressed promptly.
Train employees on GMPs, food safety, allergens, quality requirements, testing procedures, documentation, and related plant procedures.
Partner with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance, Warehouse, Research and Development, Supply Chain, and Corporate Quality Systems.
Manage plant execution of supplier approval, incoming material, and supplier performance requirements in coordination with Corporate Quality Systems.
Promote a food safety culture based on ownership, consistency, sound judgment, and continuous improvement.