QA Manager

gategroup•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The QA Manager is responsible for food safety and quality engineering and control across processes, operations, systems, policies, procedures, and audits. The role leads quality improvement projects, drives defect prevention, and serves as the primary business quality project manager for Corporate Quality Assurance requirements and regulations. The position supports customer and regulatory compliance, manages corrective actions and investigations, oversees food safety testing and HACCP records, and works with operations, suppliers, customers, regulatory agencies, and Corporate QA. It also includes coaching and training employees, managing quality performance metrics, and evaluating and supporting employees.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in food science, quality, a technical field, or a business-related field from an accredited four-year college or university.
At least 5 years of quality assurance experience in a manufacturing environment.
Advanced technical knowledge of catering processes and design functions, manufacturing methods, inspection, statistical methods, and quality auditing.
Knowledge of lean standard tools and Total Quality Management (TQM) methodology.
Strong attention to detail.
Project management experience.
Strong organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize responsibilities and multitask.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with multiple departments.
Ability to work with little supervision.
Excellent reading, writing, and oral communication skills.
Ability to stand, bend, lift, and move intermittently during shifts, and to lift, pull, push, and move products, equipment, and supplies daily.

Nice To Haves

Quality assurance experience in food manufacturing is preferred.
Basic Lean and Six Sigma knowledge and understanding of continuous improvement.
ServSafe certification.
HACCP certification.
Multilingual ability.

Responsibilities

Support customer and regulatory audits within the responsible facilities.
Work with Operations Managers to ensure compliance with HACCP requirements.
Participate in corrective action efforts addressing product, process, and service non-conformities.
Conduct monthly self-assessments of food safety elements and perform food safety testing required by the HACCP plan.
Plan for quality, including capital, supplier quality, and plant quality.
Evaluate and report quality performance trends.
Manage Quality Engineering projects and lead and monitor assigned improvement projects.
Audit quality-system implementation and verify activities for effectiveness.
Maintain and manage the corrective action system.
Monitor the accuracy and compliance of HACCP records in accordance with corporate procedures.
Reinforce quality awareness among management and staff.
Schedule and manage sanitation porter activities when assigned as a responsibility.
Manage continuous-improvement projects in quality and contribute to implementation of the business management system.
Implement the quality system described in the quality manual.
Champion quality improvement and problem-solving efforts and ensure implementation.
Drive defect prevention by tracking key performance indicators and conducting daily patrols of production areas.
Lead product defect investigations and investigations of alleged food poisoning and hard- or soft-foreign objects.
Manage compliance with USDA and APHIS regulations.
Manage food product suppliers for the unit, including audits of local suppliers.
Coordinate actions to prevent non-conformities with internal, federal, and state laws.
Resolve customer compliance issues involving defects, including alleged food poisoning when needed.
Identify and maintain key performance metrics for the Quality organization.
Improve plant procedures for monitoring and ensuring conformance to specifications for incoming raw materials and finished products.
Serve as the primary liaison to the Corporate QA Compliance Team.
Train and coach employees at all organizational levels on quality requirements.
Ensure safety, quality, and compliance with customer specifications and optimize business processes for customer and regulatory compliance in quality and food safety.
Monitor changes in customer, company, and regulatory requirements and prepare the business for adaptation.
Liaise with customers and regulatory agencies as needed.
Evaluate, coach, and counsel employees; prepare corrective actions for employees and coordinate with HR and other support functions.
Complete Hazard Analysis and Risk Based Preventative Controls (HARPC) Preventative Controls for Human Food training and certification to qualify as a PCQI under company policy.
Complete other required company training, including ServSafe Sanitation Manager Certification.