Job Description

Quality Specialist

Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory • Ingredient Distribution & Custom Blending • Greater Cincinnati / Southwest Ohio

The Opportunity

A well-established, privately held food-ingredient distributor and custom blender is adding a Quality Specialist to protect the integrity of its site Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory (FSQR) systems. The role supports SQF certification, regulatory and customer requirements, audit readiness, and day-to-day quality service for warehouse and blending operations.

This is a hands-on specialist seat—not a manager role. You will be the backup SQF Practitioner, own key verification and documentation work, and keep the system tight so production, sales, and customers can move with confidence. Remote work is available within a reasonable commute of the Southwest Ohio site. Travel is minimal (under 10%).

What You Will Do

Food safety system & SQF

• Serve as backup SQF Practitioner and help protect the integrity of the site SQF system.
• Maintain a qualified HACCP / Preventive Controls program for the site.
• Perform PCQI-required record verification; place product on hold when verification requires it.
• Reconcile hold inventory on a routine basis to confirm the hold program is working.
• Act as backup for the monthly SQF management meeting and support continuous improvement of the SQF system.
• Perform administrative work in enterprise food-safety software so systems and processes stay operational.

  Product, specs & customer documentation

• Review Certificates of Analysis on incoming custom-blend / ingredient transfers to confirm materials are fit for use.
• Generate, update, and maintain specifications, claims, and program statements for custom-blended products.
• Manage product and BOM usability status in the site ERP as needed.
• Fulfill document requests for internal customers.

  Investigations, audits & CAPA

• Support product and process investigations by running traces, collating records, and assembling data and trends for the SQF team.
• Track and close findings and CAPA from GMP walkthroughs.
• Participate in site inspections (GMP walkthroughs), customer audits, third-party audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Periodically audit contract warehouses and suppliers as needed.
• Identify and initiate action to prevent nonconformities in product, process, quality, or food-safety systems; escalate issues to management.

  Training, documents & reporting

• Track training status and records so the site meets SQF, regulatory, and customer requirements.
• Own FSQR document and record lifecycle: review, update, organization, storage, and retention on the site schedule.
• Communicate compliance results to operating groups and provide routine FSQR metrics reporting.
• Serve on the crisis-management team during events (power outage, weather, etc.) so HACCP and food-safety procedures stay in force.
• Provide backup coverage for the site Quality Technician as needed, and assume necessary operational/administrative duties when the supervisor is out.

  What We Are Looking For

  Education & experience

• Bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field, OR 2–5 years of experience in SQF-certified manufacturing or ingredient operations.
• Working understanding of food-safety principles as applied to warehouse operations and ingredient blending.

  Credentials (preferred / suggested)

• Preferred: SQF Practitioner, HACCP certificate, PCQI certificate.
• Suggested: internal audit training, food-fraud training, root-cause analysis training.

  Skills

• Clear communicator who can motivate people in a fast-paced environment.
• Continuous-improvement mindset; detail-oriented, organized, accurate; strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Able to work independently, show initiative, and stay flexible as priorities shift.
• Builds trust with colleagues and drives consistent results.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, especially Outlook and Excel. ERP experience (Sage X3 or similar) is a plus.
• Comfortable in food-safety platforms commonly used for specs, training, and document control.

  Working Conditions

• Typical schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00–5:00, 40 hours; occasional evenings or weekends based on business need (audits, holds, crisis events).
• Primarily office-based with regular presence in warehouse / blending areas. Remote work available.
• Occasional exposure to wet or humid conditions, moving equipment, dust, fumes, and typical warehouse environments.
• Regular lift/move up to 10 lbs; occasional up to 50 lbs. Ability to work at a computer for extended periods and move through the warehouse.

Why This Search Is Confidential

The client name is withheld so we can reach strong passive candidates without flooding the local market. If there is mutual interest after a first conversation, we will disclose the company, location details, reporting structure, and compensation range before any formal process.

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