Description

The Food Safety & Quality Assurance Team Lead (FSQA Lead) is a hands-on leadership role responsible for helping ensure food safety and quality standards are consistently met throughout our greenhouse and packing operations. This position is ideal for an experienced food safety or quality professional who enjoys being on the production floor, solving problems, coaching others, and playing an active role in building a strong food safety culture.

The FSQA Lead supports the FSQA Manager by providing daily leadership and oversight of food safety, quality assurance, sanitation verification, and regulatory compliance activities across production, packaging, warehousing, and shipping/receiving operations. The role oversees completion and recordkeeping of process and quality checks, HACCP/food safety checks, sanitation verifications, environmental monitoring activities, and audit readiness in line with company standards, customer requirements, and applicable food safety regulations.

As part of the FSQA team, this role provides an opportunity to help establish strong FSQA practices and food safety culture at a growing operation. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Serve as the day-to-day FSQA point of contact during the assigned shift, providing direction, coaching, and technical support to FSQA Technicians and partnering with Operations to address food safety and quality issues in real time.

• Help ensure FSQA Technicians and Operations complete assigned inspections, process checks, sampling, verifications, and documentation accurately and on time.

• Perform and verify daily GMP and GAP compliance, including pre-operation, in-process, and post-operation inspections.

• Conduct regular process checks throughout production, packaging, warehousing, shipping, and receiving, including label checks, sanitation verification, net weight checks, package integrity checks, QA hold activities, retention sampling, and product release documentation.

• Monitor process preventive controls and other food safety and quality controls; promptly identify and escalate deviations and support corrective action completion.

• Support environmental monitoring program activities, including swabbing, sample coordination, documentation, trend review, and corrective action follow-up.

• Review records for accuracy, completeness, and compliance; maintain organized documentation for food safety, quality, sanitation, environmental monitoring, and audit programs.

• Perform regular facility inspections in coordination with the FSQA Manager and assist with internal audits to verify compliance with food safety and quality systems.

• Support preparation for external food safety audits, including PrimusGFS (GFSI-benchmarked), customer, and regulatory audits.

• Assist in training employees on food safety requirements, company processes and policies, GMPs, sanitation expectations, and quality standards.

• Work cross-functionally with Sanitation, Production, Maintenance, Purchasing, Warehouse, and other teams to resolve food safety and quality concerns and maintain needed supplies and consumables.

• Participate in department goals, continuous improvement initiatives, career development goals, and company growth goals.

· Report to the FSQA Manager and support the Compliance department as needed.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Indoor high-tech greenhouse and food production environment with exposure to warm and refrigerated temperatures, humidity, moisture, and agricultural production conditions.

• Use of PPE as required.

Requirements

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS:

• 2+ years of experience in food safety, quality assurance, sanitation, or food manufacturing/processing preferred; candidates with strong directly relevant experience will be considered.

• Professional experience working in a food manufacturing, processing, packing, or production environment.

• Working knowledge of GMPs, HACCP principles, food safety controls, and quality assurance practices.

• Experience performing or reviewing food safety/quality inspections, process checks, and documentation.

• Strong attention to detail and ability to identify, communicate, and escalate food safety and quality concerns appropriately.

• Ability to coach, train, and provide directions to employees in a fast-paced production environment.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document findings and communicate expectations across departments.

• Good computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Office and the ability to maintain accurate electronic and paper records.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Agriculture, Chemistry, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and relevant food manufacturing/food safety experience will also be considered.

• HACCP, PCQI, or related food safety training/certification.

• Experience with environmental monitoring programs, sanitation verification, corrective actions, and record review.

• Experience with GFSI-benchmarked food safety standards such as PrimusGFS or SQF, and third-party audit expectations.

• Experience in produce, fresh-cut, ready-to-eat foods, controlled environment agriculture, hydroponic, greenhouse, or similar operations.

• Previous experience as a QA/FSQA Lead, senior technician, trainer, or shift-level point of contact.

• Familiarity with FDA Produce Safety Rule, preventive controls requirements, audit readiness, customer documentation requests, and continuous improvement initiatives.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Strong understanding of food safety, quality assurance, GMPs, sanitation, environmental monitoring, and audit readiness requirements.

• Ability to coach, train, and influence employees to follow food safety and quality standards.

• Ability to investigate deviations, support corrective actions, prioritize competing needs, and maintain productivity in a fast-paced production environment.

• Commitment to food safety, product quality, regulatory compliance, teamwork, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Frequent standing, walking, bending, twisting, and reaching, with repetitive hand and arm motions throughout the shift.

• Ability to perform the physical requirements of a food manufacturing and greenhouse environment, including prolonged standing and walking and occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling of materials and supplies.

• Ability to work weekends, holidays, and overtime as operational needs require.