The FSQ RTE Manager (Technical Authority) is the single point of authority for food safety within all Ready-to-Eat (RTE) production and packaging operations . This role is responsible for ensuring that no contamination pathway exists between environmental, personnel, or process risks and finished product . The position operates as a real-time risk controller , making immediate decisions on product safety, production continuation, and release. In this structure: Sanitation executes cleaning (Plant Manager) FSQ RTE defines standards and approves effectiveness This role is accountable for closing the gap between: 👉 what should happen vs. what actually happens on the floor.   Key Responsibilities Real-Time Food Safety Authority Make final decisions on: Product release / hold Line startup approval Production shutdowns Lead escalation and response to: Deviations Sanitation failures Environmental risks Hygienic Zoning Design & Enforcement Define and enforce: RAW → RTE separation Personnel and material flow Controlled entry/exit points Audit zoning behavior daily: Boot wash compliance Tool segregation Eliminate all cross-contamination pathways Sanitation Standards & Validation Define sanitation expectations: 7-step cleaning system Validate cleaning effectiveness through: Direct observation ATP and micro results Reject sanitation that does not meet standard Pre-Operational Control Own pre-op verification standards Audit high-risk equipment and repeat issue areas Ensure no production begins under unsafe conditions Environmental Monitoring & Pathogen Control Partner with Micro Lab Manager to: Interpret trends Identify harborage points Lead response to Listeria risks Eliminate repeat contamination zones High-Risk Vector Control Define and enforce controls for: Drains Condensation Equipment niches Enforce drain segregation and no-spray policies Floor Leadership & Enforcement Maintain strong floor presence Correct GMP violations immediately Hold operations, sanitation, and maintenance accountable Ensure the RTE process is scientifically sound, controlled, and safe What They Own Process & Food Safety Authority (Highest Risk Area) Kill step (smokehouse lethality) Cooling, drying, post-lethality handling RTE contamination prevention (Listeria risk) Process Validation Thermal validation Challenge studies Scientific basis of controls