Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager - Bellingham Plant

Overview

Trident Seafoods is North America’s largest vertically integrated seafood company—partnering with fishermen, employees, and communities to responsibly harvest, process, and share wild Alaska seafood with the world. With deep roots in Alaska and operating across the globe, Trident is a privately held company headquartered in Seattle, committed to nourishing the world while upholding the highest standards for safety, sustainability, and excellence.

At Trident Seafoods, we work together for something bigger than ourselves. From nourishing the world with the best protein on earth to protecting our oceans, serving our fishermen, and supporting communities in Alaska and beyond, here, you’ll find a values-driven culture where your growth matters, your work has purpose and your contributions are recognized and appreciated—because at Trident, we believe meaningful work connects us all.

Responsibilities

Summary:

The Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) Manager develops, implements, executes, maintains, and continuously improves site food safety and quality assurance programs to prevent or eliminate defects in new or existing products. This role is responsible for ensuring site programs remain aligned with Support Center FSQA standards, state and federal regulations, NOAA Seafood Inspection Program requirements, customer requirements, and applicable third-party or GFSI expectations. The position requires disciplined program ownership, strong operational presence, timely escalation of food safety and quality risks, effective cross-functional collaboration, and consistent audit-ready execution.

Essential Functions: (Responsibilities, Tasks, Supervisory Needs)

• Own day-to-day execution of site FSQA programs and verify that controls operate as designed and remain audit-ready at all times.
• Actively verify CCPs, process controls, finished product quality, internal process execution, and key risk indicators including Cost of Poor Quality and First Pass Quality.
• Maintain a working understanding of plant operations and how FSQA requirements integrate with production, sanitation, maintenance, receiving, warehousing, and shipping.
• Adjust priorities as needed to address high-risk or emergent food safety and quality issues while maintaining visibility to Support Center FSQA and plant leadership.
• Maintain meaningful production floor presence, including a minimum expectation of approximately five hours per week and a target of daily engagement across shifts where practical.
• Verify execution of controls, adherence to specifications, product quality requirements, Good Manufacturing Practices, and overall process consistency.
• Engage employees and supervisors to reinforce food safety expectations, strengthen site food safety culture, and identify barriers to consistent execution.
• Follow established escalation protocols to promptly communicate food safety, legality, authenticity, regulatory, customer, and quality risks.
• Provide clear, factual, risk-based communication of trends, constraints, failures, or potential failures to Support Center FSQA and relevant site leadership.
• Perform other similar or related duties as requested or assigned.
• Acquire knowledge of Trident Environmental and Safety Policies by completing required training and performing designated work activities in accordance with procedures and work instructions.
• Notify designated personnel of environmental or safety incidents or risks not previously documented in accordance with Environmental Awareness and/or Safety training.

Trident Seafoods offers a comprehensive and quality benefits package. Full-time employees may be eligible for discretionary/performance-based incentives, medical, dental and vision insurance plans, optional HRA/HSA, telemedicine, employee assistance and wellness programs, long-term disability, basic life and AD&D, and 401(k) with a company match, paid time off, 10 paid holidays each year, and paid parental leave.  For full-time employees, the initial paid time off benefit starts at 20 days per year, adjusted commensurate with relevant experience.  Commuter and transit programs are also available. 

Qualifications

Travel/On-Call Requirements: This position may require occasional travel to other sites, meetings, or training locations.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Biological Sciences, or a related technical field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience as determined by the company.
• A minimum of two years of supervisory experience in Quality Assurance, preferably in food production or the seafood industry.

Preferred Education & Experiences:

• HACCP certification.
• Working knowledge of Global Food Safety Initiative schemes including BRCGS, SQF, BAP, or other applicable third-party standards.
• Experience leading regulatory, customer, and third-party audits and preparing high-quality Corrective Action Reports.
• Experience with seafood, ready-to-eat, value-added, or other complex food manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated experience using complaint, COPQ, FPQ, audit, and process-control data to drive continuous improvement.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Leadership & Coaching: Lead, coach, and develop QA team members; set priorities; support coverage; and reinforce consistent standards.
• Regulatory & Customer Compliance: Apply working knowledge of government, customer, and industry FSQA codes and standards, including HACCP, GFSI-recognized programs, BRC/BAP, FDA, USDC, and similar requirements.
• Audit Readiness: Maintain records and program execution in an audit-ready condition; identify gaps before they become findings.
• Risk Management: Recognize high-risk trends, repeated deviations, product holds, specification failures, and PIN triggers; escalate timely and objectively.
• Data Discipline: Use quality and food safety data to identify trends, prioritize follow-up, and support measurable improvements.
• Professional Communication: Communicate in a timely, solution-oriented, factual, and non-accusatory manner with FSQA, Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, and Support Center partners.
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, specifically Excel; ability to use data tools such as Power BI or equivalent business review systems is preferred for trend analysis.
• Knowledge of HACCP regulations, food safety programs, audit procedures, regulatory compliance, corrective action, and internal audit processes.
• Ability to communicate promptly and professionally with cross-functional partners, Support Center FSQA, plant leadership, regulatory bodies, customers, and vendors.

 

Work Environment:

Work is performed in office environments and manufacturing facility settings that may be loud, wet, cold, or otherwise require personal protective equipment (PPE). The role requires regular interaction with production areas, sanitation activities, warehousing, and processing equipment while following all safety, GMP, and PPE requirements.

Work Ability Requirements:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is frequently required to climb or balance and is regularly required to sit; stoop, kneel, crouch, talk, or hear.
• The employee moves objects regularly up to 10 pounds and frequently up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to distinguish shades of color to identify abnormalities and/or defects in food products.

Additional Information

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship, including F-1 STEM-OPT authorization.

Stay connected with Trident Seafoods online at www.tridentseafoods.com and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube or LinkedInTrident Seafoods provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.Trident Seafoods and its subsidiaries have adopted a drug-free workplace policy. Working under the influence of Drugs or Alcohol is not permitted.Employment with Trident Seafoods is contingent upon the candidate maintaining valid immigration status and work authorization throughout employment, with or without immigration sponsorship by the company.

Pay Range

USD $105,000.00 - USD $130,000.00 /Yr.