Quality Assurance Manager

Reporting directly to the Plant Manager, this position carries leadership responsibility over a dedicated QA team of 15 — spanning lab technicians, quality supervisors, and process improvement specialists. The Quality Manager also chairs the Quality Pillar within the Plant Leadership Team, with a strong focus on driving Continuous Improvement across operations.

• Accountable for production quality standards across the facility
• Oversee the Quality Department budget, including approval and reconciliation of expenditures
• Create, maintain, and improve quality documentation for the facility and all products
• Act as the facility's official point of contact for quality-related regulatory and government matters
• Lead a team of 15 quality professionals — including 11 technicians, 2 supervisors, and 2 process improvement specialists — through structured onboarding, development plans, and ongoing coaching
• Coordinate cross-functional communication between Marketing, Production, Technical Services, and Product Development

• Oversee the consumer complaint process from investigation through resolution
• Build and refine quality programs aligned with the facility's Pure & Clean standards
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement through education and performance data
• Ensure Quality systems are fully integrated with other operational and high-performance work systems
• Direct quality methodologies, systems coordination, and Statistical Process Control
• Maintain and implement HACCP, HACQP, FSMA, and Food Defense plans

• Function as the facility's SQF Practitioner, with annual responsibility for system verification and validation
• Ensure Quality Technicians are properly trained, qualified, and consistently executing required testing protocols
• Coordinate outside services including pest control, third-party lab testing, and equipment maintenance
• Administer the hold/release database for Finished Goods and Raw Materials
• Ensure plant and business initiatives remain aligned with all quality and compliance requirements
• Offer technical expertise in support of both current product lines and new product development

As the designated SQF Practitioner for the facility, this role carries full authority and accountability to:

• Develop and implement the Food Safety Fundamentals, Food Safety Plan, and Food Quality Plan
• Oversee the full lifecycle of the SQF System — development, implementation, review, and ongoing maintenance
• Safeguard the integrity of the SQF System and take corrective action when needed
• Ensure all relevant personnel are informed and equipped to maintain effective SQF compliance
• Scope includes Pre-Requisite Programs, Critical Control Points, Critical Quality Points, monitoring activities, sampling and analysis across raw materials, finished product, and work in progress, as well as scheduling and leading internal audits

• B.S. or M.S. in Food Science, Dairy Product Technology, Food Microbiology, Chemistry, or a comparable technical discipline with relevant industry experience
• 5–10 years in QA/QC within food manufacturing, with a track record of managing quality systems
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to author technical documents and contribute to policy development
• Background in GMP, SQF, TQM, HACCP, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement frameworks