Quality Assurance Manager

Our client is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Manager to lead food safety and quality systems within a 24/7 dairy manufacturing environment.

Location: Cabot, VT 05647

Salary: $96,000–$106,000 per year along with benefits.

Employment Type: Full-Time

This position reports to the Quality Assurance Director and is responsible for ensuring that all products meet customer specifications and established food safety and quality standards.

The Quality Assurance Manager will provide leadership to the QA team while maintaining, developing, evaluating, and implementing HACCP, SQF, GMP, food safety, quality control, and regulatory compliance programs
. The ideal candidate will have strong technical knowledge of dairy, cheese, and cultured products, along with proven leadership, analytical, problem‑solving, and communication skills.

• Lead the overall Quality Assurance function within a 24/7 manufacturing operation.
• Manage the QA Supervisor and Plant Sanitarian, with indirect oversight of laboratory technicians.
• Oversee laboratory testing of raw milk, finished products, and plant samples to ensure quality and regulatory compliance.
• Manage laboratory staffing, scheduling, testing, supplies, equipment, and facilities.
• Maintain compliance with food safety and quality programs, including PMO, GMP, HACCP, SQF, Food Defense, and Pest Control
  .
• Provide employee training on hygienic product handling, HACCP, SQF, GMP, and other sanitation requirements.
• Serve as the site's SQF Practitioner
  , with the QA Supervisor serving as backup.
• Lead customer, regulatory, and third‑party audits, including SQF, FDA, USDA, state inspections, Kosher, and Halal audits.
• Develop and manage corrective and preventive action plans resulting from audits, inspections, complaints, and testing.
• Lead and promote a strong Food Safety Culture throughout the facility.
• Manage product status programs, including Hold, Release, Rework, and Reject
  , and maintain authority for final product disposition.
• Review production documentation to ensure compliance with regulatory and quality requirements.
• Develop, maintain, and implement QA policies, procedures, programs, and documentation.
• Update the plant recall manual annually and conduct mock recalls and traceability exercises.
• Manage customer and consumer complaint programs, including root‑cause investigations, corrective actions, trending, and reporting.
• Maintain the Pathogen Environmental Monitoring Program
  , including investigation and CAPA implementation for out‑of‑specification results.
• Manage in‑process and finished‑product testing and analyze quality trends.
• Track and report QA metrics, KPIs, and manufacturing performance indicators to management.
• Schedule, lead, and document regular plant inspections.
• Provide technical support for quality improvement and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with production, sanitation, engineering, operations, and other departments to improve product quality and manufacturing performance.
• Ensure all team members follow safety procedures, complete required training, and use appropriate PPE.
• Perform additional duties and responsibilities as required.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a scientific field
  , such as Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in a food manufacturing or dairy environment.
• Minimum of 5 years of management and/or senior supervisory experience
  .
• Strong understanding of microbiology, food science, HACCP, SQF, and GMP
  .
• Strong knowledge of dairy, cheese, and/or cultured products.
• Experience with food safety systems, quality assurance programs, and regulatory compliance.
• Strong analytical skills and experience implementing and…