Senior Food Safety & Quality Assurance Technologist - 2nd Shift

Smithfield Foods • Clinton, NC

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The position summary states the general nature and purpose of the job. Overall accountabilities are defined in this section. Are you a compliance-driven Food Safety and Quality Assurance professional who thrives in high-speed environments and has a passion for improving processes? At Smithfield Foods—one of the nation’s top 25 consumer packaged goods companies—you’ll play a vital role in ensuring our products meet the highest standards of safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. In this role, you’ll take ownership of routine sanitation checks, enforce HACCP and USDA regulations, and track products from start to finish with precision and accountability. You’ll be responsible for evaluating product quality, identifying deficiencies, and helping to develop corrective actions that keep operations running smoothly. Your expertise will be key in supporting plant programs such as pre-op sanitation, temperature monitoring, GMPs, and leaker detection, all while working cross-functionally to resolve issues and drive improvements. At Smithfield, your dedication to food safety will help deliver trusted products like Smithfield®, Eckrich®, and Nathan’s Famous® to millions of consumers—safely, consistently, and proudly.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in meat science, food science, microbiology, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience, required. The company will consider a currently enrolled college student with an anticipated graduation by the end of the current school year as qualified.
• Solid knowledge of QA principles, food safety, USDA, HACCP, SSOP; with HACCP and SQF certifications preferred.
• Strong technical expertise in quality and regulatory programs
• Able to read, write, and complete required documentation in English

Nice To Haves

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including regulatory and customer interactions
• Committed to upholding regulatory, company, and customer standards
• Proficient in problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict resolution
• Skilled in interpreting and writing technical documents, reports, and SOPs
• Able to interpret various instructions (written, oral, diagram, or schedule)
• Experienced with monitoring equipment and data interpretation
• Competent in Microsoft Office and other standard business software

Responsibilities

• Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement: You’ll play a key role in ensuring our products meet all required specifications through regular inspections and in-process checks. If you find something that’s out of spec, you’ll take immediate action—whether that means pulling product, notifying production, or supporting corrective measures. You’ll help identify issues at the source and contribute to continuous improvement efforts by collecting data, reviewing procedures, and keeping documentation accurate and up to date. Your attention to detail will help us maintain the highest quality standards every day.
• Food Safety & HACCP Compliance: You’ll support the implementation and day-to-day compliance of our HACCP plans by monitoring critical control points, verifying records, and ensuring protocols are followed without exception. You’ll also help identify trends in food safety data and assist in training team members on how to maintain safe, compliant operations. Your role is essential in making sure we meet both regulatory and company food safety expectations.
• Regulatory & Sanitation Oversight: You will help ensure compliance with USDA regulations, perform pre-operational sanitation checks, and coordinate resampling and follow-ups as needed. You’ll work closely with sanitation and QA teams to verify proper execution and follow-through. You’ll also assist in reviewing and updating food safety programs to ensure they remain aligned with current regulations.
• Leadership, Training & Coverage: You’ll serve as a resource for newer team members by offering guidance and sharing your knowledge of FS/QA processes. When needed, you’ll step in to help cover essential tasks or assist your supervisor in delegating responsibilities—keeping operations running smoothly and in full compliance, even when key team members are unavailable.

Benefits

• Smithfield is proud to offer robust, flexible and affordable benefit plans and programs to support our team members and their loved ones, and with out-of-pocket costs, on average, 20 percent less than plans offered by other employers.
• Beyond our medical plans, our Be Well programs offer tools and resources to enhance your quality of life, at no additional cost. These programs are uniquely tailored to our Smithfield team and provide support for elective surgeries, weight loss, mental health, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, smoking cessation, asthma, maternity management and more.
• Our company invests in your future. We offer comprehensive training and professional development programs designed to help you reach your full potential. Our partnership with GUILD supports your continuing education with tuition assistance covering English language learning and various certificate programs, while our leadership development initiatives nurture high-potential talent. For those looking to build specialized skills, we offer apprenticeship programs that combine hands-on experience with focused learning.
• We also offer unique benefits like our Smithfield Scholarship Program for employees’ children.
• Smithfield’s Education Reimbursement Program provides financial reimbursement to team members who want to further their formal education by obtaining a GED/High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma or by pursuing an academic degree at an accredited college or university that is not a Guild learning partner.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees