Food Safety & Quality Manager

Job Description

Overview:

The Food Safety & Quality Manager is responsible for leading and maintaining the facility’s food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance programs. This position ensures that citrus juice, concentrates, pulp cells, and related products consistently meet customer specifications, regulatory requirements, and company standards. The manager works collaboratively with Operations, Maintenance, and Supply Chain to promote food safety, product consistency, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Here's what you'll do:

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Develop, implement, and maintain the Food Safety Management System (FSMS), HACCP plans, and prerequisite programs.
• Ensure compliance with FDA regulations, customer requirements, and applicable food safety certification standards.
• Lead food safety audits, inspections, risk assessments, investigations, and corrective actions.
• Maintain effective sanitation, environmental monitoring, pest control, and product traceability programs.
• This role is the audit representative for the company.

Quality Assurance & Process Control

• Establish and maintain product specifications, quality standards, testing procedures, and product release requirements.
• Oversee quality control throughout extraction, processing, pasteurization, concentration, storage, and shipment.
• Monitor product characteristics, including Brix, acidity, color, flavor, microbiological quality, and pulp content.
• Manage nonconforming products, customer complaints, product holds, and corrective actions.
• Partner with Operations to improve product consistency, reduce quality losses, and optimize processing performance.

Laboratory & Technical Management

• Direct laboratory operations, analytical testing, sampling procedures, and equipment calibration.
• Ensure accurate, reliable, and timely reporting of quality and food safety data.
• Maintain testing documentation, Certificates of Analysis, and product records.

Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Lead, develop, and hold accountable quality assurance and laboratory personnel.
• Establish performance expectations, training programs, and a strong facility-wide food safety culture.
• Drive root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Utilize data, technology, automation, and process standardization to improve quality, efficiency, and cost performance.
• Collaborate with plant leadership to identify risks, implement improvements, and achieve operational objectives.

Performance Management & Customer Relations

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators for food safety, product quality, regulatory compliance, and cost of poor quality.
• Manage customer specifications, quality complaints, audits, and technical communications.
• Provide timely performance reporting and recommendations to plant leadership.
• Manage departmental resources, laboratory expenses, and quality-related costs.

Qualifications

Here's what you'll bring to the table:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in food manufacturing quality assurance or food safety, preferably in citrus or beverage processing.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Juice HACCP, FDA FSMA regulations, GMPs, sanitation, and food safety management systems.
• Experience leading teams, managing audits, conducting root cause analysis, and implementing corrective actions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Proficiency in quality data analysis, reporting systems, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Key Performance Expectations

• Maintain regulatory compliance and effective food safety controls.
• Improve first-pass product quality and reduce customer complaints.
• Reduce quality-related product losses, rework, and operating costs.
• Ensure timely completion of corrective actions, audits, and employee training.
• Strengthen data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement across the facility.
• This position may require long hours during the fruit season. Including working weekends and nights.

Additional Information

Wonderful's dedication to you:

• Competitive benefits package including Medical, Vision, Dental, 401k
• Continued training and generous Education Reimbursement Program
• Paid sick, vacation and holiday time
• Wonderful Giving (www.wonderfulgiving.com) -- allowing you to donate company money to a cause of your choice

Why Choose Wonderful?

Wonderful Citrus is part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $6 billion global company dedicated to harvesting health and happiness around the world. Its iconic brands include FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos, Wonderful Seedless Lemons, Teleflora, and JUSTIN and Lewis Cellars wines. The Wonderful Company’s connection to consumers has health at its heart and giving back in its DNA. 

To learn more about The Wonderful Company, its products, and its core values, please visit wonderful.com, or follow The Wonderful Company on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. To learn more about the company’s corporate social responsibility impact, visit csr.wonderful.com. 

Wonderful Citrus and The Wonderful Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and with opportunities for advancement. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories.

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