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Food Safety & Quality Assurance Technologist - 2nd Shift

Smithfield Foods

Tar Heel, NCFull-timeSeen 3mo agoStill listed 6 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
No compensation found
Location
Tar Heel, NC
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The Food Safety & Quality Assurance Technologist on the 2nd shift ensures product safety and quality by performing sanitation checks, enforcing HACCP and USDA regulations, inspecting processes, and driving continuous improvement while collaborating with production teams.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

EnglishHACCPUSDA RegulationsQuality Assurance PrinciplesFood ScienceMeat ProcessingMonitoring EquipmentData AnalysisOffice SoftwareTechnical Documentation

Qualifications

High School DiplomaAssociate’s Degree

Full job description

If you are currently employed at Smithfield, please log into Workday and submit your application through the Jobs Hub.

Have a seat at our table. When you join Smithfield, you become part of something special – a company that's sustainably feeding people around the world, producing good food the right way with respect for our people, animals, communities and planet. With opportunities across locations and functions, a culture grounded in our Core Four values - gratitude, communication, respect and accountability - and a strong commitment to learning, collaboration, and innovation, Smithfield offers challenging and rewarding careers where you can grow, contribute and make a real impact. Apply Now!

THE VALUE YOU’LL BRING: The position summary states the general nature and purpose of the job. Overall accountabilities are defined in this section.

As part of our Food Safety & Quality Assurance team, you will play an important role in ensuring our products meet the highest standards. You will perform routine sanitation checks, enforce HACCP and USDA regulations, and use your technical expertise to track products from start to finish — identifying issues and driving corrective actions when needed.

You will be responsible for monitoring quality in your area, from grading products and documenting results to overseeing sanitation, temperatures, GMPs, and more. Working closely with production teams, you’ll help resolve issues, investigate root causes, and improve processes. You’ll also support quality programs through training and performance assessment.

Your attention to detail ensures our brands — from Smithfield to Nathan’s Famous — are delivered safely and with confidence.

WHAT YOU’LL DO: The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. May perform other duties as assigned.

  • Quality Verification: You conduct routine inspections — including process, metal detection, cooking, and chilling — to ensure products meet all quality standards. You identify and act on out-of-spec products, interpret customer specs, and collaborate with teams to correct issues quickly.

  • Quality Improvement: You drive continuous improvement by addressing deficiencies, identifying root causes of failures, and supporting QA programs. This includes training, spec reviews, and collaborating on initiatives to enhance product quality and reduce waste.

  • Food Safety & HACCP Compliance: You help develop and enforce HACCP programs, monitor critical control points, and ensure food safety protocols are followed throughout the production process.

  • Regulatory & Sanitation Oversight: You ensure USDA regulatory requirements are met, assist with food safety documentation updates, and perform pre-op sanitation checks — following up to guarantee proper cleaning and sampling procedures.

  • Communication & Training: You report food safety issues, recommend corrective actions, and support plant training on deficiencies. In the absence of key personnel, you're prepared to step in or delegate responsibilities as needed.

WHAT WE’RE SEEKING: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

  • High school diploma or general education degree (GED), required.

  • For internal candidates with 4+ years of experience with the company, the Company has the discretion to waive educational requirements.

  • Must have the ability to complete required forms in English, which requires the ability to read and write in English.

  • Demonstrates knowledge of quality assurance principles, food science, meat processing, and USDA regulations, ensuring compliance with company and industry standards.

  • Capable of creating, interpreting, and maintaining technical documents, reports, and manuals, with effective written and verbal communication across teams and stakeholders.

  • Experienced in using monitoring equipment, analyzing data, and responding to regulatory or customer inquiries with sound, evidence-based decisions.

  • Proficient in office software and able to interpret and follow instructions in various formats, including written, oral, and visual.

OTHER SKILLS THAT MAKE YOU STAND OUT:

  • Associate’s degree, preferred

  • Effectively collaborates with others in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while maintaining a respectful, approachable, and team-oriented attitude to foster strong working relationships and a positive workplace culture.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands described here are representative of those an employee should possess to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • Office and plant setting. The plant environment will include wet or humid conditions (non-weather related), extreme cold and heat (non-weather related), working near moving mechanical parts, exposure to fumes or airborne particles, and chemicals.

  • Noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but can be loud when in the production area.

  • Occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds

  • Specific vision includes close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.

  • Exposed to temperatures ranging from 30 - 80 degrees, working in warm and cold area simultaneously.

  • Frequently required to stand for prolonged times; walk; use hands to handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear.

EEO Information Smithfield is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, gender identity, protected veterans status, status as a disabled individual or any other protected group status or non-job characteristic as directed by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment selection process, please call us at 757-357-1595.

How this job compares

Set against the 4,957 open Quality Assurance jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 27, 2026.

Pay
  • This postingNot listed
  • North Carolina median$79–138K/yr54 salary ranges
  • North Carolina median$30–38/hr30 hourly ranges
Openings
Olive Jobs lists 200 open Quality Assurance jobs in North Carolina and 4,957 across the US. 3% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in North Carolina
Experience
This posting asks for at least 4 years of experience; Quality Assurance postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (3,826 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a high school diploma; 2,624 of the 4,957 open Quality Assurance jobs (53%) ask for a high school diploma or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 27, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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