Senior Supplier Quality Assurance Specialist - Produce; Lathrop, CA

Position: Senior Supplier Quality Assurance Specialist - Produce (Lathrop, CA)
Description & Requirements

Come join our family at In-N-Out Burger!

The Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) team has an excellent opportunity for a full-time Senior Supplier QA Specialist - Produce based in Lathrop, CA. The Senior Supplier QA Specialist - Produce plays a critical role in safeguarding the integrity, safety, and quality of all fresh produce within the supply chain. This position ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, company standards, and industry best practices, while maintaining consistency across sourcing, handling, and distribution.

The Specialist is responsible for implementing and monitoring produce-specific food safety and quality programs, including supplier verification, cold chain management, and defect reduction initiatives. This role involves conducting inspections, audits, and data analysis to identify trends and drive continuous improvement in produce quality.

Working closely with cross-functional partners-such as Procurement, Warehouse Operations, Logistics, and Store Operations-the FSQA Specialist provides technical expertise, resolves quality issues, and ensures alignment with In-N-Out's mission to deliver the freshest, highest-quality food to customers. The position also supports training and education efforts for internal teams and suppliers to uphold strict produce standards.

* This position is full-time, onsite only
* General Responsibilities

Supplier, Regulatory & Brand Compliance

• Ensure Supplier compliance with FDA, FSMA, GMPs, and state/local food safety regulations.
• Stay updated on current trends in the produce industry and provide recommendations to mitigate risk.
• Represent INO at industry conferences and serve on technical committees to advance food safety initiatives.

Produce Quality Oversight & Supplier Engagement

• Schedule and conduct routine and for-cause visits; assist in improving Supplier programs.
• Ensure robust testing protocols are created and executed by Suppliers.
• Lead investigations and take corrective action when applicable for deviations, complaints, and non-conformances.

Store Support

• Supports INO's hold program, aged inventory reviews, and inventory adjustments for products and packaging.
• Reports deviations or non-conformances to the FSQA Manager and contributes to the development and implementation of corrective actions.
• Responds to general QA inquiries from stores, assists in complaint investigations, performs root cause analyses, and supports corrective action development.

Quality Systems

• Analyze historical data and weather patterns to proactively identify potential trends in quality issues.
• Engage suppliers and DCs to mitigate quality issues using actionable data.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to enhance produce consistency and operational efficiency.

Professional and Industry Knowledge Development

• Continue professional development in Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Auditing, and other core technical competencies.
• This includes attending industry related workshops, including mandatory yearly trainings that will provide industry updates on regulations and processes. By understanding the regulations and remaining up to date, this will assist them in minimizing process control deviations and product exposure through root cause determination and implementing continuous improvement strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree Food Science, Microbiology, or related field required
• Master's degree Food Science, Microbiology, or related field preferred
• 10 years of experience in produce food safety and quality assurance related fields is required
• 3-5 years leadership role in produce related industries required
• Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) required
• HACCP certification required
• GFSI Lead Auditor certification preferred
• MS Office - Intermediate
• ERP Systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Net Suite or of similar nature)
• Asana - Basic
• Document Management Systems (e.g., SharePoint)
• CRM / Complaint Management Systems
• Email & Communication Tools (e.g., Outlook, Teams)
• Other internal software applications as provided and trained

Work Environment

• Work in cold conditions (~28F+, non-weather)
• Wet, humid conditions (non-weather)
• Work near moving mechanical parts
• Dangerous machinery - Occasionally
• Work in high, precarious places - None

Physical Demands

• Sitting, Standing, talking, and listening;
  Use of hands to handle, touch, or feel (Regularly/50-100%)
• Lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds (Occasionally/ 10-20%)
• Walking, kneeling, reaching, twisting, pushing, pulling;
  Reach with hands and arms (Occasionally/10-20%)

Work Schedule + Benefits

• Full-time position, Exempt
• Pay Range is $95,292 - $119,000 annually
• The above represents the expected pay range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we'll consider your experience and other job-related factors.
• Office Hours in Lathrop, CA:
  Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm
• Regular Travel 50% of the time
• Department needs may call for work outside of regularly scheduled days and times (nights, weekends)
• Excellent Benefits, to include Medical,…