Food Safety Manager / SQF Practitioner

Food Safety Manager / SQF Practitioner

Location: South Bay Los Angeles Area
 Compensation: Approximately $75,000-$90,000 annually, DOE, with flexibility for the right candidate
 Schedule: Onsite

About the Opportunity

A well-established manufacturer of food-contact packaging products is seeking a Food Safety Manager / SQF Practitioner to lead food safety and quality programs at its Southern California manufacturing facility.

This individual will serve as the primary resource for HACCP, GMP, audit readiness, and food safety compliance, partnering closely with production, maintenance, shipping, and management.

This is a hands-on role for someone who is comfortable being on the manufacturing floor, owning food safety programs, preparing for audits, driving corrective actions, and ensuring documentation and processes remain audit-ready.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the site's HACCP plan and food safety programs, updating them as processes, materials, or equipment change.
• Conduct regular plant-floor reviews of GMP practices, including sanitation, pest control, glass and hard plastic control, and employee hygiene.
• Lead corrective actions, including investigations, root-cause analysis, implementation of solutions, and verification of effectiveness.
• Maintain food safety procedures, forms, records, and document-control processes.
• Schedule and conduct internal audits, document findings, and track corrective actions through closure.
• Prepare the facility for customer and third-party certification audits and serve as a primary point of contact during audits.
• Train new and existing employees on GMP requirements, food safety procedures, and individual responsibilities.
• Conduct traceability exercises and mock recalls while maintaining recall and crisis-management procedures.
• Oversee product and raw-material testing and communicate results to management.
• Lead food safety team meetings and provide management with updates regarding issues, progress, and compliance needs.
• Respond to customer food safety inquiries and documentation requests.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of HACCP principles and how HACCP plans are developed and maintained.
• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices, ideally within food, food packaging, or a related manufacturing environment.
• HACCP certification preferred, but not required.
• Understanding of corrective actions, root-cause analysis, document control, and internal auditing.
• Experience supporting third-party audits or food safety certification standards such as SQF, BRCGS, or FSSC 22000.
• Experience training employees or leading a team.
• Strong attention to detail with excellent organization and follow-through.
• Ability to communicate effectively with employees at all levels, from the production floor through management.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Compensation

The anticipated salary range is approximately $75,000-$90,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications. There is flexibility for the right candidate.