Quality Assurance Manager

The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for leading and overseeing Gem-Pack Berries’ overall Quality Assurance function, ensuring that fruit quality consistently meets or exceeds company, customer, retailer, and consumer expectations. This position provides strategic and operational leadership over quality standards, specifications, grading, inspection, and fruit-handling processes across all coolers and growing regions. The Quality Assurance Manager will establish and maintain reliable fruit quality specifications and grading systems while ensuring a consistent, objective, and trustworthy inspection process.

This role oversees quality performance, reporting, team development, customer complaints, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives, while partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Growers, and other key stakeholders. This position reports to the Director of Global Ag Operations. This is an in-office role based in Oxnard or Santa Monica, California.

• Work with company stakeholders to define quality goals and objectives by berry
• Understand and maintain alignment with industry retailer Quality Gold Standard and specifications
• Develop, implement, and maintain the company’s Quality programs, policies, procedures, and standards
• Ensure quality standards are clearly communicated and consistently applied across the organization.

• Continuously review and optimize fruit quality specifications, grading standards, and inspection requirements to meet company and customer expectations.
• Oversee and ensure a consistent, objective, and reliable fruit inspection methodology across coolers and regions
• Establish and maintain appropriate sample sizes, pallet review procedures, ERP usage, and objective grading standards.
• Ensure quality processes, procedures, and required timelines are followed from fruit arrival through the cold-chain process and ultimately through truck loading.
• Maintain consistency in quality inspection practices across locations.
• Maintain consistency in quality inspection practices across locations, shifts, and teams.
• Monitor inspection practices and identify opportunities to improve consistency, accuracy, and efficiency

• Prepare and distribute weekly quality KPI reports by region, berry, defect, cooler, and grower
• Develop and maintain quality metrics and reporting tools to identify trends, opportunities, and areas requiring attention or corrective action.
• Lead weekly Quality Committee meetings with key stakeholders to review performance, identify trends, and establish preventive and corrective action plans.

• Investigate quality issues, customer complaints, and non- conformances
• Generate, document, and summarize findings and recommendations
• Develop and implement appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
• Monitor corrective actions to ensure they are effectively implemented and sustained.

• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Growers, and other stakeholders to improve product quality, operational performance, and customer satisfaction.
• Promote a culture of quality, accountability, consistency, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

• Train and develop QC personnel and growers on quality standards, specifications, inspection procedures, and requirements.
• Hire, train, supervise, coach, and mange QC personnel
• Establish clear performance expectations and provide regular feedback, coaching, and development

• Responsible for overall supervisor, leadership, and development of the Quality Assurance department, including Quality Assurance supervisors, and seasonal Quality Assurance Technicians.

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business, Food Science, Supply Chain, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in Quality Assurance, Quality Management, or a related role; experience within the fresh produce industry strongly preferred.
• 3+ years in a Quality Assurance management and supervisory role
• In-depth knowledge of quality assurance principles, food quality standards, grading specifications, inspection procedures, and customer requirements.
• Strong understanding of industry and retailer quality standards and the ability to translate those…