Quality Control and Assurance Manager

Lark Ellen Farm is a fast-growing natural foods company and an Inc. 5000 honoree, recognized among America’s fastest-growing private companies. Based in Ojai, California, the company crafts USDA Organic sprouted granolas, nuts, and seeds using its proprietary Air-Crisped™ method and Spa Day™ treatment for a light, oil-free crunch made from clean, real ingredients. Lark Ellen Farm also offers Purely Sprouted, a line of Non-GMO Verified snack mixes featuring sprouted nuts and seeds.

The company is proudly woman-founded and guided by the philosophy “Food That Loves You Back™,” focusing on nutritious, high-quality products for health-conscious consumers.

The Quality Control and Assurance Manager is a full-time, on-site role based in Ojai, CA. This role oversees all quality control and food safety programs, ensuring products meet USDA Organic, Non-GMO, and internal standards from raw material intake through finished goods. Responsibilities include developing and maintaining SOPs, HACCP plans, and quality documentation; performing routine inspections of production processes, packaging, and sanitation;

and coordinating product testing with internal teams and external labs. The manager investigates nonconformances, leads root-cause analysis, and implements corrective and preventive actions to minimize quality issues. This role collaborates closely with operations, procurement, and R&D to support new product launches, continuous improvement initiatives, and compliance with regulatory and third-party certification requirements.

• Demonstrated expertise in food quality assurance and food safety, including HACCP, GMPs, and familiarity with USDA Organic and Non-GMO standards.
• Strong skills in process auditing, documentation control, and establishing or refining SOPs and quality systems in a food manufacturing environment.
• Ability to perform data analysis related to quality metrics, interpret lab results, and use findings to drive corrective and preventive actions.
• Experience collaborating with production, operations, and R&D teams to troubleshoot process issues and support new product and process validations.
• Effective communication, leadership, and coaching skills to train production staff on quality and food safety expectations and promote a culture of continuous improvement.
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Quality Management, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience in food manufacturing.
• Prior experience in snack foods, natural, organic, or specialty food manufacturing is highly beneficial.
• Comfort working on-site in a hands-on capacity, including frequent time on the production floor and occasional off-hours support as needed.