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The Quality Assurance (QA) Manager is responsible for leading and managing all quality, food safety, and sanitation systems within an FSSC 22000 certified beverage manufacturing facility producing preserved, powdered, and hot-fill beverages, including high-acid, acidified, and low-acid foods (LACF). This role ensures compliance with FDA, state, and local regulations, including 21 CFR Part 117 (Preventive Controls for Human Food), 21 CFR Part 114 (Acidified Foods), and 21 CFR Part 113 (Low-Acid Canned Foods). The QA Manager serves as the site food safety leader and ensures the Food Safety Management System (FSMS) aligns with FSSC 22000 requirements, ISO 22000 standards, prerequisite programs (PRPs), sanitation controls, and regulatory obligations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, maintain, and continuously improve the FSSC 22000 Food Safety Management System (FSMS).
• Serve as Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and oversee the Food Safety Plan.
• Act as the primary FSSC 22000 Management Representative and lead certification and surveillance audits.
• Ensure compliance with FDA regulations for high-acid, acidified, and low-acid foods.
• Oversee thermal processing, hot-fill operations, acidification validation, and scheduled process adherence.
• Ensure compliance with Low-Acid Canned Food (LACF) regulations including process authority coordination and documentation.
• Oversee environmental monitoring, allergen control, sanitation controls, and prerequisite programs.
• Manage laboratory testing including microbiological, chemical, and physical analyses.
• Review batch records, deviation reports, corrective actions, and product disposition decisions.
• Lead root cause analysis and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Develop and maintain SOPs, SSOPs, hazard analyses, validation studies, and verification activities.
• Train plant personnel on GMPs, sanitation procedures, food safety culture, FSSC 22000 requirements, and regulatory standards.
• Manage and develop QA staff and sanitation personnel

Cleaning & Sanitation Management Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain the Master Sanitation Schedule (MSS)
• Oversee cleaning and sanitation programs for processing equipment, powder systems, hot-fill lines, thermal processing systems, and facility infrastructure.
• Validate sanitation procedures including CIP (Clean-in-Place) and COP (Clean-out-of-Place) systems.
• Establish sanitation verification activities including ATP testing, allergen swabbing, microbiological environmental monitoring, and pre-operational inspections.
• Ensure compliance with sanitation preventive controls under 21 CFR Part 117.
• Review and trend sanitation data to identify risks and continuous improvement opportunities.
• Oversee chemical control, concentration verification, and sanitation safety compliance.
• Lead corrective actions related to sanitation deviations or environmental positives.
• Collaborate with Operations and Maintenance to ensure hygienic design and effective cleaning practices.
• Support food defense and hygienic zoning programs within the facility.

Regulatory & Certification Oversight

• Maintain FSSC 22000 certification including annual surveillance and recertification audits.
• Ensure compliance with ISO 22000, ISO/TS 22002 PRPs, and additional FSSC requirements.
• FDA Food Facility Registration and scheduled process filings (FDA Forms 2541 series as applicable).
• HACCP and Preventive Controls programs validation and verification.
• Validation of acidification processes and critical control points.
• Oversight of low-acid thermal processing systems and documentation review.
• Label review and regulatory compliance verification.
• Customer, supplier, and third-party audit management.

LACF Certification Requirements

• Must be certified in FDA-recognized Low-Acid Canned Food (LACF) Supervisor training in accordance with 21 CFR 108 and 113.
• Demonstrated knowledge of thermal processing, container closure evaluation, and record review requirements.
• Experience working with a recognized Process Authority for scheduled process establishment and deviations.
• Ability to review and sign off on LACF processing records and deviation evaluations.

Required Skills/Abilities/Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or related scientific field (Master’s preferred).
• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive quality assurance experience in beverage or food manufacturing.
• Experience in preserved, powdered, hot-fill, acidified, and low-acid food processing environments.
• PCQI certification required.
• LACF Supervisor certification required.
• HACCP certification strongly preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, sanitation controls, and FDA food safety regulations.
• Experience managing FDA, state, FSSC, and customer audits.
• Strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills.

Work Environment

This position operates in a manufacturing environment with exposure to production areas, laboratory settings, hot-fill lines, powder handling systems, retort or thermal processing systems, sanitation chemical handling, and warehouse facilities. The role requires strict adherence to GMPs, PPE, safety policies, and food defense requirements.