R & D Quality and Compliance Specialist

WESTERN SMOKEHOUSE PARTNERS•Galesburg, IL

6d•$75,000 - $80,000•Onsite

About The Position

The R&D Quality and Compliance Specialist is responsible for supporting product development, pilot plant operations, food safety and quality programs, regulatory compliance, and technical training across manufacturing facilities. This position serves as a key liaison between Research & Development, Quality Assurance, Operations, Regulatory Affairs, and customers to ensure products are developed, produced, and commercialized in compliance with company standards and regulatory requirements. The role leads process validation support, training initiatives, and food safety and quality assurance documentation and compliance. This role supports pilot plant operations and sample production.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Meat Science, Animal Science, Food Technology, Microbiology, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combination of education and industry experience may be considered.
2-5 years of experience in meat processing, food manufacturing, research and development, quality assurance, or technical services preferred.
Experience with USDA-inspected meat operations strongly preferred.
Experience with pilot plant operations and product development preferred.
Experience with HACCP and food safety systems preferred.
Knowledge of meat processing technologies and ingredient functionality.
Understanding of USDA-FSIS regulations, HACCP, GMPs, SSOPs, and food safety principles.
Ability to develop and scale formulations.
Knowledge of quality evaluation and sensory techniques
Strong documentation and recordkeeping skills.
Effective presentation, training, and communication abilities.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and ERP/product formulation systems.
Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.

Responsibilities

Implement and maintain food safety and quality practices within the pilot plant environment.
Ensure pilot plant activities comply with HACCP, SSOPs, GMPs, allergen control, and food defense programs.
Conduct pre-operational inspections and sanitation verification activities.
Assist with environmental monitoring, product testing, and validation studies.
Support shelf-life studies, pH and water activity testing, and product quality evaluations.
Investigate quality concerns and participate in root cause analysis and corrective action activities.
Ensure all sample products meet company quality, food safety, and customer requirements.
Assist with regulatory review of formulations, ingredients statements, and product labels.
Verify compliance with USDA-FSIS, FDA, and applicable state, federal, and international regulations.
Provide technical support to manufacturing facilities during product launches and process improvements.
Assist facilities with troubleshooting formulation, processing, quality, and food safety issues.
Support validation activities including thermal processing, lethality, and shelf life studies.
Participate in customer projects, technical reviews, and commercialization meetings.
Assist in training production employees on product specifications, food safety requirements, GMPs, allergen controls, and technical processing procedures.
Support onboarding and technical development of manufacturing personnel.
Create training materials, work instructions, SOPs, and technical reference documents.
Help coordinate and execute pilot plant trials for new and existing ready-to-eat meat snack products.
Assist in producing customer, sales, validation, and benchmark samples according to established formulas and processing procedures.
Scale formulations from pilot plant to commercial manufacturing environments.
Assist with product development projects from concept through commercialization.
Maintain pilot plant equipment and ensure proper sanitation and operational readiness.
Document trial results and provide recommendations for process improvements and product optimization.
Help order and manage pilot plant ingredients, packaging materials, and supplies when applicable.
Maintain accurate records of pilot plant trials, validations, training, quality checks, and regulatory documentation.
Ensure records are audit-ready and comply with company retention requirements.
Generate technical reports and communicate findings to management and project teams.
Support change management documentation and product commercialization records.