Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Coordinator

Job Summary

Forager Project is a family-owned, organic, plant-based creamery dedicated to reinventing dairy with plants, not cows. We make dairy-free yogurts, milks, creamers, sour cream, kefir-style drinks, and protein shakes using simple, organic, plant-based ingredients. Built around our own creamery and a commitment to USDA Organic certification, sustainability, and thoughtful sourcing, we are focused on making food that is better for people, the planet, and the future.

Summary

The Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Coordinator supports the maintenance and continuous improvement of Forager Project?s food safety and quality management system in accordance with regulatory requirements, SQF standards, customer expectations, and company programs.

The position serves as the site SQF Practitioner and an on-the-floor FSQA champion, with responsibility for coordinating key food safety programs, supporting audit readiness, conducting internal audits, delivering FSQA training, and driving corrective action follow-up.

This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports. The Coordinator provides functional leadership, training, and technical guidance across departments while working closely with the Senior Manager of FSQA. For the right candidate, the position offers a potential growth path toward an FSQA Manager role based on performance, demonstrated leadership, and organizational needs.

Education & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor?s degree in a science, engineering, or related technical field required.
• Degree concentration in Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Food Science, or a similar discipline preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of food safety and quality assurance experience in the food manufacturing industry required; 5 or more years preferred.
• Experience in dairy or non-dairy cultured products, pasteurized beverages, UHT processing, or aseptic filling environments is preferred.
• Working knowledge of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and basic microbiological and laboratory practices required.
• SQF Practitioner training required.
• Prior experience serving as an SQF Practitioner and leading or supporting SQF certification audits required.
• HACCP certification preferred.
• Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certification preferred.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Serve as the site SQF Practitioner and lead ongoing SQF system maintenance and the transition to SQF Edition 10, including gap assessments, program updates, corrective action follow-up, and certification audit readiness.
• Drive execution of key food safety programs by facilitating the Food Safety Team, HACCP Team, Recall Team, FSQA training program, monthly internal facility audits, and third-party audit preparation.
• Act as the primary site FSQA contact during SQF, Organic, Kosher, customer, and other third-party audits, as well as regulatory inspections.
• Work closely with the Senior Manager of FSQA to maintain compliance with SQF, HACCP, GMPs, FSMA, Food Defense, Food Fraud, Organic, Kosher, customer requirements, and internal FSQA programs.
• Perform routine monitoring, verification, and documentation reviews to ensure compliance with food safety, quality, sanitation, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish, maintain, and execute the monthly internal facility audit/self-inspection program, including documentation of findings, corrective action follow-up, and trend review.
• Support the development, review, implementation, and maintenance of FSQA programs, including the Food Safety Plan, Food Defense Plan, Food Fraud Program, Recall Plan, allergen controls, sanitation programs, shipping and receiving protocols, corrective actions, and related procedures.
• Investigate, document, and escalate food safety, quality, sanitation, GMP, audit, customer complaint, and regulatory issues; support root cause analysis and drive corrective and preventive actions through follow-up and closure.
• Coordinate and maintain FSQA training records and support training for GMPs, sanitation, food safety, HACCP, allergens, food defense, food fraud, traceability, recall, and other required programs.
• Partner with QA, R&D, Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, Warehouse, and Supply Chain teams to support documentation, specifications, plant trials, SOPs, SSOPs, GMPs, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support the organization and maintenance of ingredient specifications, production documentation, SOPs, SSOPs, GMPs, and other applicable FSQA records.
• Promote a strong food safety and quality culture by spending time on the manufacturing floor, coaching employees, reinforcing expectations, and supporting audit-ready behaviors.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Competencies & Skills

• Strong working knowledge of food safety and quality management systems, including SQF requirements, within a food manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, sanitation, allergen control, traceability, recall, food defense, food fraud, corrective actions, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Experience with root cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions.
• Strong organizational, planning, documentation, and follow-up skills.
• High attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate, audit-ready records.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively across departments and organizational levels.
• Comfortable spending significant time on the manufacturing floor working with employees and leadership to reinforce FSQA expectations.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, changing manufacturing environment with shifting priorities and schedules.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and other business or quality management systems.

Work Requirements

• Ability to cover shifts as needed to support FSQA operations, including weekends, holidays, and after-hours support.
• This is an on-site position based in the Coachella Valley. The selected candidate must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the Coachella Valley region to support daily on-site responsibilities.
• Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates.

*Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship. This position does not offer current or future employment visa sponsors

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their application online using the link below.