Quality Assurance Manager
About The Position
The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for leading, managing, and continuously improving the site's Quality and Food Safety Management System (QMS) at the Chico, California manufacturing facility. This position ensures compliance with corporate quality standards, customer requirements, and all applicable federal, state, and local regulations governing food manufacturing. Working closely with the Senior Director of Quality, the QA Manager maintains compliance with GFSI-recognized food safety standards, FDA regulations, Organic and Kosher certification requirements, and customer expectations. The QA Manager provides daily leadership to the Quality team and serves as the site's technical resource for food safety, quality systems, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives. The successful candidate will lead with integrity, exercise sound technical judgment, and consistently place food safety, regulatory compliance, and product quality at the forefront of every decision.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, or related scientific discipline.
- Five or more years of progressive Quality Assurance experience in food or beverage manufacturing.
- Three or more years of supervisory or management experience.
- Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI)
- Juice HACCP
- Thorough knowledge of FDA regulations, 21 CFR Parts 117 and 120, cGMPs, and GFSI standards.
- Strong working knowledge of BRCGS, Organic, Kosher, sanitation, environmental monitoring, and food defense programs.
- Demonstrated ability to make sound, risk-based product disposition decisions while balancing regulatory compliance, food safety, product quality, customer requirements, and business needs.
- Ability to maintain professionalism, composure, and sound technical judgment while working under pressure, managing competing priorities, and responding to high-consequence quality or food safety events.
- Ability to make timely decisions based on objective evidence, even in challenging or high-pressure situations.
- Strong conflict resolution and communication skills with the ability to effectively challenge decisions that could compromise food safety, product quality, or regulatory compliance.
- Demonstrates the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and professionalism in all business activities.
- Exercises independent judgment and consistently makes decisions based on food safety, regulatory compliance, product quality, and factual evidence.
- Demonstrates the courage to raise concerns, escalate issues when appropriate, and uphold company standards even when faced with conflicting business priorities.
- Builds trust through accountability, transparency, consistency, and respectful collaboration.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in a GFSI-certified manufacturing facility preferred.
- Better Process Control School (BPCS) preferred or ability to obtain within one year.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the site's primary authority for finished product release.
- Administer the plant hold and release program, including evaluation, risk assessment, documentation, and final disposition of nonconforming materials and finished goods.
- Conduct technical risk assessments and disposition recommendations in collaboration with the Senior Director of Quality.
- Own the day-to-day administration and continuous improvement of the site's QMS.
- Maintain all quality documentation, procedures, records, verification activities, and validation records in an audit-ready state.
- Ensure compliance with BRCGS, FDA, Juice HACCP, Organic, Kosher, customer, and corporate requirements.
- Serve as the plant Quality & Food Safety leader.
- Lead regular cross-functional Food Safety, Food Defense, HACCP, and Change Management meetings.
- Provide technical leadership to Operations, Warehouse, Maintenance, and Production.
- Conduct routine plant assessments to verify GMP compliance, process controls, and product quality.
- Audit and verify sanitation effectiveness executed by the Operations team, including pre-operational inspections and sanitation verification.
- Review production documentation and quality trends.
- Lead investigations involving complaints, deviations, environmental findings, and nonconforming products.
- Implement and verify effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs).
- Maintain the facility in a continuous state of audit readiness.
- Coordinate audit preparation, documentation, and internal audits.
- Serve as a key participant during FDA, customer, BRCGS, Organic, and Kosher audits while supporting the Senior Director of Quality as the primary external representative.
- Demonstrate the ability to perform robust product traceability exercises, mock recalls, and Quality Management System audits.
- Supervise, coach, and develop Quality personnel.
- Promote accountability and a strong food safety culture.
Benefits
- Bonus Eligibility
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
