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QA Food Safety Manager

Company Overview:

ChocXO Chocolatier LLC is a fast-growing, premium North American chocolate manufacturer redefining how modern food manufacturing is built and scaled. Privately owned, well-capitalized, and founder-led, we operate at the intersection of branded CPG, contract manufacturing, innovation, and sustainability — with the freedom to invest long-term and do things the right way.

In the past year alone, we have:

Scaled from one manufacturing site to three
Expanded our brand portfolio, including the mission-driven Endangered Species Chocolate
Invested heavily in new capacity, automation, and enterprise-grade systems
Begun construction on a next-generation manufacturing campus in Rockwall, Texas

Our manufacturing footprint includes:

Delta, British Columbia – 60,000 sq. ft., fully automated, SQF Level 3 flagship
Indianapolis, Indiana – 35,000 sq. ft. facility, home of Endangered Species Chocolate
Rockwall, Texas – 225,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution complex opening in 2026

We are now entering the most important phase of our growth: institutionalizing excellence. This is the shift from growth powered by heroics to growth powered by systems, discipline, and repeatability.

The Role
The QA & Food Safety Manager is responsible for ensuring that product quality standards and food safety systems meet company standards, federal regulations and customer expectations. This position provides leadership and training to ensure organizational policies, regulations and procedures are met as related to food safety and compliance with legislation and regulation. The QA & Food Safety Manager is responsible for establishing the processes to improve the effectiveness of the SQF, GFCO, Organic, Kosher, Vegan, Fair Trade and Non-GMO Systems and to demonstrate continuous improvement in food safety and quality culture.

Key Responsibilities

Develops, implements, monitors and updates food quality SOPs.
Issues, reviews and maintains product specifications and certificates of analysis
Ensures proper Quality Assurance documentation and control is implemented, maintained, and conducts ongoing verifications.
Collaborates with the product development team to ensure quality assurance requirements are met
Develops, implements and trains all employees on quality assurance, food safety and security, and crisis management procedures
Develop programs to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements
Develops and maintains FSPCA plans and processes to focus on enhancing food safety and preventive controls
Develops, implements, monitors and updates food safety and sanitation SOPs.
Ensures policies and procedures are followed during purchasing, receiving, storing, shipping, raw material evaluations, sanitation and compliance with good manufacturing practices.
Ensures that Chewters is achieving improvement on related Key Performance Indicators
Develop food safety programs, including transport, storage, purchasing, shipping and receiving, equipment and preventive maintenance, personnel and training, sanitation and pest control, recall programs, and operational control programs.
Keep-to-date knowledge of new food safety risks, regulatory changes impacting food safety and novel approaches to food safety issue and to present this to cross-functional departments
Manages the sanitation team to conduct thorough cleaning on machines so that lines are operational and to sanitation standards
Drives and encourages ownership on sanitation practices, Line operators and line workers that exceeds expected levels of cleanliness and orderliness.
Champions a Lean system and practices in facility
Improve overall plant cleanliness assigning sanitation personnel and daily plant inspections
Establishes the processes to improve the effectiveness of the SQF, GFCO, Organic, Vegan, Fair Trade and Kosher Systems to demonstrate continuous improvement.
Performs food safety and quality audits to verify compliance with regulatory and Food Safety standards
Leads the resolution of issues related to quality policies, procedures, regulations, and compliance, and sets action priorities.
Oversees all customer specifications, technical requirements and product standards are current and updated. Direct, develop, manage and update all quality programs as necessary to comply with customer regulatory and company standards (Quality Programs include Vendor Certification, Incoming Goods Inspection, Sanitation, FSPCA, Pest Control, Non-Compliance/Hold
Provides leadership in resolving customer complaints, Control the recording of all corrective action procedures and publish progress reports to be in compliance with SQF requirements
Contacts the suppliers/ reviews supplier’s data on an on-going basis and keeps the supplier matrix updated on an on-going basis. Follows up with the suppliers on the missing/expired documentations regularly and as per outlined in Vendor Approval program
Liaise with regulatory agents and inspectors to ensure that the facility is compliant with legislation and regulations.
Develops, implements, monitors and updates annual QA budget
Leads a change management process to build organizational understanding of proposed changes, establish support from key leadership stakeholders, and effectively implement new deployment and job models.

Monitor and review training program for QA staff and ensure that the latest OH&S, Quality and FSPCA Practices are included in the training program and continually assess employee competencies to ensure all t have a complete working understanding of the Quality Policy& Food safety fundamentals

Required Experience & Profile

Bachelor’s degree in food science or related field
SQF or any other GFSI certification
Experience with Mondelez Plant certification process a major plus
Minimum 10 years of experience in the food processing industry
Experience with Plant QA/Sanitation/Food Safety or manufacturing
Knowledge of FSPCA and other food safety regulations
Experience in Food Safety Regulations (US and Canada)
In-depth understanding in food microbiology/food chemistry/toxicology
Proven track record of continuous improvement successes and efficiencies; familiar with lean manufacturing principles including Root Cause Analysis
Leads by example – displays expected leadership qualities and values of the company.
Delegation -Delegating tasks to the right employee, department, or team.
Teamwork - building an inclusive workforce.
Positivity - be on board with the direction of the company.
Communication - able to clearly and professionally communicate with others. Able to provide honest and effective feedback and able to professionally approach disagreements or difficult conversations.
Listening – Actively listens to others to indicate others are heard and opinions are valued.
Emotional Intelligence – Having emotional awareness; the ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problem solving; and the ability to manage emotions, which includes regulating own emotions and cheering up or calming down other people.
Decision making – Able to solve problems and make fact-based decisions on time.
Collaboration - Promotes collaboration by unifying teams, setting common goals and incentivizing collaborative work.
Flexibility – Ability to adapt own management style to the diverse needs within their team.

Working Conditions:

Able to sit and stand in an office setting
Able to walk around on the production floor as needed
Must wear protective clothing, such as coats, hair nets and safety shoes when on the production floor
Exposure to machinery sounds and loud noise levels
Ability to push, pull, bend and lift in an office and production setting

Location