About this role
Position Summary
The Site Food Safety and Quality Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, execution, and continuous improvement of the food safety and quality management system (FSQMS) at the Tulkoff Foods Baltimore facility. Reporting to the Vice President of Food Safety and Quality, this role ensures that all products manufactured on site meet regulatory, customer, and company quality and food safety standards. The Site Food Safety and Quality Manager leads the site quality team, drives a strong quality culture on the plant floor, and partners cross-functionally with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, R&D, and Supply Chain to deliver safe, high-quality products consistently and on time.
Key Responsibilities
- Food Safety & Quality Leadership: Serve as the site leader for the Food Safety and Quality Management System (FSQMS), ensuring ongoing compliance with the SQF Code, HACCP principles, and applicable GFSI-benchmarked scheme requirements.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure site compliance with FDA and, where applicable, USDA regulations, including FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food; serve as the primary site contact for regulatory inspections and third-party audits.
- Audits & Certifications: Own site readiness for SQF/GFSI recertification audits, customer audits, and regulatory inspections; lead root cause analysis and ensure timely closure of corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs).
- HACCP & Food Safety Plans: Develop, maintain, and update the site's HACCP/Food Safety Plan and prerequisite programs, including allergen control, sanitation, pest control, environmental monitoring, and traceability/recall programs.
- Quality Systems Management: Oversee document control, product specifications, hold-and-release procedures, non-conformance management, and customer complaint investigation and resolution.
- Team Leadership: Hire, train, coach, and develop QA supervisors, technicians, and laboratory personnel; build a strong bench of talent and succession plans for the site quality team.
- Supplier & Raw Material Quality: Partner with procurement and supplier quality teams to ensure incoming raw materials and packaging consistently meet specification and food safety requirements.
- Continuous Improvement: Lead root cause investigations and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce defects, complaints, and non-conformances, and to strengthen the plant-wide quality culture.
- Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, R&D, and Supply Chain leadership to align quality and food safety priorities with production and business goals.
- Metrics & Reporting: Track, analyze, and report site quality KPIs (e.g., audit scores, complaint rates, CAPA closure, hold/release volume) to the VP of Food Safety and Quality and site leadership team.
- Training: Develop and deliver GMP, food safety, and quality training programs for plant personnel at all levels.
- Budget & Resource Management: Manage the site quality department's staffing plan, budget, and laboratory/testing resources.
Qualifications
Qualifications
- Education: Bachelors degree in food science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field required.
- Experience: 5–7 years of progressive experience in food manufacturing quality assurance/food safety, including experience leading a site-level QA/QC team in a production environment.
- Certifications: SQF Practitioner certification required (or ability to obtain within 90 days of hire); HACCP certification required; working knowledge of GFSI-benchmarked schemes and audit processes.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Strong working knowledge of FDA/USDA regulations, FSMA Preventive Controls requirements, allergen management, and environmental monitoring/sanitation programs.
- Skills: Proven leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills; strong root cause and statistical analysis skills; proficiency with quality management software and Microsoft Office/Excel.
- Availability: Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and respond to quality issues outside of standard business hours when needed.
Work Environment & Physical Requirements
- Role is based primarily on the plant floor and in an office setting at the Baltimore facility, with regular exposure to food processing, refrigerated/temperature-controlled areas, and required PPE.
- Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods and occasionally lift up to 25–50 lbs.
- Some flexibility in schedule is required, including occasional evenings or weekends to support production needs, audits, or investigations.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Tulkoff Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.