Quality Control Manager

Job Title:

Quality Control Manager

Job Description

The Quality Control Manager provides enterprise-level leadership for all quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance programs within a manufacturing environment. This role ensures best-in-class product integrity, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and aligns quality systems with business objectives and customer expectations. As a key member of the leadership team, this individual partners cross-functionally with Manufacturing, R&D, and Supply Chain to support operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction.

The position oversees food safety systems, audit readiness, preventive controls, laboratory operations, and crisis management while developing and mentoring a high-performing quality organization.

Responsibilities

* Provide enterprise-level leadership for quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance programs across manufacturing operations.

* Design, implement, and maintain robust quality systems that ensure best-in-class product integrity and consistency.

* Oversee food safety systems, including HACCP, GMP, and GFSI (with emphasis on BRC), to ensure compliance with internal and external standards.

* Lead audit readiness and manage customer, regulatory, and third-party audits from preparation through follow-up and corrective actions.

* Develop, monitor, and refine key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive continuous improvement and measure quality performance.

* Implement and oversee Statistical Process Control (SPC) to monitor process capability and improve product quality.

* Lead root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) activities to address quality issues and prevent recurrence.

* Partner with Manufacturing, R&D, and Supply Chain teams to embed quality and food safety into processes, new products, and operational initiatives.

* Serve as a customer-facing quality leader, addressing inquiries, managing escalations, and supporting customer satisfaction and trust.

* Provide leadership in crisis management, including incident response, product quality issues, and enterprise risk mitigation.

* Oversee laboratory operations, including testing protocols, equipment calibration, and data integrity practices.

* Direct and support sanitation programs, allergen control, environmental monitoring, and food defense initiatives.

* Coach, develop, and manage a high-performing quality team, including supervisors, coordinators, and quality technicians.

* Set clear performance expectations, conduct performance reviews, and create development plans to build organizational capability.

* Collaborate with leadership to align quality strategies with business goals and support innovation, safety, and operational excellence.

* Support multi-site quality oversight, ensuring consistent standards, processes, and best practices across locations.

* Engage in continuous improvement projects to enhance processes, reduce defects, and improve overall product and system performance.

* Communicate effectively with executives and stakeholders, providing clear updates, risk assessments, and recommendations.

* Support integration of quality systems into new product commercialization, ensuring compliance and robust launch readiness.

* Contribute to long-term brand integrity by safeguarding product safety, regulatory compliance, and customer confidence.

Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related Life Sciences discipline.

* 5-12+ years of progressive quality or food safety leadership experience in food or consumables manufacturing.

* Demonstrated enterprise-level quality and food safety leadership in manufacturing environments.

* Strong expertise in HACCP, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and GFSI schemes, with BRC experience preferred.

* Proven experience leading customer, regulatory, and third-party audits and inspections.

* Hands-on experience with regulatory compliance and audit management in a manufacturing context.

* Experience in continuous improvement, including KPI development and implementation.

* Proficiency in Statistical Process Control (SPC) implementation and data-driven decision-making.

* Strong skills in root cause analysis and leadership of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).

* Experience overseeing laboratory operations, including calibration and data integrity management.

* Crisis management and enterprise risk mitigation experience related to quality and food safety.

* Strong executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills.

* Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally with Manufacturing, R&D, and Supply Chain teams.

* Experience in customer-facing quality leadership and managing quality-related issues and escalations.

* Demonstrated ability to develop, coach, and manage teams, including supervisors and technical staff.

* Knowledge and practical experience with sanitation, allergen control, environmental monitoring, and food defense programs.

Job Type & Location

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