Quality Systems Manager II, Plant Operations

Overview

Our vision is both simple and ambitious: to put our drinks on every table. We are the leading global independent beverage solutions provider serving a broad range of national and international retailers as well as Global, National and Emerging (GNE) brands. Our products are distributed worldwide from our production sites in Europe, North America, and Australia. Although our own branding may not appear on the labels of the beverages we produce, there is a good chance you are reading this while sipping one of our drinks.

We are solutions-based, innovative, and continually seek new challenges. Refresco is at the cutting edge of a fast-moving industry because we have passionate people pushing the boundaries of what’s best.

Position:
Manager, Quality Systems II. Reporting to the Plant Manager, this role leads the plant Quality Systems function and serves as the site owner of the Food Safety and Quality Management System (FSQMS). The role provides strategic and operational leadership to ensure effective implementation, execution, verification, and validation of all quality and food safety systems in accordance with SQF Code requirements, FSMA Preventive Controls, FDA regulations, and customer standards.

The Manager, Quality Systems II maintains regulatory compliance, manages food safety and quality certifications and licenses, ensures registrations remain current, and acts as the primary site contact for regulatory agencies, certification bodies, and customer systems and policies.

• Quality & Food Safety System Leadership
  • Serve as the site SQF Practitioner / food safety leader, championing the facility’s Food Safety and Quality Management System in compliance with SQF, FSMA, FDA, GFSI, and customer requirements.
  • Lead and oversee the Quality Systems team responsible for maintaining certification readiness and continuous compliance with third-party audits and regulatory standards.
  • Own and drive continuous improvement of plant quality and food safety systems, including HACCP, Preventive Controls, SQF System Elements, allergen and organic program management, GMPs, supplier approval, and traceability.
  • Ensure all food safety plans, hazard analyses, and preventive controls are properly implemented, validated, verified, and maintained.
• Audit & Regulatory Compliance
  • Act as overall plant owner for audit systems, including internal audits, SQF certification audits, regulatory inspections, and customer audits.
  • Develop, implement, and maintain a robust internal audit and self-assessment program aligned with SQF, FSMA, FDA, and company requirements including sanitation.
  • Ensure timely closure of audit findings, non-conformances, and CAPAs, including documented root cause analysis and effectiveness verification.
  • Maintain compliance with FDA, state and local regulations, SQF Code, Refresco quality policies, HACCP, allergen programs, kosher/organic certifications, and other applicable standards.
• Data, Metrics & Risk Management
  • Monitor, analyze, and trend quality and food safety performance metrics to ensure ongoing compliance with regulatory, certification, and customer expectations.
  • Identify performance trends, recurring issues, and emerging risks through data analysis and risk-based thinking.
  • Develop and present clear dashboards, reports, and summaries to plant leadership and corporate stakeholders to support decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Maintenance, and R&D to investigate quality issues and implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
  • Support new equipment installations, system tie-ins, process changes, and product launches by ensuring food safety and quality risks are assessed, controlled, and validated.
• Training, Documentation & System Governance
  • Ensure required training programs are established and maintained for quality testing, inspections, monitoring activities, and recordkeeping under the FSQMS.
  • Own document control systems, ensuring procedures, work instructions, specifications, and records meet SQF and regulatory requirements.
  • Review, revise, and update…