Food Safety & Quality Assurance Specialist

About the Role

Orca Bay Foods is looking for a Food Safety & Quality Assurance Specialist to enhance food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and audit readiness in their seafood production facility based in Seattle, WA. This position ensures that products consistently adhere to customer expectations, legal regulations, and company standards while fostering a strong culture focused on food safety, quality, and continuous organizational improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in implementing and sustaining food safety and quality programs within the facility.
• Ensure adherence to HACCP, Seafood HACCP standards, GMPs, SSOPs, SQF, BAP, SMETA, Costco Social Compliance, and all pertinent regulatory and customer demands.
• Provide support during customer, third-party, and regulatory audits by preparing necessary documentation, participating in site inspections, and managing the closure of corrective actions.
• Investigate issues related to product quality, customer complaints, non-conformances, and food safety incidents; facilitate root cause analysis and the execution of corrective and preventive measures.
• Maintain detailed, well-organized, and audit-ready food safety, quality, and compliance records.
• Collaborate closely with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, Human Resources, and Corporate Quality teams to promote compliance initiatives and continuous process improvements.
• Analyze environmental, sanitation, and quality monitoring data to detect trends and recommend appropriate corrective or preventive actions.
• Conduct training sessions for employees on HACCP, GMPs, food safety protocols, quality systems, and regulatory compliance.
• Perform product inspections, verify processes, monitor environmental parameters, and engage in other assigned quality assurance activities.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Quality Assurance, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in food safety or quality assurance within food manufacturing, seafood processing, or comparably regulated sectors.
• Comprehensive understanding of HACCP, FDA regulations, SQF, BAP, GMPs, sanitation programs, and food safety systems.
• Experience managing customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• Required HACCP Certification or willingness to obtain it; certifications like SQF Practitioner and PCQI are advantageous.
• Strong leadership, communication, analytical, and organizational abilities.
• Proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel, and preferably experience with ESHA Genesis R&D software.
• Knowledge of third-party web data tools, food ingredients, allergens, ingredient functions, product formulations, nutrition, labeling, and applicable regulations.

Certifications

HACCP certification is required; PCQI and SQF certifications are beneficial.

Compensation and Benefits

The expected salary range for this position is $72,000 to $85,000 annually, depending on factors such as job complexity, responsibilities, required skills, experience, and location.

• Fully employer-paid medical and dental insurance.
• 401(k) profit-sharing retirement plan.
• Paid time off accruing up to 15 days from hire.
• Nine paid holidays annually.
• Group life insurance.
• Long-term disability coverage.
• Employee assistance program.
• Flexible spending account.
• Pre-tax commuter benefits.
• Optional voluntary benefits including vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Complimentary parking.

Equal Opportunity and Accessibility

Orca Bay Foods is committed to providing equal employment opportunities without discrimination on any protected characteristics. Reasonable accommodations for disabilities are available upon request during the recruitment process.