Senior Food Safety & Quality Assurance Technologist

Compliance-driven Food Safety and Quality Assurance professional role at Smithfield Foods, responsible for ensuring products meet standards of safety, quality, and regulatory compliance, including routine sanitation checks, enforcement of HACCP and USDA regulations, and support of plant programs such as pre-op sanitation, temperature monitoring, GMPs, and leaker detection.

Responsibilities

Ensure products meet required specifications through regular inspections and in-process checks; Take immediate action on out-of-spec product, including pulling product, notifying production, or supporting corrective measures; Identify issues at the source and contribute to continuous improvement by collecting data, reviewing procedures, and keeping documentation accurate; Support implementation and day-to-day compliance of HACCP plans by monitoring critical control points, verifying records, and ensuring protocols are followed; Help identify trends in food safety data and assist in training team members; Help ensure compliance with USDA regulations, perform pre-operational sanitation checks, and coordinate resampling and follow-ups; Work with sanitation and QA teams to verify proper execution; Assist in reviewing and updating food safety programs; Serve as a resource for newer team members on FS/QA processes; Step in to cover essential tasks or assist supervisor in delegating responsibilities

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university in meat science, food science, microbiology, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience; Currently enrolled college students with anticipated graduation by the end of the current school year will be considered qualified; Solid knowledge of QA principles, food safety, USDA, HACCP, SSOP; Strong technical expertise in quality and regulatory programs; Able to read, write, and complete required documentation in English

Nice to have

HACCP and SQF certifications; Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including regulatory and customer interactions; Committed to upholding regulatory, company, and customer standards; Proficient in problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict resolution; Skilled in interpreting and writing technical documents, reports, and SOPs; Able to interpret various instructions (written, oral, diagram, or schedule); Experienced with monitoring equipment and data interpretation; Competent in Microsoft Office and other standard business software