Crustless Creations, LLC

Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) Manager

Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) ManagerCrustless Creations LLC – Akron, OhioJob Type:Full-Time, Exempt

About Crustless CreationsCrustless Creations is a rapidly growing food manufacturing company dedicated to producing high-quality frozen food products for retail and foodservice customers. We are seeking an experienced Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) Manager to lead our food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and certification programs while supporting our commitment to excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Position SummaryThe Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) Manager is responsible for maintaining and improving all food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and certification programs throughout the facility. This position serves as the facility SQF Practitioner and works closely with Operations, Production, Maintenance, R&D, Purchasing, and Leadership to ensure products are manufactured safely, consistently, and in compliance with company, customer, and regulatory requirements. This position requires flexibility to support production operations, audits, customer visits, and business needs, including occasional off-shift and weekend support as necessary.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities/Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Serve as the facility SQF Practitioner and lead ongoing SQF compliance efforts.
• Maintain the Food Safety Plan, HACCP Plan, Food Defense Plan, Food Fraud Plan, and prerequisite programs.
• Ensure compliance with FDA regulations, customer requirements, SQF standards, and company policies.
• Coordinate regulatory inspections, customer audits, and third-party audits.
• Manage corrective and preventive action (CAPA) programs, including root cause investigations and follow-up activities.

Quality Assurance

• Develop, implement, and monitor quality systems, procedures, product specifications, and quality standards.
• Monitor quality metrics and identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Investigate customer complaints, non-conformances, and quality concerns.
• Oversee environmental monitoring, verification activities, and product testing programs.

SQF & Audit Management

• Lead SQF certification and annual recertification activities.
• Maintain facility-wide audit readiness.
• Coordinate preparation, documentation, responses, and corrective actions related to customer, regulatory, SQF, and third-party audits.
• Ensure all audit findings are addressed accurately and within required timelines.

Team Leadership & Training

• Supervise Quality Assurance personnel and related staff.
• Train employees on food safety, GMPs, sanitation, allergen controls, and quality procedures.
• Promote a strong food safety and quality culture throughout the organization.
• Conduct employee coaching, performance evaluations, and development planning.

Continuous Improvement & Product Support

• Analyze food safety and quality data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Partner with Operations and Production to improve product quality, consistency, and efficiency.
• Support new product launches, process validations, and food safety reviews.
• Participate in cross-functional problem-solving and continuous improvement initiatives.

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain food safety, quality, regulatory, and customer compliance records.
• Ensure document control procedures are followed.
• Prepare reports and information for management review.
• Maintain customer compliance documentation, certifications, and related records.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of food manufacturing quality assurance or food safety experience.
• Experience with SQF, HACCP, GMPs, and FDA food safety regulations.
• Experience leading audits and managing corrective actions.
• Ability to serve as, or qualify as, the facility SQF Practitioner.
• Strong leadership, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Production, Operations, Maintenance, R&D, Purchasing, and Leadership teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• SQF Practitioner certification or documented qualification.
• PCQI certification.
• HACCP certification.
• Experience in frozen food manufacturing.
• Experience supporting retail and foodservice customer compliance requirements.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in office, production, freezer, and warehouse environments.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, and occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Professional development opportunities
• Employee discount
• Opportunity to grow with a rapidly expanding food manufacturing company

Reporting RelationshipReports To:Director of Operations

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• 401K

Work Location: In person