CONFIDENTIAL OPPORTUNITY

Food Safety & Quality Manager – Dairy Manufacturing

Location: Philadelphia, PA 19154
Job Type: Full-Time | 100% On-Site
Industry: Dairy / Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Department: Food Safety and Quality

Position Overview

A well-established dairy manufacturer is seeking an experienced Food Safety & Quality Manager to lead and advance the facility’s food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and laboratory programs.

This position is responsible for ensuring that all products meet internal, customer, and regulatory standards. The FSQ Manager will oversee daily laboratory activities and support environmental monitoring, sanitation, HACCP, SQF, allergen control, process verification, and continuous-improvement programs.

The successful candidate will be a hands-on people leader with strong food manufacturing quality experience. Dairy processing experience is strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

Food Safety and Quality Leadership

• Develop, implement, monitor, and improve food safety and quality-control programs.
• Ensure products meet company, customer, FDA, and applicable USDA requirements.
• Maintain compliance with HACCP, SQF, FSMA, cGMP, sanitation, allergen-control, traceability, and pathogen-prevention programs.
• Monitor production processes and finished-product quality.
• Identify and mitigate risks involving food safety, contamination, and quality deviations.
• Promote a strong culture of food safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Team and Laboratory Management

• Lead, supervise, train, and develop quality-control and quality-assurance employees.
• Oversee daily laboratory operations, testing procedures, results, and documentation.
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold team members accountable.
• Provide food safety, sanitation, and quality training to plant employees.

Audits and Regulatory Compliance

• Prepare for and lead regulatory, certification, internal, and customer audits.
• Manage the facility’s internal audit program.
• Maintain audit readiness and ensure corrective actions are completed promptly.
• Support continued compliance with all required food safety and quality certifications.

Quality Systems and Documentation

• Maintain accurate SOPs, laboratory results, batch records, environmental-monitoring logs, and regulatory documentation.
• Ensure records comply with company, customer, FDA, and applicable USDA requirements.
• Investigate nonconformances, determine root causes, and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Analyze production and quality data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.

Customer, Supplier, and Operational Support

• Investigate customer complaints and coordinate appropriate corrective actions.
• Monitor raw-material and supplier quality.
• Ensure product and ingredient traceability throughout the supply chain.
• Partner with Operations, Sanitation, Procurement, Sales, and Supply Chain teams to balance food safety and quality requirements with operational performance.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• At least 6 years of quality assurance or food safety experience within food, beverage, dairy, or pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Approximately 4 years of supervisory or quality-team leadership experience preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of HACCP, cGMP, FSMA, sanitation, allergen control, environmental monitoring, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience preparing for and supporting regulatory, customer, and certification audits.
• Strong analytical, root-cause analysis, corrective-action, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent leadership, communication, training, and organizational abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and quality-management systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Quality or food safety leadership experience within a dairy processing facility.
• Hands-on experience with SQF certification and audits.
• Experience overseeing a plant quality laboratory.
• Knowledge of milk, cream, butter, cultured products, or other refrigerated dairy operations.
• Preventive Controls Qualified Individual, HACCP, SQF, or related food safety certification.

Benefits

The organization offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package that may include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid time off
• Additional company-sponsored benefits

Apply Today

Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit a resume for confidential consideration. Please include your food or dairy manufacturing experience, quality leadership background, certifications, current location, and availability to interview.

Candidates must be able to work 100% on-site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status