Manager, Operations, Quality Assurance

Job Summary:

Reporting to the General Manager, The Quality and Food Safety Manager will be responsible for leading unit compliance with all Quality and Food Safety SOPs, customer and regulatory requirements at their assigned location.

This role plays a key part in maintaining product integrity and regulatory readiness by overseeing quality systems, conducting internal audits, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives. The QFS manager will also provide informed feedback and strategic recommendations on existing and proposed processes to both local operations and corporate leadership.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Executes and maintains food safety procedures in accordance with the unit HACCP plan and the North American Food Safety Management System. Leads all quality assurance (QA) and food/product safety initiatives, including but not limited to external audits, document control, traceability, mock recall exercises, and risk trend analysis. Actively leads the food safety team to promote a strong food safety and quality culture within the Dorval Unit. Serves as the primary contact for regulatory bodies (e.g., CFIA, FDA) and key customers on matters related to quality and food safety, including audits, compliance inquiries, and certifications. Develops and implements comprehensive quality systems and measures their effectiveness through verification of activities, controls, and preventive measures. Develops and maintains key performance metrics related to food safety and quality. Continuously improves unit procedures to monitor and ensure conformance to specifications across the end-to-end process. Leads cross-functional teams in the thorough execution of internal audits focused on food safety and quality systems. Ensures timely reporting of incidents, conducts root cause analyses, and implements effective corrective actions. Leads investigations of product defects, alleged foodborne illness, foreign objects, or other quality concerns; escalates to corporate teams as needed and responds to customers in a timely and professional manner. Maintains and manages the corrective and preventive action (CAPA) system; facilitates CAPA activities in collaboration with the leadership team. Reviews HACCP and food safety records to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with corporate procedures. Educates, trains, and communicates with unit staff and managers on quality and food safety-related topics to support compliance and continuous improvement. Collaborates with building maintenance and sanitation teams to ensure hygienic conditions that meet all food safety standards and support business needs. Acts as a leader of leaders by building a high-performing team and developing talent across the department. Maintains supplier quality assurance programs related to QA and food safety, including material inspections, shipping and receiving protocols, and supplier audits. Manages all expense and labor costs associated with the Quality and Food Safety (QFS) Department to meet budget targets.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in food science or related field
• HACCP Certification
• Food Handler or Food Safety Manager Certification applicable to provincial health requirements
• Certification or training in GFSI recognized audit schemes (e.g., BRCGS, GSSC 2000, SQF)
• Knowledge of Canadian Food safety regulations like SFCR, CFIA, PHAC, and SFCA
• Knowledge of internal auditing principles, internal auditor or lead auditor certification in GFSI scheme preferred

Work Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years quality assurance experience in a food manufacturing environment

• Auditing experience

• Proven ability to work with a team in a fast-paced environment

• Proven experience in development and implementation of quality and food safety processes

Job Skills:

Minimum skill requirements:

• Proven ability to lead cross functional teams and develop direct reports
• Knowledge of QFS auditing, inspection methods
• Strong investigation and problem-solving skills to identify root causes and practical solutions
• Detail-oriented
• Strong organizational skills, able to prioritize responsibilities and multi-task
• Strong interpersonal skills, interacts well with others, influences all levels of the organization
• Intermediate level Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Word, Teams, Outlook)
• Excellent reading, writing, and oral communication skills in English
• Able to work with little supervision, self-starter
• You are a change agent and influencer

Preferred Skills/Attributes:

• Data-driven, analytical skills including basic statistics calculation, and/or mathematical comprehension
• Project management skills
• Lean Six Sigma knowledge and continuous-improvement oriented

Language / Communication Skills:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Multi-lingual a plus
  • French recommended/required for Quebec

Job Dimensions

Type of Employment: Full-time

Work Environment / Requirements of the Job: Regularly stands, bends, lifts and moves intermittently during shifts.  Must be to lift, pull, push, and move products, equipment, and supplies daily.  Exposure to cooler and freezer temperatures in production areas. 

In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Candidates will be required to go through a criminal background check.

gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or other ground under applicable law.

Gate Gourmet Canada Inc. is pleased to accommodate applicants who have a disability up to the point of undue hardship during the recruitment, assessment and selection process. Please inform our Recruitment Team if you require a disability-related accommodation to participate in the recruitment process.