Position Title: Quality Assurance & Food Safety Supervisor
Reports to: Senior Manager, FSQA
Direct Reports: None
Salary: $70,000 – 80,000 per year
Hours of Work: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Flexibility is required to support operational needs, training, investigations, audits, and employee engagement activities across shifts.)
Benefits: Comprehensive Health & Dental Benefits including LTD, Life Insurance, AD&D, Health Care Spending Account (HCSA), and Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP).
Vacation: 2 weeks' vacation per year plus 8 Wellness Days.
The Organization:
Wholesome Kids Catering is a leading childcare catering company whose purpose is to Nourish Lives by providing healthy, delicious, child-friendly meals and snacks to childcare centres and schools. Our talented, skilled and committed staff are passionate about providing healthy food and exceptional ‘surprising’ service to all of our customers. Tasty, child-focused menus reflect our successful ‘Eat Grow Thrive’ philosophy, which combines excellent nutrition with flavors and foods children love. We are a growing business committed to becoming the Dominant Brand in our industry, always working as trusted partners and living our culture which values integrity and delivering WOW for our customers, co-workers and communities.
The Role:
The Quality & Food Safety Supervisor is a hands-on, site-based technical leader responsible for supporting the implementation, maintenance, verification, and continuous improvement of Wholesome Kids Catering’s Quality and Food Safety Management System. This role reports to the Senior Manager, Quality & Food Safety.
Acting as the site’s subject matter expert, the Supervisor plays a key role in upholding HACCP integrity, ensuring prerequisite program effectiveness, supporting risk assessment activities, and contributing to verification, audit readiness, and compliance with regulatory, customer, and internal requirements. Decision-making authority is exercised within the scope of the role, with escalation to the Senior Manager as appropriate.
The Supervisor works cross-functionally with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and site Leadership to identify, assess, and mitigate food safety and quality risks. This includes supporting timely escalation, thorough investigation, and sustainable resolution of deviations.
While sanitation execution, staffing, and scheduling are managed by the Sanitation Supervisor, this role provides oversight through verification, monitoring, and system reviews to ensure sanitation outcomes consistently meet food safety, quality, and regulatory expectations.
Success:
Success in this role is demonstrated by food safety systems that are stable, effective, current, and audit‑ready always. Identified risks are addressed promptly, corrective actions are effective and sustained and repeat non‑conformances are minimized.
Through strong verification discipline, technical leadership, data‑driven analysis, and cross‑functional influence, the Quality & Food Safety Supervisor strengthens food safety culture, improves operational confidence, and supports positive audit, regulatory, and customer outcomes.
Key Responsibilities:
Food Safety & HACCP System Ownership
- Own, maintain, and continuously improve the facility’s HACCP/Preventive Control Plan.
- Lead hazard analyses, validations, verifications, reassessments, and change evaluations.
- Ensure effective control and monitoring of CCPs and oPRPs through record review, observation, and trending.
- Maintain allergen control programs, including segregation, verification, training, and investigation of allergen‑related risks.
- Maintain and oversee the environmental monitoring program, including sampling plans, trending, investigations, and corrective actions.
- Lead mock recalls and support overall recall preparedness and execution readiness.
Program Oversight, Verification & Compliance
- Maintain prerequisite programs including GMPs, sanitation oversight, training programs, pest control, calibration, and document control.
- Verify sanitation effectiveness through record review, pre‑operational inspections, observations, and trend analysis, in collaboration with the Sanitation Supervisor.
- Review food safety data including audits, inspections, non‑conformances, complaints, deviations, and test results to identify trends and systemic risks.
- Ensure SOPs, policies, forms, and records remain current, accurate, controlled, and compliant with regulatory and certification requirements.
Verification, Audits & Regulatory Readiness
- Conduct internal audits, GMP audits, and verification activities according to the audit schedule.
- Support customer, regulatory (Public Health/CFIA), and third‑party audits and inspections.
- Provide technical support and subject matter expertise for food safety–related audit findings and inquiries, as directed.
- Ensure corrective actions are implemented, verified for effectiveness, and closed in a timely manner, with appropriate escalation and communication.
Leadership & Collaboration:
Talent & Capability Support
- Provide guidance, coaching, and technical support to cross-functional teams (Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, etc.) to promote alignment with food safety and quality expectations.
- Support onboarding and training of employees on food safety, GMP, and quality programs to ensure understanding and compliance.
- Reinforce Wholesome Kids Catering’s culture by promoting accountability, open communication, and continuous improvement.
- Partner with supervisors and managers to support performance improvement related to food safety and quality behaviours.
- Contribute to the development and delivery of training materials, tools, and resources to build site capability.
Collaboration & Influence
- Work cross-functionally to drive consistent execution of quality and food safety programs.
- Participate in regular site meetings (e.g., huddles, reviews) to share insights, highlight risks, and support problem-solving.
- Escalate concerns related to performance, compliance, or behaviours through appropriate leadership channels.
- Maintain clear, professional, and constructive communication, including supporting difficult conversations related to food safety and quality expectations when required.
Continuous Improvement, Innovation & Expertise:
- Make Level 3 recommendations based on data, verification results, and risk trends to drive continuous improvement.
- Support and promote a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging cross-functional participation in process improvement initiatives.
- Contribute to initiatives related to food safety, sanitation effectiveness, audit performance, and operational efficiency.
- Participate in equipment trials, process changes, and change management activities, providing food safety and quality input.
- Collaborate with Supervisors, Managers, and Directors across functions to support implementation of continuous improvement and change initiatives.
- Monitor and help advance continuous improvement initiatives to ensure consistent progress and alignment with site and company priorities.
- Leverage and explore technology to enhance food safety, quality, and operational effectiveness.
- Identify and recommend more efficient, accurate, and sustainable approaches to processes and systems based on business needs.
Leadership:
- Actively lives the Wholesome Values and supports the sales team and others in Wholesome to also actively live the Values.
- Influence and support a positive, accountable culture by engaging with teams and participating in site initiatives and events.
- Partner with site leadership to support effective daily operations and achievement of business objectives.
- Exercise professionalism, confidentiality, diplomacy, and sound judgment in all interactions.
- Ensure adherence to legal requirements, company policies, and food safety standards.
- Contribute to cross-functional projects, providing technical expertise and support as required.
- Lead or participate in special assignments and initiatives within the scope of the role.
Qualifications & Role Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a related discipline.
- Minimum five (5) years’ experience in a HACCP‑controlled food manufacturing or catering environment.
- Strong demonstrated knowledge of HACCP systems, prerequisite programs, GMPs, and Canadian food regulatory requirements.
- Experience with SQF, BRC, or other GFSI‑benchmarked standards.
- Experience maintaining HACCP plans and prerequisite programs independently.
- Ability to liaise confidently with external stakeholders including regional health/CFIA inspectors, auditors, suppliers, and customers.
- Internal Auditor certification required; PCQI and additional food safety certifications considered strong assets
Skills, Knowledge & Abilities:
- Models and upholds the company’s charter and values.
- Strong analytical, critical‑thinking, and problem‑solving skills.
- High attention to detail and documentation discipline.
- Strong Customer Centric Focus and Service Orientation.
- Personable, professional and able to collaborate effectively within a diverse team environment.
- Strong ability to train new employees and transfer knowledge in a patient and consistent manner.
- Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work independently in a fast‑paced, multi‑task environment.
- Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel.
- Ability to build trust with others.
- Good listening skills and approachable.
- Self-driven, motivated and results oriented.
- Proven track record of meeting individual performance goals and contributing to overall team and site performance objectives.
Competencies:
- Customer Focus: Demonstrates a strong customer orientation to enhance business performance.
- Change Management: Embraces change to support and position the business for future success.
- Results Focus: Ensures accountability and commitment to achieve business objectives.
- Motivating Others: Creates a climate that engages and empowers people to perform at their best.
- Communication: Expresses information and ideas in a clear and compelling manner
- Decision-Making: Employs the right mix of analysis and experience to formulate sound judgments.
- Continuous Improvement: Seeks ways to enhance business and operational efficiencies.
- Digital Literacy:
The ability to discover, evaluate, and use information and technology effectively through various apps and digital tools.
- Emotional Maturity: Demonstrates stress tolerance and composure amidst workplace demands.
KPIs / Success Measures:
- HACCP and prerequisite program reviews completed on time with zero overdue actions.
- ≥95% internal audit and GMP compliance scores.
- ≥95% on‑time corrective action closure.
- Reduction in repeat food safety deviations and customer complaints.
- Positive customer, regulatory, and third‑party audit outcomes.
Physical & Workplace Requirements:
- Regular presence in production, sanitation, warehouse, and cold‑storage environments.
- Standing and walking for extended periods.
- Occasional lifting up to 30 lbs.
- Required use of PPE and ability to work in hot and cold environments as needed.
Personal Style:
- 100% trustworthy with the highest level of integrity.
- Model and uphold the company’s charter and values.
- Highly driven with the ability to take ownership and responsibility.
Highly analytical with a passion for curiosity combined with sound business judgment gained through training and experience.
Plays to Win!
Respectful of others and self.- Hands on with a willingness to roll up sleeves and get involved.
- A real curiosity about data, trends, business, and processes.
- Thrives in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to deal with ambiguity in a growing company.
- Self-aware, with a high degree of emotional intelligence.
- Low ego.
- Growth Mindset.
- Values and seeks feedback from others.
Level 3 Thinking.
- Represents the company in a professional manner.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer
Wholesome Kids Catering is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing accommodation in accordance with the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If you require accommodation throughout the recruitment and selection process, we will work with you to meet your needs. We thank all those applicants who have applied; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
