Senior Quality Assurance Specialist / Quality Lead

Gest-Can RLX•Aurora, IL

About The Position

The Senior Quality Assurance Specialist / Quality Lead supports and leads quality assurance in label production, making or supporting decisions concerning suspected and non-conforming raw materials, semi-finished goods, work-in-process, and finished products. The role helps ensure products meet quality, food safety, regulatory, and customer requirements and supports continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. The position has increased responsibility for maintaining and improving the Quality Management System, including FSSC 22000 requirements, internal and external audits, corrective and preventive actions, root cause investigations, and audit readiness. It works closely with Production, Technical, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Management. The role also provides guidance to Quality Technicians and Production employees, supports employee training, and promotes quality ownership, food safety, accountability, and continuous improvement. The position supports product inspection and disposition, customer and supplier quality matters, calibration and controlled documentation, audit and corrective-action records, and quality trend analysis. It requires working physically in a manufacturing environment when needed.

Requirements

Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong knowledge of manufacturing quality assurance practices.
Working knowledge of FSSC 22000 or comparable food safety and quality management systems.
Experience participating in or leading internal quality and food safety audits.
Ability to support external certification and customer audits.
Strong audit, investigation, and root cause analysis skills.
Experience managing non-conformities and corrective actions.
Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
Strong attention to detail, integrity, and professional judgment.
Ability to work independently and make appropriate quality decisions.
Strong organizational and follow-up skills.
Ability to influence Production and cross-functional teams.
Leadership and coaching skills.
Adaptability and comfort working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and web-based quality systems.
Ability to work physically in a manufacturing environment, including standing, walking, lifting, inspecting, and sorting products when required.
English required.
High school diploma or equivalent required.
3–5+ years of Quality Assurance experience in a manufacturing environment preferred.

Nice To Haves

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Quality, Manufacturing, Engineering, Food Science, Business, or a related discipline.
Previous experience in label, printing, packaging, food packaging, or related manufacturing.
Experience working within an FSSC 22000-certified environment.
Experience supporting or participating in FSSC 22000 certification, surveillance, recertification, customer, or internal audits.
Experience with internal auditing, non-conformance management, CAPA, root cause analysis, and corrective action verification.
Internal Auditor training or certification.
Previous leadership, lead, senior technician, or quality coordination experience.
Spanish language skills.

Responsibilities

Serve as a senior quality resource for Production and provide guidance on quality-related concerns.
Support and substitute for Quality Technicians as needed to respond to production-floor quality needs.
Make or support disposition decisions for non-conforming raw materials, work-in-process, semi-finished goods, and finished products.
Determine appropriate containment, segregation, inspection, sorting, rework, or disposition of non-conforming products.
Provide Production with information, standards, samples, or instructions for sorting and inspection activities.
Support Technical and Production teams with quality assurance testing and product evaluations.
Monitor recurring quality issues and identify opportunities for corrective action and process improvement.
Maintain and continuously improve the site's FSSC 22000 Food Safety Management System and support certification and surveillance audit readiness.
Coordinate and participate in internal audits covering food safety, quality systems, production processes, documentation, and regulatory requirements.
Support preparation for and assist with external certification, customer, and regulatory audits, including gathering documentation and coordinating follow-up.
Track audit findings, observations, and non-conformities through closure; support corrective action plans and verify implementation and effectiveness.
Maintain compliance with food safety programs, prerequisite programs, procedures, work instructions, and quality standards; identify system gaps and recommend improvements.
Develop and maintain the internal quality audit schedule; plan, conduct, document, and follow up on product, process, procedural, and system audits.
Analyze audit findings and non-conformity reports; participate in or facilitate root cause investigations and lead or support corrective and preventive actions.
Work with departments to establish corrective action plans, responsibilities, and due dates; escalate overdue or ineffective actions and maintain accurate records in applicable electronic systems.
Review and respond to customer quality complaints and documentation requests; investigate complaints, collect supporting records and data, conduct root cause analysis, and develop corrective actions.
Enter customer complaints and corrective actions into the X3 Web system, monitor them through closure, prepare customer responses and supporting documentation, and identify complaint trends and preventive actions.
Investigate supplier quality issues, document supplier complaints and non-conformities, prepare supplier claims, communicate concerns and required actions, and monitor supplier corrective actions and performance.
Support management of measuring and testing equipment, including calibration schedules and records; verify calibration status and escalate expired, damaged, or potentially inaccurate instruments.
Support the QMS Director in maintaining and improving the Quality Management System and its controlled documents, including creating, revising, reviewing, distributing, and removing documents.
Support document control for policies, procedures, work instructions, forms, specifications, and quality records; help departments implement revised procedures and maintain audit evidence.
Analyze quality trends, complaints, audit findings, non-conformities, and corrective actions; participate in cross-functional improvement projects and recommend ways to reduce defects, complaints, rework, waste, and quality costs.
Support quality KPI development and reporting and participate in additional improvement initiatives assigned by the immediate supervisor or IML Labels management.
Provide technical guidance to Quality Technicians and Production employees, assist with employee training, and support the Quality leadership team in communicating quality expectations throughout the facility.