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Fishwife is a woman-founded food company specializing in ethically-sourced, premium tinned seafood. The company has grown rapidly since launch in December 2020, earning features in The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Forbes, Vogue, and other major publications.
As Food Safety & Quality Specialist, you will own the complete food safety and quality program end-to-end. This is an expert individual contributor role reporting to the Product Development & Quality Manager. You will inherit a working foundation and scale it to support the company's growth trajectory.
Key responsibilities include:
**Food Safety Program & Compliance**: Own and maintain the food safety plan and quality management system, including FDA seafood HACCP (21 CFR Part 123) and Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) requirements. Maintain recall readiness by owning the recall plan, leading the recall team through hazard assessment and classification, FDA and customer communication, and effectiveness checks. Run mock recalls at least annually. Maintain lot code standards and one-up, one-down traceability from cannery through 3PL to customer. Keep all specs, COAs, certificates, audit reports, and import documents current and retrievable across FoodLogiQ, TraceGains, and the Quality & Food Safety Hub to ensure audit readiness.
**Product Quality & Lot Release**: Own product specifications end-to-end, from creation and version control to alignment across internal, cannery, and customer specs. Set release criteria for every new item before first production. Establish and enforce COA standards by product and hazard (histamine, water activity, pH, seam integrity, microbiological results). Review COAs and production records for every lot before release, documenting all hold and release decisions. Run verification testing with accredited third-party labs, including shelf-life validation. Serve as internal authority on quality and food safety questions.
**Supplier Quality, Complaints & Claims**: Own approval, reverification, and audits for canneries, co-manufacturers, and critical suppliers. Review third-party certifications (BRCGS, SQF, IFS) and maintain a supplier quality scorecard. Manage the complaint program with Customer Experience, investigate root cause, and drive corrective and preventive action. Resolve quality claims with canneries by documenting defects, quantifying impact, and recovering credit or replacement product. Prepare Fishwife for customer, retailer, and regulatory audits. Report quality KPIs and write SOPs for support resources.
You will work with tools including Notion, Google Workspace, FoodLogiQ, TraceGains, Cin7 (ERP and lot tracking), and Gorgias (consumer complaints).
**REQUIREMENTS**
- 5+ years in food quality assurance or food safety, owning a program rather than supporting one
- Personally written or rebuilt a HACCP plan and kept it current through verification and reassessment
- Seafood HACCP certified and PCQI trained, or able to complete both within 90 days of starting
- Deep, hands-on recall experience: led or co-led a recall, market withdrawal, or full mock recall, including classification, regulator and customer communication, and effectiveness checks
- Experience managing quality at co-manufacturers or contract packers, ideally including international partners
- Working fluency in FDA requirements governing imported, shelf-stable foods, including FSMA, FSVP, and preventive controls
- Experience preparing for and hosting third-party, customer, and regulatory audits
- Exceptionally organized with documentation; comfortable in a role heavy on paperwork
- Written communication that is clear, specific, respectful, and firm on standards
**Nice to Have**
- Seafood or canned goods experience, especially with histamine-forming species, low-acid canned foods, or Better Process Control School certification
- FSVP qualified individual experience and familiarity with import entry, FDA holds, and customs documentation
- Experience at a smaller or fast-growing brand where you built the program rather than inherited it
- Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or related field
- Spanish or another language spoken by partner canneries
