Wholesome Products

Senior Manager, Food Safety & Quality Assurance

Wholesome Products Greater Chicago Area

Save

Company Description

Wholesome Products is a food innovation and manufacturing partner trusted by leading brands—including flagship partner JustFoodForDogs—to bring exceptional food concepts to life. Since 1999, we have combined culinary expertise, advanced technology, and FreshSeal Cryotechnology to produce premium-quality food at scale.


Through our work with JustFoodForDogs, we support the production of high-quality, human-grade pet nutrition, showcasing our ability to meet rigorous standards across both human and pet food categories.


We also proudly produce My Father’s Best Entrées & Sauces—an extension of our commitment to quality, innovation, and the future of food.


Our proprietary flash-freezing process preserves flavor, nutrition, and presentation—delivering consistent, restaurant-quality results. With end-to-end capabilities spanning product development, manufacturing, and packaging, we operate under USDA, FDA, and SQF Level 3 certification standards.


Role Description

The Senior Manager, Food Safety & Quality Assurance is responsible for managing and improving the company’s food safety and quality systems to ensure compliance with regulatory, customer, and internal standards. This role provides practical leadership for food safety programs, quality systems, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across operations.


The role serves as an internal subject matter expert on food safety and quality, supporting operational teams and ensuring products consistently meet safety, legality, and quality expectations.


Key Responsibilities

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Maintain compliance with applicable regulations and standards (FDA, USDA, FSMA, GMPs, HACCP, and GFSI-recognized programs such as SQF or BRC)

• Serve as Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) or support PCQI oversight

• Maintain HACCP and Food Safety Plans

• Coordinate regulatory inspections, third-party audits, and customer audits

• Serve as a key contact for regulatory agencies and certification bodies


Quality Systems & Assurance

• Manage the company’s Quality Management System (QMS)

• Maintain quality standards, product specifications, and procedures

• Oversee document control, internal audits, and corrective and preventive actions (CAPA)

• Manage complaint investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective actions


Operations Support & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Operations, R&D, and Supply Chain to ensure quality standards are embedded in processes

• Monitor quality KPIs and drive improvements to reduce defects, waste, and customer complaints

• Support supplier quality programs including supplier approvals and performance monitoring


Risk Management

• Support product recall and withdrawal programs including mock recalls

• Identify and help mitigate food safety and quality risks across operations

• Participate in incident investigations and corrective actions when required


Team Leadership

• Supervise and develop QA and food safety team members

• Promote a strong food safety and quality culture across the organization


Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred)


Experience

• 7–10 years of experience in Quality Assurance and Food Safety within food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods manufacturing

• Experience supporting GFSI certification programs (SQF, BRC, IFS, etc.)

• Experience preparing for regulatory inspections and customer audits


Technical & Professional Skills

• Strong knowledge of food safety regulations (FSMA, HACCP, GMPs)

• Experience with root cause analysis and corrective action systems

• Strong organizational and cross‑functional collaboration skills

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment


Certifications (Preferred)

• HACCP Certification

• PCQI

• SQF or BRC Practitioner

• Lean or Six Sigma training


Key Success Metrics

• Audit and certification performance

• Reduction in customer complaints and non‑conformances

• Regulatory compliance outcomes

• Effectiveness of food safety programs and recall readiness

• Continuous improvement in quality performance metrics

  • Seniority level

    Mid-Senior level
  • Employment type

    Full-time
  • Job function

    Research, Analyst, and Information Technology
  • Industries

    Food and Beverage Manufacturing

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Wholesome Products by 2x

See who you know

Get notified about new Food Safety Manager jobs in Greater Chicago Area.

Sign in to create job alert

Similar jobs

People also viewed

Similar Searches

Explore top content on LinkedIn

Find curated posts and insights for relevant topics all in one place.

View top content