Senior Quality Assurance Specialist / Quality Lead

IML Containers/Labels North America Inc.•Aurora, IL

10d

About The Position

The Senior Quality Assurance Specialist / Quality Lead supports and leads quality assurance within label production, including decisions involving suspected or non-conforming raw materials, semi-finished goods, and finished products. The role helps ensure products meet quality, food safety, regulatory, and customer requirements while contributing to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. The position has increased responsibility for maintaining and improving the Quality Management System, including FSSC 22000 requirements, audits, corrective and preventive actions, root cause investigations, and audit readiness. It works closely with Production, Technical, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Management. The role provides senior quality guidance to Production; supports disposition, containment, inspection, sorting, rework, and evaluation of products; coordinates and participates in internal and external audits; tracks findings and corrective actions; investigates customer complaints and supplier issues; supports calibration and controlled-document processes; analyzes quality trends; and provides training and guidance to Quality Technicians and Production employees. The position also promotes quality ownership, food safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong knowledge of manufacturing quality assurance practices.
Working knowledge of FSSC 22000 or comparable food safety or 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.
High level of 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 proficiency required.
High school diploma or equivalent required.
3–5+ years of Quality Assurance experience in a manufacturing environment preferred.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Serve as a senior quality resource for Production and provide guidance on quality concerns.
Support or substitute for Quality Technicians as needed to address 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, and instructions for sorting or inspection activities.
Support Technical and Production teams with quality testing and product evaluations.
Monitor recurring quality issues and identify corrective-action and process-improvement opportunities.
Support maintenance and continuous improvement of the site's FSSC 22000 Food Safety Management System and year-round audit readiness.
Coordinate and participate in internal audits covering food safety, quality systems, production processes, documentation, and regulatory requirements.
Support preparation for external certification, customer, and regulatory audits; assist auditors by gathering documentation, providing evidence, responding to requests, and coordinating follow-up.
Track audit findings, observations, and non-conformities through closure; support corrective action plans and verify implementation and effectiveness.
Support 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 with the Quality Management team; plan, conduct, document, and follow up on audits.
Perform product, process, procedural, and system audits; analyze findings and non-conformity reports.
Participate in and facilitate root cause investigations; lead or support corrective and preventive actions.
Work with departments to establish corrective action plans, responsibilities, and completion dates; verify effectiveness and escalate overdue or ineffective actions to Quality Management.
Maintain accurate audit and corrective-action records in applicable electronic systems.
Review and respond to customer quality complaints and documentation requests; lead or support complaint investigations.
Collect production records, samples, quality data, and supporting documentation for investigations; conduct root cause analysis with Production and Technical teams and develop corrective actions.
Enter customer complaints and corrective actions into the electronic X3 Web system; monitor cases through closure and prepare customer responses and supporting documentation.
Identify recurring customer complaint trends and recommend preventive actions.
Investigate supplier quality issues; document supplier complaints and non-conformities; prepare supplier claims and supporting documentation.
Communicate supplier quality concerns and required corrective actions; monitor supplier responses and verify effectiveness where applicable.
Support supplier performance reviews and quality improvement activities.
Support management of measuring and testing equipment, including calibration schedules and documentation.
Verify that instruments used for product acceptance are within required calibration periods; assist the responsible Process Manager with calibration procedures, records, and controls.
Identify and escalate expired, damaged, or potentially inaccurate measuring equipment.
Support the QMS Director in maintaining and improving the Quality Management System.
Create, revise, review, distribute, and remove controlled documents; support control of policies, procedures, work instructions, forms, specifications, and quality records.
Ensure obsolete documents are removed from use, help departments implement revised procedures, and maintain documentation for audits.
Analyze quality trends, complaints, audit findings, non-conformities, and corrective actions to identify recurring issues.
Participate in cross-functional improvement projects and recommend improvements to reduce defects, complaints, rework, waste, and quality-related costs.
Support development of quality KPIs and reporting and participate in other improvement initiatives assigned by the immediate supervisor or IML Labels management.
Guide and provide technical support to Quality Technicians and Production employees on quality and food safety requirements.
Assist with employee training on quality procedures, inspection requirements, document control, and food safety expectations.
Promote quality ownership, food safety, accountability, and continuous improvement; serve as a resource to Production leadership for immediate quality decisions.
Support the Quality leadership team in communicating quality expectations throughout the facility.