Confidential

Compensation

Full Description

Overview: The Quality Assurance Manager leads the Food Safety & Quality Assurance programs for the production facility and ensures compliance with all regulatory, GFSI (SQF), customer, consumer and internal standards. This role develops, implements, and maintains policies, systems, and procedures that guarantee the safety, quality, and consistency of our products. The QA Manager directly supervises QA Technicians, QA Coordinators and the Sanitation Supervisor, driving a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, strong documentation practices, and operational excellence. This position also supports cross-site initiatives and corporate-level projects and may contribute to the development or rollout of programs used across all sites. Description / Essential Job Functions - • Serves as the SQF Practitioner or back-up SQF Practitioner for the facility. • Develops, validates, verifies, and maintains all food Safety fundamentals and the Food Safety Plan. • Leads hazard analyses; identifying critical control points and preventive measures; establishing critical limits, monitoring procedures, corrective actions, and verification procedures; monitoring inventories. • Maintains continuous audit readiness and leads internal audits across all program areas. • Ensures compliance with FDA regulations, FSMA Requirements and GFSI/SQF requirements. • Leads deviation investigations, corrective actions, and ensures timely and complete resolution. • Oversees quality systems, including specifications, product attributes, incoming inspections, COA verification, and batch record review. • Ensures that finished products meet all regulatory, industry, and customer requirements. • Leads continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing defects, improving consistency, and enhancing processes. • Oversees execution of sampling, product evaluations, gold standard development, and routine sensory evaluations. • Ensures timely and accurate documentation across all QA processes, including calibrations, verifications, and quality records for compliance. • Directly supervises QA Technician, QA Coordinator and the Sanitation Supervisor, providing coaching, performance feedback, and development. • Holds team members accountable to high standards of execution, professionalism, documentation accuracy, and urgency. • Builds strong working relationships with Production, Maintenance, R&D, Purchasing, and HR to ensure cross-functional alignment. • Delivers clear, proactive communication and escalates concerns appropriately. • Drives a culture of food safety, respect, teamwork, and continuous improvement. • Oversees the Sanitation Supervisor and sanitation team to ensure execution of master sanitation schedules, SSOPs, allergen cleaning, and pre-operational inspections. • Ensures GMP expectations are communicated, enforced, and consistently upheld throughout the facility. • Oversees the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP), allergen verification and validation, sanitation validation, and pest control program. • Ensures the facility is clean, sanitized, audit-ready, and compliant with all regulatory requirements. • Serves as a key facility representative during regulatory inspections, customer audits, and third-party audits. • Coordinates audit preparation and ensures all corrective actions are completed accurately and on time. • Maintains documentation and recordkeeping systems that support transparent, verifiable compliance. • Partners with Research & Development to support formula changes, process modifications, product launches, and commercialization scale-ups. • Validates processes, equipment, and controls associated with new or modified products. • Ensures cross-functional alignment for trial runs, product evaluations, and product rollouts. • Oversees non-conforming product identification, isolation, and hold disposition. • Leads root cause analysis and corrective action development for internal issues and consumer complaints. • Trends complaint data and drives actions that reduce frequency and severity. • Communicates findings to management with clarity and urgency. • Develops training materials and conducts or oversees training on GMPs, HACCP, SQF, allergens, sanitation practices, CCP/PC monitoring, and quality procedures. • Ensures training records, SOPs, forms, and work instructions are current, accessible, and properly controlled. • Ensures QA/Sanitation staff receive ongoing technical development. • Participates in corporate-level projects and may lead the development, implementation, or improvement of programs used across multiple facilities. • Seeks to identify opportunities and drive initiatives for continuous improvement. • Manages the department budget to ensure accurate and value-added expenditures, while mitigating overspending. • Shares learnings, best practices, and quality insights across the QA network. • Adheres to all safety rules and best practices. • Performs all other related duties as required and based on the needs of the business. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) The QA Manager is accountable for measurable results, including, but : • Consumer complaint trends • Audit readiness and audit performance scores • Sanitation performance & pre-op pass rates • GMP inspection scores • Documentation & process control compliance (e.g., RedZone, batch records) • Budget oversight for QA & Sanitation programs • Accuracy and timeliness of run sign-off & process control reviews • On-time completion of calibrations, verifications, and EMP activities Requirements / Skills / Abilities - Leadership & Behavioral Competencies • Demonstrates strong decision-making, follow-through, accountability, and professionalism. • Excellent oral and written communication skills; able to deliver clear feedback and influence cross-functional partners. • Builds trust and maintains positive working relationships across the organization. • Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis skills. • Maintains composure and professionalism under pressure. • Strong team-building and coaching abilities. Technical Competencies • Strong understanding of food safety regulations (FSMA/PCQI) and bakery operations. • HACCP, PCQI, and SQF certification required. • Proficient in Microsoft Office and various QA/QC data management systems. QAD RedZone a plus. • Knowledge of analytical methods, environmental monitoring, and statistical analysis. • Background in FDA requirements, food labeling, and GMP regulations. Qualifications - • Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, or a related field OR high school diploma with a minimum of 5 years of progressive food manufacturing experience. • Previous management or supervisory experience required. • HACCP, PCQI, and SQF certifications required. • English proficiency required; bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred. Physical Demands - • Ability to sit or stand for extended periods. • Must be able to walk the production floor and work in environments with heat, cold, humidity, elevated noise levels or wet conditions as needed. Work Environment - • Primarily office-based with frequent exposure to the production environment. • Must follow all company safety rules and support a safe working environment. Pay: $105,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year Benefits: • 401(k) • 401(k) matching • Dental insurance • Health insurance • Paid time off • Vision insurance Work Location: In person