FSQ RTE Manager

The FSQ RTE Manager (Technical Authority) is the single point of authority for food safety within all Ready-to-Eat (RTE) production and packaging operations.
This role is responsible for ensuring that no contamination pathway exists between environmental, personnel, or process risks and finished product. The position operates as a real-time risk controller, making immediate decisions on product safety, production continuation, and release.
In this structure:
Sanitation executes cleaning (Plant Manager)
FSQ RTE defines standards and approves effectiveness
This role is accountable for closing the gap between: 👉 what should happen vs. what actually happens on the floor.
Key Responsibilities
Real-Time Food Safety Authority
Make final decisions on:
Product release / hold
Line startup approval
Production shutdowns
Lead escalation and response to:
Deviations
Sanitation failures
Environmental risks
Hygienic Zoning Design & Enforcement
Define and enforce:
RAW → RTE separation
Personnel and material flow
Controlled entry/exit points
Audit zoning behavior daily:
Boot wash compliance
Tool segregation
Eliminate all cross-contamination pathways
Sanitation Standards & Validation
Define sanitation expectations:
7-step cleaning system
Validate cleaning effectiveness through:
Direct observation
ATP and micro results
Reject sanitation that does not meet standard
Pre-Operational Control
Own pre-op verification standards
Audit high-risk equipment and repeat issue areas
Ensure no production begins under unsafe conditions
Environmental Monitoring & Pathogen Control
Partner with Micro Lab Manager to:
Interpret trends
Identify harborage points
Lead response to Listeria risks
Eliminate repeat contamination zones
High-Risk Vector Control
Define and enforce controls for:
Drains
Condensation
Equipment niches
Enforce drain segregation and no-spray policies
Floor Leadership & Enforcement
Maintain strong floor presence
Correct GMP violations immediately
Hold operations, sanitation, and maintenance accountable
Ensure the RTE process is scientifically sound, controlled, and safe
What They Own
Process & Food Safety Authority (Highest Risk Area)
Kill step (smokehouse lethality)
Cooling, drying, post-lethality handling
RTE contamination prevention (Listeria risk)
Process Validation
Thermal validation
Challenge studies
Scientific basis of controls
8+ years in food safety/QA leadership
RTE food experience (strongly required)
Deep expertise in:
HACCP, FSMA, GMPs
Hygienic zoning
Sanitation systems
Proven ability to:
Enforce standards
Make high-pressure decisions
KPIs
RTE environmental positive rate
Pre-op pass rate and repeat issues
Zoning/GMP compliance
Food safety incidents
Audit performance

Employment type
Full-time

Work arrangement
No