Supervisor, Quality - Hold and Release

Leprino Foods Company•Lubbock, TX

12d•Onsite

About The Position

Within our brand new state-of-the-art 600-person manufacturing facility in Lubbock TX, Leprino is seeking a Quality (Hold & Release) Supervisor to lead product hold, release, and disposition activities across the plant. This role guides critical quality decisions from incoming materials through finished product, helping ensure food safety, product integrity, and full compliance with customer and regulatory requirements. You will partner closely with plant leaders and frontline teams to resolve quality issues, strengthen traceability, and keep product moving with confidence.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in food science, food technology, dairy science, microbiology, chemistry, or a closely related field, or equivalent relevant industry experience.
Five or more years of quality or food safety experience in a regulated food manufacturing environment.
One or more years of experience leading, training, mentoring, or coordinating the work of others.
Working knowledge of HACCP, SQF, sanitation programs, and food safety compliance systems used in plant operations.
Working knowledge of food safety systems, product disposition processes, and product release documentation.
Experience supporting product investigations, non-conformance reviews, or corrective action efforts.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in food science, dairy science, microbiology, chemistry, or a related discipline.
Quality Execution or QC leadership experience in dairy or cheese manufacturing environments.
Experience with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, environmental monitoring programs, food laboratory testing, and statistical process control.
Previous leadership experience supervising hourly quality or production teams in a manufacturing setting.

Responsibilities

Lead hold and release decisions across the plant, from incoming ingredients and packaging to finished dairy products.
Review product data, lab results, and documentation to decide whether product moves forward, is reworked, downgraded, or removed from inventory.
Build and maintain hold and release workflows that protect product quality, food safety, and customer confidence.
Write, update, and reinforce plant procedures tied to product grading, traceability, testing, and certificate of analysis requirements.
Coordinate microbiological and chemistry testing by creating work requests, reviewing sampling plans, and confirming accurate reporting.
Guide product segregation, labeling, and disposition activities when product falls outside specification.
Partner with plant teams to complete trace exercises and strengthen lot control across materials and finished goods.
Support root cause investigations involving food safety, product quality, or recurring process issues. Help build corrective actions that stick.
Coach and develop hourly quality team members through training, feedback, mentoring, and day-to-day support.
Communicate unusual product conditions, quality concerns, and significant hold events to plant leadership and corporate quality partners.
Review staffing plans, assign daily priorities, and help the team stay organized during changing production demands.