Quality Assurance Manager

Personalization Mall, a , Inc. brand, is seeking a hands-on Quality Assurance Manager to lead food safety and quality programs at our Bolingbrook facility.

This role is responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable local, state, and federal food safety regulations while overseeing the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the facility’s Food Safety and Quality Management Systems. The Quality Assurance Manager will serve as the primary SQF Practitioner and PCQI, lead regulatory and third-party audits, develop the Quality team, and partner closely with Operations to maintain a safe, compliant, and audit-ready production environment.

The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader who is comfortable working on the production floor, coaching employees, making sound quality decisions, and balancing food safety requirements with operational needs.

What You’ll Do

• Follow and enforce all internal Quality and Food Safety requirements.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, GMP, and company standards.
• Serve as the facility’s primary SQF Practitioner and PCQI.
• Oversee the daily operation and continuous improvement of the SQF system.
• Develop, implement, maintain, verify, and validate the Food Safety Management System and prerequisite programs.
• Ensure compliance with SQF, HACCP, FSMA, GMPs, and internal standards.
• Lead and support scheduled and unannounced FDA, SQF, customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• Maintain continuous audit readiness and facility certification status.
• Ensure corrective and preventive actions are properly implemented, documented, and verified.
• Hire, train, supervise, coach, and evaluate Quality staff.
• Ensure required employee training and competency documentation are completed.
• Promote a strong food safety culture throughout the facility.
• Oversee incoming inspections, in-process monitoring, product testing, and finished-product release.
• Manage product holds, investigations, and the disposition of nonconforming materials.
• Support traceability, recall readiness, and mock recall exercises.
• Analyze audit results, complaints, testing data, and KPIs to identify trends and risks.
• Communicate food safety and quality risks to leadership and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Sanitation, Regulatory, and Supply Chain teams.
• Participate in leadership and production meetings and provide routine updates on food safety and quality performance.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and Quality experience.
• At least 5–7 years of experience in food manufacturing or Quality Assurance.
• Previous supervisory or management experience.
• Working knowledge of SQF, HACCP, FSMA, GMPs, and GFSI-recognized food safety systems.
• Experience leading, preparing for, or actively managing food safety and regulatory audits.
• HACCP certification or extensive HACCP experience preferred.
• PCQI certification or experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of Food Safety Management Systems and Quality Management Systems.
• Experience with CAPA, root-cause investigations, product holds, traceability, and recall readiness.
• Strong communication, coaching, documentation, and cross-functional relationship-building skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint.

Schedule and Work Environment

This position generally works Monday through Friday, with a minimum 40-hour workweek. Additional hours and occasional weekend availability may be required during peak seasons.

The majority of the role is performed in a production environment and requires regular visibility on the production floor. The position may require standing for extended periods, frequent bending and reaching, lifting up to 30 pounds regularly, and lifting up to 50 pounds occasionally.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a facility’s food safety and quality programs while helping strengthen processes, develop employees, and build a collaborative relationship between Quality and Operations. You’ll play a direct role in protecting product safety, quality, compliance, and the overall success of…