Quality Manager

The Quality Manager owns and sustains the Waukegan plant Quality and Food Safety Management Systems and serves as the site food safety authority. This role is accountable for end-to-end system design, document control, compliance, daily execution, audit readiness, performance measurement, and continuous improvement. The Quality Manager serves as the SQF Practitioner and HACCP Team Leader, leads customer, vendor, regulatory, and certification quality activities, and provides technical leadership for root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action.

The position directly supervises and develops the Quality Assurance and Sanitation teams and partners cross-functionally with Operations, R&D, and Supply Chain to ensure food safety and quality requirements are clearly understood, effectively implemented, verified, and sustained.

• Own and sustain the site Quality and Food Safety Management Systems end-to-end, including document control, compliance, daily execution, KPI tracking, trending, and communication.
• Serve as the site food safety authority and align all functions on food safety and quality priorities, responsibilities, and execution requirements.
• Serve as the SQF Practitioner and lead the development, implementation, verification, and sustainment of programs, processes, and procedures required to achieve and maintain SQF certification.
• Serve as HACCP Team Leader and owner of the site HACCP system, ensuring hazard analyses and HACCP plans are properly developed, implemented, validated, verified, and sustained.
• Maintain continuous audit readiness and lead external audits, including SQF certification, regulatory, and customer audits.
• Interpret applicable code, regulatory, and customer requirements and translate them into clear site policies, procedures, work instructions, standards, and controls.
• Verify implementation and effectiveness of food safety and quality programs through routine monitoring, verification, internal auditing, and follow-up.
• Own customer and vendor quality interactions, including issue response, technical communication, corrective actions, follow-up, and closure.
• Provide technical leadership to investigate, correct, and prevent food safety and quality issues using structured root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action processes.
• Continuously improve and mature the Quality Management System through control planning, sustainment routines, verification, auditing, and standardization.
• Develop and deliver training on food safety and quality systems, including SQF code requirements, HACCP, food defense, allergens, GMPs, and related policies, procedures, and programs.
• Directly supervise Quality Assurance and Sanitation personnel, establish clear expectations, develop team capability, and ensure effective execution of floor and system-based quality activities.
• Effectively delegate food safety and quality program responsibilities across the Quality Assurance team and cross-functional partners, and audit for compliance, completion, and effectiveness.
• Partner with Operations, R&D, and Supply Chain to support product development, establish product specifications and standards, and drive consistent execution of food safety and quality priorities.
• Provide technical support and leadership to the plant to address emerging food safety, quality, regulatory, supplier, and customer concerns.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, or a related scientific discipline
• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressive food safety and quality experience in a manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing Quality Assurance personnel and quality management systems.
• Strong knowledge of SQF, HACCP, GMPs, allergen management, food defense, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Experience leading customer, regulatory, and third-party food safety and quality audits; SQF Practitioner experience preferred
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, drive continuous improvement, and execute root cause analysis and corrective actions
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and quality data analysis, trending, and reporting