QA Manager

About the role

Red River Commodities is seeking an experienced and driven Quality Assurance Manager to lead food safety and quality programs across our Wild Bird Food production facilities in Lubbock, TX and Fargo, ND. This role will be based in Lubbock and serve as the primary quality leader for both locations, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, customer expectations, and company quality standards.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive quality assurance and food safety programs across both wildlife production facilities.
• Lead HACCP, Preventive Controls, GMP, sanitation, and regulatory compliance programs.
• Ensure adherence to all applicable FDA, FSMA, OSHA, and customer-specific requirements.
• Maintain and continuously improve quality management systems and documentation.
• Champion a culture focused on food safety, product quality, and continuous improvement.
• Provide leadership and support for quality teams in both Lubbock, TX and Fargo, ND.
• Establish consistent quality standards, procedures, and expectations across both facilities.
• Travel regularly between locations to conduct audits, provide training, and support operational initiatives.
• Collaborate with facility leadership to identify opportunities for quality and process improvements.
• Lead internal audits, mock recalls, regulatory inspections, customer audits, and third-party certification audits.
• Maintain readiness for regulatory inspections and customer visits.
• Monitor quality metrics and KPIs to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Investigate customer complaints, product defects, and non-conformances.
• Lead root cause investigations and corrective action programs.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams to improve quality performance and product consistency.
• Lead, coach, and develop quality personnel across both facilities.
• Conduct training related to food safety, GMPs, HACCP, quality standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for quality team members.
• Foster accountability, engagement, and collaboration within the quality organization.
• Support supplier qualification and raw material quality programs.
• Review supplier performance and incoming material quality trends.
• Resolve customer quality concerns and communicate effectively with customers regarding corrective actions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, Agriculture, Quality Management, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of Quality Assurance experience in food manufacturing, agriculture, seed processing, or related industry.
• Minimum of 2 years of leadership experience managing quality personnel.
• Multi-site quality management experience preferred.

Skills

• Strong understanding of: HACCP, FSMA, Preventive Controls (PCQI), GMPs, Root Cause Analysis, Regulatory Audits, Quality Management Systems.
• Experience managing customer, third-party, and regulatory audits.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and quality management software.
• Certifications: PCQI Certification, HACCP Certification, SQF Practitioner Certification, Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) or related certification.

Physical & Travel Requirements

Ability to work in a manufacturing and warehouse environment. Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds. Ability to walk production floors, climb stairs, and conduct facility inspections. Travel between Fargo, ND and Lubbock, TX facilities is required, approximately 20-30% of the time. Occasional overnight travel for audits, training, and customer visits.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive health benefits
• Opportunities for career growth and development
• On-demand pay available through Tapcheck
• Paid time off
• Paid Holidays
• 401k & company match
• Profit Sharing
• Employee Assistance Program